Our Itinerary!

Yep, the plan is in place…and our 12-14 Aug road trip is gonna be a hoot. No freeways, boys and girls. It’s surface streets all the way, it’s gonna be great, and I promise you some of the best riding in California!  I stopped at the Auto Club to pick up some fresh maps this morning, and I’ve spent a big chunk of the morning plotting our path.  All I can say is this:  It’s gonna be great!

Well, okay, I can say more, and I will…

Here’s the summary, and a description of the good stuff we’re gonna see along the way… 

 

Day One 

This is our big mileage day (245 miles total), and the only tough part is going to be the 40 miles or so until we get to motorcycling’s ultimate road, the Angeles Crest Highway. 

We’ll buzz along the twisties and breathe the pine-scented air to Angeles Forest Highway, hit a bit of surface street traffic in Palmdale, and then get on the great Elizabeth Lake Road to Lake Hughes and beyond. Beyond, in this case, being the little town of Lebec, and from there, we’ll wind through the magnificent Frazier Park area. We may even see a bear or two. Or deer. Maybe even some snow still in the mountains. 

Whoa, the Cerro Noestre Road – you guys and gals are gonna love it! We’ll be buzzing through the Los Padres National Forest, Cuyama, New Cuyama, and lots more.   Might be a little hot that day, but that’s okay…we’ll be generating our own wind chill factor.   

The best part of the day is coming up, and that’s our first night’s destination:  Nipomo.   It’s a tiny little town that’s inland a short way from the coast.  There’s not much out there, but it has the best barbeque dinner in California.  Trust me. 

Nipomo means Jocko’s for dinner.  

Boys and girls, it just doesn’t get any better than this!   Jocko’s has the best barbeque in the world.   Seriously.   

Our first day is gonna be our longest ride of the trip, but you’ll love every minute of it. 

Day Two 

Day Two is going to be a bit more relaxed, with the emphasis on the Pacific Coast Highway, seeing a few sights, visiting a very cool original California mission, grabbing a few photos, and enjoying the cool coastal air. 

We may stop for a snack in the little town of Guadalupe, where we’ll pick up the Pacific Coast Highway.  It’s a wonderful road. 

I know a burrito place along the Pacific Coast Highway that puts all others to shame.  It’s Chacho’s, it’s not fancy, and it’s the best.  I once rode all the way up to Guadalupe just to get one of their burritos.  Chacho’s is that good. 

We’ll meander along the Pacific Coast Highway and then head inland to the La Purisma Mission, which (in my opinion) is the coolest mission of any that we have here in California.  It’s the only one owned by the State of California, and it’s still a working ranch (just like it was back in the days when the Spaniards first settled Alta California).  I think you’ll really enjoy it. 

On to Solvang for pastries and a cup of coffee.  Or more…hey, it’s up to you!   Solvang is one of California’s pearls…it’s a little touristy place with a Danish flair.  The roads in the area are the real story, though.  They are awesome.   Lance Armstrong used to ride these roads when he was training for the Tour de Lance (oops, I meant the Tour de France).  

Then we’ll cruise more great mountain roads up to Lake Cachuma (incredible riding), and the twisties to Montecito tucked away above Santa Barbara.  But we’re not done yet…it’s on through more great twisties to Ojai, where we’ll spend the night.  Ojai is a fun town, too…you’ll see! 

We’re only gonna cover about 100 miles on Saturday, but every inch is gonna be fantastic! 

Day Three 

Day Three is gonna see us from Ojai to Santa Paula. There are great wall murals and one great restaurant, in particular, in this wonderful little town. It’s where the petroleum industry started in California, and it’s a very cool place.  A couple of motorcycle police officers literally saved the town when the dam broke about 80 years ago, and the town erected a monument to them.  We’ll get to see it! 

On to Fillmore, and we may stop for coffee at their local Chevy dealer…they’ve got a cool vintage Corvette in their built-in restaurant. We’ll shoot down Highway 23 to the Pacific Coast Highway, we’ll pick up the PCH at Leo Carrillo State Park, and we’ll tool along the PCH for a bit until we get to Malibu. 

Yep, Malibu. It’s cool. We’ll turn inland at that point and climb up through the twisties to the Rock Store, where you’ll get to be a rock star.  Believe it; it’s gonna happen. 

You’ll see zillions of motorcycles, you may see a celebrity or two (please, no Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonations), and you’ll watch people ignore $85,000 Ducatis to get a better look at your California Scooter. Trust me on this; I’ve done it before.  The Rock Store is one of the coolest motorcycle hangouts on the planet.  It’s in our itinerary.   Bring your cameras! 

Boys and girls, from there it’s a surface street slog back to La Verne, and a lifetime of great stories you can tell others.  

I’m off to northern Nevada early tomorrow, but I’ll be posting on the blog while I’m looking for men from Mars along the Extraterrestrial Highway.   And don’t forget…it’s not too late to sign up.  Just give us a call if you are interested! 

Oh, it’s gonna be fun!   I’m counting the days…