March 2019
After a long, cold and particularly busy winter in New York, I took a spontaneous trip to San Francisco, rented a big GS, and headed south. Rather than hug the Pacific on the epic Pacific Coast Highway, I elected to explore the back roads of the Coastal Range. The recent weeks had brought heavy rains to California, and many of the roads were barely passable because of rock and mud slides. Some of the old stagecoach roads are treacherous, with thousand foot drop-offs into ravines – ride off the edge and you will never be found. Carry a PLB! But the rewards are many – great riding, majestic views, and no traffic. None.
Nights were spent in some of California’s most charming towns: Carmel- by-the-Sea, San Luis Obispo, Ojai and Santa Barbara.
