While many are content to join the masses that converge upon Napa Valley each spring, those of us in the know keep going north on Highway 128. With Mt. St. Helena on your right, you enter into what my ancestors and many others have called God's country. Ride along with me on a spring tour made possible by my grandparents, who settled here from Denmark in the 1800s.
In stark contrast to the 120°F weather we'd spent the day fleeing from in Death Valley, a storm was chasing us towards Yosemite and the Tioga Pass. On the map, Lee Vining and Mono Lake seemed like a perfect place to spend the night, wait out the storm and set out from, early the following day. We'd seen some pictures of Mono Lake while researching our two-month trip around the western US and the seemingly alien tufa tower formations that reached out from the water were definitely intriguing.
When I was a kid, I just thought of Cazadero as another podunk town in Sonoma. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I began to appreciate the spectacular motorcycle roads it has been keeping secret for many years. The locals are friendly, and enjoy sharing the local lore. It's the kind of place where, like at Cheers, everybody knows your name.
One of the highlights of the region is a nice simple ride around Lake Tahoe a where you can get a real flavor for all the different communities and the incredible sights the area has. It’s not a very long ride, but it’s a great way to spend the afternoon. Now, there are times when this ride can be challenging, and I would not recommend it on a Saturday afternoon during the summer, but off season it can be beautiful. Also, while I describe the route as starting on the South Shore (it’s where I live), you can start on the North Shore or east shore just as easily. The ride is dotted with state parks, road pull outs, and little communities, plenty of fun for an enjoyable afternoon of riding and sightseeing.
Parking in other cities, states, and countries almost always poses a challenge for the traveler, as machines and systems vary so widely. San Francisco has a lot of motorcycles and motorcycle parking. First of all, please park in the middle of the space, and leave room for scooters and bikes that may have a center stand. That is, park so that your bike, even tilted, is is the middle of the spot instead of hanging over the next. Sorry I have to say that, but you wouldn't believe..." Read on for more on using our high-tech meters.
After a month of rainy weekends, I jumped at the chance when my girlfriend India called me up and said “let’s ride!” The day's two-wheel menu of choice was a tour of the North Bay by way of Greenbrae, out to the infinite serpentine two-lane Highway 1, north to Point Reyes, Tomales Bay, and Bodega Bay, then home through Occidental and Sebastopol. This 76 mile, 4-5-hour eclectic ride is chock full of hills, deep forests and coastal magic, intermingled with sweeping turns and tight twisties.
Most tourists riding between San Francisco and Big Sur on Highway One ride right by elephant seals who plop themselves onto the beaches above Santa Cruz, California. In the winter months, hundreds of females are there to give birth, the newborn pups are there to grow big and fat, and the males . . . well, they’re busy competing with each other for the chance to pass their genes onto the next round of babies born next winter. Just 25 miles north of Santa Cruz on Highway One, you can get off your bike for a short stroll to get a rare glimpse of these large and lumbering creatures.
The back roads of the San Francisco Bay Area offer plenty of curves, but I’m definitely not throwing you a curve when offering up this list of the coolest, out-of the-way places to check out along your route. Whether you’re a local on a weekend ride or a visitor looking to explore the region’s amazing back roads while on two wheels, the below are the five must-do hangouts.
Soaking my bones in hot mineral water coming right out of the earth is THE best way to offload stress and relieve pillion-butt. Throw in an expansive view over sweet-scented ponderosa pine and cedar forests across a sage-covered alpine meadow in the high Sierra and, voila! I am back to center – back to appreciating life.
For 40 years (since 1971) motorists meandering the scenic Big Sur route along California’s Highway One have been stopping at the Big Sur Coast Gallery to view the large collection of American art and sometimes to purchase said works. Now, the Big Sur Coast Gallery Café has upped the ante, encouraging people to stop not just for the art but to enjoy a new menu devised to celebrate the best seasonally inspired food from California.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Art and food both worth a stop at Big Sur Coast Gallery - San Francisco Culinary Travel
View Coast Gallery Big Sur in a Google map.
