California Trip Report - Day 4

 

(Sunday - April 30, 2006)

 

Day 4

 

We had a nice breakfast at the Redwood Café. All I could eat after my hearty evening repast was a homemade muffin. We gassed up and set out for the Big Sur Coast. Highway 1 through Big Sur is often described as one of the best motorcycling roads in the world. Would it live up to the hype?

 

Highway 1 - 3D map

 

The black line hugging the coast in the 3-D picture above is Highway 1. The rugged Santa Lucia Mountains rise out of the Pacific and tower over this particular section of the Pacific Coast Highway. Convicts and celebrated native sons like John Steinbeck built it. The road was painstakingly carved into the side of the mountains. Mudslides can devastate this road during the winter rainy season. The road was closed for more than a year a few years back. Much of the scenic wonder of the Coast is accorded respect with a reverential lack of commercial signs. There are no billboards, hot dog stands, or flashy buildings.

 

I was pretty excited as we rode north. It was misty again, a fairly common morning condition according to the locals. We took it slowly and hoped that the mist would burn off. San Simeon, Piedras Blancas, and Ragged Point were shrouded in mist - I was glad that we had seen them the day before.

 

We met a chap from England who was in the middle of an around the world ride. He said that he had waited years for this day. He was disappointed that fate had dealt him a cloudy day. Jim opined that the weather should begin to clear soon, but our English friend seemed skeptical….I guess they see a few rainy, foggy days in the UK. He seemed quite content on his seasoned Triumph Sprint. He rode with us for about 20 miles before going on his merry way.

 

Highway 1 started to get very twisty near Ragged Point. The first 3 days of riding had prepared me for the twists, the elevation, and the lack of guardrails. I was enjoying this road on the Beemer! We finally passed the turn for Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and continued north towards Big Sur. We stopped at a scenic vista that was misty, but still pretty.

 

Highway 1

 

 

We admired the view for a while, then saddled up and continued north.  The coast began to get more rugged and scenic. The cliffs became steeper and taller. I now understood why there is no safe anchorage within the 125 miles from Morro Bay to Monterrey. I found myself wanting to stop more often in order to take in the amazing vistas.

 

Highway 1

 

Nonstop eye candy. I sometimes had difficulty processing the rapid-fire stunning scenery. The 100-mile ride took us 3 ½ hours (including lunch.) The sun began to peek through as we approached Nepenthe, a famous vista with a good restaurant.

Nepenthe

 

We had some espresso at Nepenthe and met a couple of BMW riders from central California. They were disappointed by the mist and were going to bail out of their ride. That was a big mistake; the best was yet to come.

Fortified, we rode on. We knew that the best part of Highway 1 was still ahead. The sun began to win its battle with the mist. Dappled sunlight began to dance in the waters below. I felt lucky to be alive.

 

We pulled into Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see a vista that I had heard about. We parked the bikes and found the sign that pointed us down a trail through the woods. The trail turned a corner and I stared face to face with one of the prettiest sites that I have ever seen.

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Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

 

 

The picture does not do this view justice. Like Yosemite Valley, this vista caused people to gape silently. What is there to say? If you turned to your right you had this view of the ocean.

 

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - Ocean View

 

Folks, you have to go here. I spent about 20 silent minutes before walking slowly back to the bikes.

 

We left the park and continued north. After about 15 miles we reached our lunch destination, the Rocky Point Restaurant. I had some good chicken enchiladas while enjoying this view.

 

Rocky Point Restaurant

 

There was also a great patio that looked like a good location for a WOW.

 

Rocky Point Restaurant - Patio

 

 

Do you think that Central California motorcyclists take these roads for granted? Unbelievable.

 

We journeyed onward (someone had to do it) and approached the famous Bixby Creek Bridge. This bridge was featured in the opening shot of the old TV show “Along Came Bronson.” Californian prisoners built this bridge in order to reduce their sentences. Hmmm….a constructive use of penal labor.

 

Bixby Creek Bridge

 

We dismounted and admired the view for about 15 minutes. I pondered what it was like climbing down that cliff face…yikes.

Bixby Creek Bridge

 

 

We were nearing the end of the Big Sur Highway. Plenty of good riding ahead on Highway 1, but our daily route was about to turn south. As we turned right onto Carmel Valley Road (G16), I wondered if I would ever get back to this amazing road.

 

 

Carmel Valley Road is another road that is often featured in the bike magazines. It starts as a 4 lane suburban ride until it reached the town of Carmel Valley. The road then changes to a lazy twisting road nestled in the picturesque Carmel Valley. The road curves its way past meadows, woods, horse farms, and grazing land, mooooo!

 

Carmel Valley Road (G16)

 

While riding, I noticed an incredible number of birds of prey slowly circling on the updrafts, searching for furry little snacks in the grass below. We spotted eagles, hawks, condors, and vultures on almost every road we traveled. I thought that there must be 2 kinds of rodents in California, those that are alert and stay near their burrows and those that become bird food. It’s good to be at the top of the food chain! The road began to open up so we opened up the throttles accordingly. The smells from the wildflowers and the wild herbs were intoxicating.

 

We reached the end of Carmel Valley Road and turned right onto Central Avenue, which ran through central California’s breadbasket. There were grapes, lettuce, and artichokes as far as the eyes could see. We passed miles and miles of crops while inhaling the myriad of farm smells……good and bad. During our rides, I was struck by the number of vineyards in California. Americans must really enjoy their wine!

 

We merged briefly onto 101 south before making a right onto G14. How can a road look completely different when you ride it in the opposite direction? While riding G14 north I noticed the distant mountains. During the ride south, my eyes were drawn to alpine pastures that reminded me of grazing land that I had seen in the Swiss Alps. Nice.

 

We decided on a short scenic detour through Templeton’s wine country. We turned right off G14 and followed Chimney Rock Road, Adelaida Road, and Vineyard Road through the vineyards. It was amazing how warm and sunny it was only 20 miles from the coast. I stopped to don sunglasses and to open the vents on my jacket. We turned right onto Route 46 and followed this scenic route’s sweepers over the Santa Lucia Mountains. As we crested the last ridge, the temperature began to drop and the mist began to re-establish its influence. By the time we turned right onto Highway 1, the temperature had dropped from 80 to 60. We followed the ocean back to our hotel in Cambria. 264 amazing miles.

 

I felt a little worn by all I had seen, but quickly recovered when Jim rang the dinner bell. We were up for something different, so we went to Robin’s, which was purported to have excellent ethnic cuisine. I ordered the Rogan Josh and a glass of Zinfandel. Jim and I toasted our amazing day. The Rogan Josh was superb. I knew that it just didn’t get any better than this.

 

Continue to Day 5