Laguna Seca or Bust
By: Steven Peltier Our journey from San Diego to Monterey began with a bit of superslab action up I5, around downtown LA and on to Thousand Oaks via the 101N. After spending an hour negotiating gridlock, we pulled in for a gas stop and stretch break at Westlake Blvd. Of course we were happy to break the monotony of stop and go freeway traffic, but with a few minutes rest we were eager to move on. As we crested the hill coming down into Ventura we were greeted with the welcome fragrance of strawberries fields. This was clearly a sign of good things to come. Once past Ventura we hopped on the 33 to Ojai. Click on images to enlarge 
Immediately, the boredom of the freeway began to become a memory and we could begin to see mountains that we would soon be traversing on our way to Frazier Park. At Ojai, we stretched our legs again before jumping back on the 33 (Maricopa Hwy). The next hour of riding was nothing short of magnificent. The 33 essentially winds its way roughly 5000 feet up into the mountains across the Los Padres National Forest. The road is incredibly winding with constant elevation gains, awesome views, and mountain passes that seem as if they were surgically cut out of the rocks. Rather than continuing on the 33 we connected with Lockwood Valley Road, where we headed east onto Frazier Park. Well into Lockwood the terrain changed to more dense forest, and the road became noticeably dirty as we got closer to our destination (nothing crazy but enough washout gravel to make things interesting). As we entered Frazier Park, we could see the remnants of a recent forest fire. It looked as if we had only missed it by about a week. Once past Frazier Park, we back tracked a mile or so south on I5 to spend the night at a hotel in Gorman. Overall a great first day. Since our hotel was essentially right on the grapevine, we were a bit concerned with the exposure of our bikes right on freeway. Nothing a good scarecrow perched in the hotel window wouldn't fix. Check our pics to meet "Mr. Nolan," named after the helmet he wore that night as he watched over our rides. Download the GPS coordinates from Day 1 Our second leg to Monterey started early and with some of the best riding of the entire trip. From the hotel in Gorman we skipped back to Frazier Park and headed west to Cuddy Valley Rd (Mt. Potrero Hwy). This two lane winding mountain road takes you through the Pine Mountain recreational area all the way back down to reconnect the 33. The ride is nothing short of spectacular with tight switchbacks through the forest, some incredible banked turns and canyon views all the way down to the flat desert in the distance. With the morning sun at our backs, we were truly off to a great start. Once back on the 33 it's a short connection into Maricopa and through the oilfields into Taft (where there is a convenient gas stop). As we caught our breaths we almost lost them again as one of our friends decided to unwittingly pull into the path of an oncoming semi rumbling along at about 70mph. He stalled coming out of the gas station and, rather than pausing, he launched blindly onto the road after restarting his bike. Luckily he saw the errors in his ways (giant semi in his mirrors) a split second before becoming a permanent resident, but his close call was enough to wake us all up. It happens. Anyhow, reinvigorated, we pushed on to connect with the 58 (Carissa Hwy). If you haven't ridden the 58 from McKittrick to Paso Robles, it should be pushed up on your list of upcoming rides. The first quarter of the ride is an incredibly tight and twisty route down the plateau to the desert valley that starts at 7 Mile Rd.. Like our start through Pine Mountain, this section of Hwy will have you grinning in your helmet. The road seems to be carved out of the golden hills with fun as the only intended specification. I would have turned around and rode it again if we were not on a schedule. From 7 mile road you are then treated to a nice stretch of what I call whooptydos, basically a long straight stretch of road with endless rolling dips and hills. It felt like being on a motocross track, and I'll be willing to bet that some of you have actually managed to take flight here. You know who you are. Anyhow, the terrain changes once more as you push the rest of the way into Paso Robles. The 58 keeps delivering as you are treated to miles of high speed sweepers down through the oak groves and into the vineyards entering Paso Robles. Without question the 58 is a truly wonderful road. A must do. In Paso Robles we grabbed a quick bite and fueled up for the rest of the ride into Monterey. From there we continued west down Nacimiento Lake Dr.. Again, we were treated to nice high speed sweepers through the oak groves. The dam crossing at Nacimiento Lake is a perfect picture taking opportunity. From there we continued down Interlake Rd. to a little biker stop at the junction at Lockwood/Jolon. Wouldn't you know it, we bumped into an SMR contributer (GPSKevin) who, like us, was far from his home in San Diego, but was looking for dirt roads to exercise his killer HP2. What a small world. After a cold drink, it was back on the road to King City where jumped on the 101 for about a mile or so, before cutting back west through the farms, and back towards the canyons and Carmel Valley Rd. If you've been through King City before, I don't need to tell you about the crosswind that you'll experience in this area. Anyhow, the last leg of this wonderful second day led us through Carmel Valley Rd., which is one of the local gems as you head into Monterey. This is a very tight road that is essentially one lane (there is no centerline much of the way). As such, we tended to ride at about 70% pace, just to have the option to adjust mid-line should a large truck come around the bend in the middle of the lane - a frequent occurrence on our run. The road here can also be a bit bumpy and you are riding straight through deer country so consider yourself warned. Otherwise this was a great cap to a truly great ride. We rolled into Toro Park tired but also completely content. A perfect day. Nothing left to do but set up camp and break out the adult beverages. Download the GPS coordinates from Day 2 Well after an incredible couple of days criss-crossing between the 5, 101, and the 1 to get to Monterey, we decided to save the revered coastal ride for our return home. After a great race weekend, we were all stoked to pack up and treat ourselves to an early evening run from Monterey to San Luis Obispo down the 1 (Cabrillo Hwy) with the sun setting at our backs. As you can imagine, the trip from Carmel, down around the cliffs through Point Lobos and Carmel Highlands, was just incredible. We didn't stop too frequently, opting to soak up the views as we cruised above the marine layer, knowing full well that we would be better off getting into SLO at a reasonable hour. Regardless, the breezy lookout at Hurricane Point, the 300 ft cliffs around every bend and the various bridge crossings were as magnificent as I remembered them. As with all trips down the 1, there can be a bit of traffic, although we seemed to luck out. We only really slowed coming down through Big Sur where you wind past the redwood lined campgrounds and restaurants and pick up some of the tourist traffic. Although we did pass an accident further down where a rider low sided in one of the hairpins. Generally, the rule of thumb for riding the 1 is to a) not target fixate on the scenery and other riders/cars and b) be aware of faster riders coming up to attempt passes at almost any point. When we ride as a group, we will do alot of pointing at our mirrors to alert others in our group behind us that people are zooming up on the left. A bigger issue on the 1 can be the weather, especially as the ride flattens out and the fog rolls in. If you don't have your liners and/or some warmer gear, the last forty miles into SLO can be freakishly cold and damp, especially at higher speed. A couple of folks in our group learned this the hard way as the ride from Gorda all the way down to Morrow Bay was absolutely socked in with fog. Half frozen, but thankful to experience yet another uniquely scenic Californian ride, we rolled into SLO about 8:00PM, just in time to check into our hotel and grab a bite at a local restaurant. I'm sure you'll recognize many of the lookouts in the pics for this ride. With this section of the 1, like many other historic rides, you just have to do it and experience it for yourself. Download the GPS coordinates from Day 3 The last leg of our trip, from SLO to SD, had us changing our plans as we quickly realized that a few hours trudging down the 101 to the 5 would just not do. Instead we decided to take our first detour onto the 154 to cut the corner into Santa Barbara. The 154 is a nice diversion from the 101 that takes you through some interesting farm land and along the Cachuma Recreation area and lake. As we passed the lake we could see a helicopter scooping up water to help with a nearby forest fire - pretty interesting. Overall this road has some nice sweepers, elevation changes through the hills, and some unique vistas of old bridges. It ultimately drops you right into Santa Barbara. From SB, we jumped back onto the 101, but we only took it as far as Oxnard. From there we cut over to the 101 to do the run down the coast around Point Mugu and down through Malibu. With light traffic on Monday morning, we got to blast along the coastal sweepers, soaking in the gorgeous homes, the bikini clad girls, and the beaches. Crusizing past Zuma beach brought back some great memories of college volleyball tournaments and lazy drunken weekends. As we pushed on, we were all of course a bit tempted to run Mullholland, Las Flores, or any number of canyons in the area, but hunger prevailed and we scooted onto Santa Monica for a quick bite at a little bistro on Montana. From there, we gassed up and took our positions amongst the crowds on the 405S. While it is always a bit of a drag to finish such a great tour with an hour of superslab, we all made it home safe, incredibly excited about the roads traversed, and hungry for our next trip. There you have it...San Diego to Monterey and back. Sorry about the lack of pics from Day 4. Short on batteries and so close to home, I figured you'd all be content with using your imagination. Download the GPS coordinates from Day 4 Published: Aug 1, 2007 Leave Comments |
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