I planned to spend a few weeks riding in San Francisco and purchased a motorcycle of my own to have shipped out to the Golden Coast from a seller in Saint Louis. I couldn’t wait until the day my ride was going to be delivered.
That said, I still had to wait as those well-made plans changed.
Once again, I turned to Twisted Road to cure what ailed me: two wheels and an open road.
Poring over the options in the Bay Area, I landed on Craig’s stunning 2016 BMW R1200R. While I didn’t necessarily need that kind of power for riding on the streets of San Francisco, I wasn't planning on hanging out in the city for this adventure.
For the weekend’s tour, I pulled a destination from Tom Wolfe’s “Electric Kool-aid Acid Test" -- La Honda, California.
It's a quiet place in the woods, just the other side of the Redwood Basin from San Francisco. It offered mile after beautiful mile of well-maintained county roads that wound through sunlight-devouring redwoods.
From San Francisco, I followed Highway 101 South for a few miles before exiting and finding my way onto the famed Skyline Boulevard, an alternative route with ridgeline views. The boulevard runs parallel to the 101, oftentimes crossing under or over the busy roadway.
Craig’s yet-to-be-named, shaft-driven moto offered an incredibly smooth ride. On the highway, I’d glance down at the speedo and shock myself with the numbers on display. The power band was pretty broad and I wasn’t forced out of 1st or 2nd too quickly. And as I worked my way up through 3, 4, and 5, I realized there wasn’t really going to be any need to bump up to 6th—but what the hell, let’s go!
After an hour, I arrived at the crossroads in Woodside, California. Marked by a gas station and a restaurant immortalized in song by Woody Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant (where the lyrics suggest you can get anything you want), this is THE place to be on a Sunday if you’re a motorhead. Once my kickstand was down, I started making conversation with the 200 or so other riders who had congregated for burgers and beers outside of Alice’s. It’s not hard to make friends and find out some insider tips from fellow riders at a place like this.
After another hour or so enjoying the California sunshine and chatting with local riders, I proceeded down Hwy 92, through La Honda and toward the coast to Half Moon Bay.
The road continues to wind and eventually bursts from the forest, opening up to coastal farmland. The Redwoods offer an amazing green screen effect as they blur past, but the warmth that came as I emerged from the shady groves was certainly welcome. Tip for riding in the Bay Area: layer up! A packable, compressible puffy jacket is a blessing to have under your moto gear. If the marine layer rolls back in or temps start to drop, you’ll be very glad you brought one.
Back at the junction of Hwy 1, I pointed north to start making my way back to the city.
Sticking to the 1 (instead of the 101), I took it a little slower and enjoyed the coastal ride back up to Ocean Beach before heading back to the garage in the city.
Here's a recap of highlights I experienced along the way:
Skyline Boulevard
Alice’s Restaurant
Pescadero
Santa Cruz
Half Moon Bay
Napa
Sonoma
Mount Tam Stinson Beach
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