Pacific Coast Highway

CalgaryBusa

Registered
Hi fellow Orgsters.

I am going to be riding the Pacific Coast Highway in a weeks time and I was wondering if anyone can give any advice on must see's, roads not to miss and maybe just some cool places in general. Maybe a suggestion on some good places to eat.

I will be riding down from Canada into OR. I will be staying in Portland and heading over to the 101 and taking that to Eureka. After Eureka I will get onto the #1 and ride that to Santa Cruz. I will be doing a mixture of Camping and hoteling.

On a side note what is the police presence like on those highways? Heavily patrolled or light to moderate?

Thanks in advance!

CB
 
In Northern California, Highway 1 is a treat. Lots of twisty roads. Bring cool weather clothes, as the fog and cool temps will be happening, (and some areas that are hot too). The Law isn't too interested in your speed, but crossing over the double yellow will get you a Performance Award. There are plenty of RV's still, so pass with caution.
 
Dinner in Carmel is always fun, many great restaurants. Santa Cruz mountains....don't forget to visit Alice's Restaurant, especially fun on weekends. There are great little primitive cabins near the little town of Gordo, which is south of Big Sur. Really fun to watch the sunset from those cliffs! Have a great experience. Below pics are what it looks like every day! Doyle

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It's an awesome ride.

OSP (Oregon State Police) is hungry right now... be careful.

I'm in the Coos Bay area if you end up needing anything near here, or advice on where to get a good dinner...etc.

In this area, Sunset Bay (or beach) is a nice stop. The whole ride is nice.

Enjoy

Sean
 
Thanks for all the advice's guys! Those are some beautiful pictures btw, I am pretty pumped to see it first hand.

Audiomaker I will be riding through your area Monday Mid-Late morning. Thanks for the shout out!

I am going to need a few chain adjustments along the way, can anyone recommend a reputable bike shop in the Eureka, San Fran or Santa Cruz area?

Cheers,

Corey
 
Gold beach in Or., the jet boat ride up the Rogue river,try to sit in front if you don,t want to get wet. Boat held 42 people , had 4 454 chevy motors ,4 6000 gmp pumps , went up river at 60 mph. Lots of wild life, great scenery.
 
Hey CalgaryBusa... I did this trip a couple of years ago. Was an amazing time!! I was certainly surprised at how chilly northern Cali was... and I did it in late July. As another member indicated, bring some warmer clothes for that part of the trip.

As for "things to see", if you have the time, I'd go straight south from Calgary and do northern Washington if you haven't already done so in the past. The scenery and routes there are amazing. Start the 101 from the Olympic National Park, in Northern Washington and, if time isn't a factor, go further South than Santa Cruz. I went down to LA and, to be honest, by the time I got there, I was sick and tired of twisties... LOL!! Never thought it could happen but, after 5 days of leaning one way and then the other, I was craving straights again. The police was never a factor for me since I was mainly there for the scenery. Being from New Brunswick, I wanted to take in as much of this iconic road as I could since I probably will never do it again so the speeds were very reasonable.

Redwood National Forest was very nice. Crossing the Golden Gate bridge was neat! And again, if you go further South, Bixby Bridge is fantastic!

If you do go further South however... just one thing to consider that I hadn't realized until I got there and then it was a "DUH!" moment... don't plan on doing like 900 to 1000 kms a day!! In a lot of these places the speed limit is like 40kph!! I remember one part of the Redwood National Forest where it took me like 4 hours to do a small distance (was like 200 kms). I don't even think I ever got out of 1st or 2nd gear!! Wasn't just the traffic... was a lot of twists and turns! Was beautiful and fantastic but, took up a lot of time too!!

Anyway... have a GREAT TRIP!

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I just drove from Oregon down the lost coast in cali and through napa. I was surprised at how few patrols there were. make sure to take a trip through the redwoods while your down here.
 
I am going to need a few chain adjustments along the way, can anyone recommend a reputable bike shop in the Eureka, San Fran or Santa Cruz area?

Cheers,

Corey

My mechanic is Alan at Sportbike Dynamics in Petaluma Ca. (A little north of SF on Highway 101 or Highway 1.) He's Busa qualified and can take of you. His phone number is 707-762-6700. Give him a call and let him know your coming.
 
I was raised in the Santa Cruz mountains. Do yourself a favor and take hwy 9 through the towns of Felton, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Boulder Creek and on to Los Gatos. Its all redwoods and tons of twisties. Best advise is again bring warm clothing, even in mid summer! Hwy 36 near Fortuna heading east in Northern Cali will take you away from the coast to Red Bluff, but man, what a ride! Its rated as one of the best rides in all Cali. Enjoy
 
Its been ONLY 5 months since I took my tour of the West coast and the Western US. I thought I would post some pictures and comments of my trip. Like they say "better late then never"

My trip took me a total of 13 days and had me ride along the West coast, through the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts, countless National and State Parks, and a total of 9 states in all. All I can say is that is that the United States is a beautiful country. I was able to ride some of the best roads I have ever laid rubber to, Seen picturesque scenery and met some great people along the way. I was also able to see first hand the adverse byproduct that the recession had caused. Small communities that had become desolate and destitute, where the only business' open in town were the post offices. Every other business from restaurants to general stores and even gas stations had closed. Very melancholy.

Day 1: My trip started off leaving Calgary a few hours behind schedule as I tried to get my Busa all set up with the luggage. As you can tell from the pictures the bike was loaded to capacity. I checked and double checked to ensure I didn't forget any items or paper work. I rode West to Kelowna BC through the Rocky Mountains, I've made this trip numerous times before and is always a favorite of mine. I had to keep the speed down as the local fuzz in this province will confiscate your ride if you're clocked doing 30 kph (18 mph) over the limit. Its really a shame with the excellent roads in the Province. I arrived in Kelowna around 20:00 and I stayed with a friend and his family over night.

Day 2: The next morning I rode towards the US border and crossed over at the Osoyoos Border Crossing. I ran into a bicycle race that slowed down the highways and put me about an hour behind schedule. From there I traveled East and rode down to Moses Lake, Yamika and then along the Columbia river. On a side note I have never seen so many windmills in close proximity before. I stayed in I stayed in Portland on the second night. While riding through Portland I saw about 10 cops in as many minutes. I wasn't sure if I should feel scared or feel safe ;)

Day 3: On the third day I planned to hook up with the 101 at Lincoln City and head south. I left Portland early in the AM and rode on the 18 through McMinville and passed the Evergreen Air Muesum. I wish I had some more time to stop and check that out. It looked massive. I saw some of the most beautiful coast line in the WA, OR area. I rode through quite a bit of fog and damp weather later that day. I entered the Redwood National park that afternoon and stayed over night in Eureka CA. I had planned to camp that night a little farther south but was behind schedule by about 1.5 hours. It was a long and exhausting day so I found a Best Western Motel and called it a night.

Day 4: I woke up that morning to some overcast and chilly weather, I put a sweater on under my jacket and hoped for the best. On the way to breakfast I noticed that a sweet yellow Victory had taken stable next to my Busa over night. The owner was outside so we chatted it up a bit. We was returning to the Seattle area and was advising me of major delays along the highways South due to construction ect. He had just traveled down the WC and was heading home. After breakfast I loaded the bike up and headed out in search of gas. Now one of the things that amazes me about the US is that you can buy booze at all the local convenience stores and gas stations. As I was filling up I noticed the 2 guys walking out of the store with their Heineken Tall Boys. They hopped into their green Chev which boasted the name of a local plumber on the side, they each cracked a beer and off they went. (I certainly hope they offer a warranty on their work) I went further South down the 101, I got off just passed Gaberville and took the 1 towards Fort Bragg. (on a Side note, 1 Highway is one of the best kept roads I have EVER ridden on! Almost all of the highways and interstates in California were well maintained) I stayed on the 1 all the way until I reached the Golden Gate Bridge. (Again beautiful scenery and excellent 1st and 2nd gear turns) Riding over the Golden Gate Bridge has been on my bucket list for nearly 10 years. I made way through some of the most intense traffic on the 101 after that on my way to Santa Cruz. After deliberating to split lanes during rush hour I decided to just stay in my lane and deal with the heat. My GPS was also being a pain and bringing me shortest distance possible vs the fastest. I arrive in Santa Cruz still wearing the sweater I put on that morning under my leathers and was getting very dehydrated. Again I was supposed to Camp this night too but decided to hotel it. My GPS had me take some wrong turns here and there in Santa Cruz and ended up in a less than desirable neighborHOOD. I finally found my way to a nice hill side resort and drank about 4 litres of water. Hit the hot tub after dinner and called it a night.


Day 5: I loaded up the bike early Wednesday morning and head to the Post Office in Santa Cruz. I had come to the realization that there is probably no way I am going to end up camping any of the other nights I had planned along this trip. My tent and camping gear were certainly taking a toll on my back tire and the weight of the bike in general. I stuffed all my gear in the biggest prepaid box they had, shipped it home. Now that my Busa was appx 40 lbs lighter I continued on my way. This day my lovely GPS took me on some more interesting adventures. A few out of the way turns in Monterey CA and turning off at every other intersection as it was attempting to compute the next best route. The GPS turning off was now a hourly occurrence and happened regularly the remainder of the trip. (This became a huge issue in Montana) So down the 101 I go to Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura. I met up with a Ducati along the way and he set the pace for about the next 60 miles. I rode though Thousand Oaks and eventually Burbank. Today I was a bit braver as I was getting into rush hour on the 101 I decided I would lane split and follow a few other bikes when they went by. I blue Harley Davidson rode past me so I stuck close to him. This saved me appx 2 hours I estimated and had me in Burbank ahead of time. I have some good friends of mine that live in Burbank and they gave me the Hollywood tour that night. Some sight seeing, some clubbing and some good food. I got back to the hotel around 5 am and crashed.

Day 6: Today was my first day heading East. I was riding over to Las Vegas to meet a friend of mine on the way to Colorado. The desert was boring and hot, I got drenched on by a huge rain storm as I did for the next 2 days. I arrived in Vegas around 16:00 and proceeded to do a huge wheelie down Las Vegas Blvd. A cager complimented me on my riding boots after and I arrived at the hotel. <Insert typical wild Vegas night>

Day 7: I woke up that morning to a hang over and a foggy memory of the night before. I said good bye to my friend and his wife that morning and headed East through Utah. I got drenched on again, this time it was so bad I was riding with my hazards on and a top speed of 50 kph (30 mph). After the rain let up I high tailed it to my destination of Grand Junction CO.

Day 8: I left Grand Junction that morning and set off to Colorado Springs where I would be staying for 4 nights. Colorado had some great roads in the mountain passes and I got drenched on yet again. This time it happened so fast and it was so cold the front brake rotors on the Busa warped. FML. So for the rest of the trip I had to deal with a shaking front end and brake lever. GPS was up to its usual crap and I got pulled over by a Ghost Suburban for speeding. I explained to the officer where I was coming from, where I had been and where I was going. He was super chill and just gave me a warning. Nice people in CO. :) I arrived in CO. Springs later that night and took a well needed rest from riding.

Day 12: So as I leave CO Springs I check over the bike to make sure everything is in good order. I use my buddies bike stand to get the rear wheel up and wax the chain. As I am inspecting the rear tire I can start to see the metal cords starting to poke through in certain areas. This raised a few cautions but I decided at this point I should hopefully be able to make it back to Canada on the tire....... And I was wrong. Billings MO. was my destination for the night and this brought me up through Wyoming. Another State of nothing to see but at least this time there was no rain. Every time I filled up for fuel I checked the rear tire and noticed more and more metal poking through. At some points the rear tire was just spinning right up when I twisted the throttle. I made it to Billings and just in time and checked into the hotel. I surfed the net for a reputable bike shop and crossed my fingers they could help me out in the am.

Day 13: The bike shop in Billings opened up at 8:00, I was up loaded and at the front door of the shop at 7:55. I was greeted by friendly staff who took care of me right away. The service adviser Katie and the parts associate Sean had me set up with a new tire and chain adjustment immediately. I was back on the road by 9:30. The name of the shop is Hi Tech Motorsports and would recommend their customer service to anyone in the area. The rest of the ride home was a long muddy mess thanks to my GPS. Again it had me on back roads of rural areas that were gravel, mud and lots of construction. By poor Busa looked like a dirt bike by the time I crossed back over the border. I made it home that night I was happy that I made it in one piece and thankful that I had the opportunity so see such a great country.

I have also just booked a trip to go see the MotoGP at Laguna Seca in July. So I will be heading down the WC again very soon!
 
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