2014 Trip to California – Stinson Beach

2014 Family Vacation and Ride – Stinson Beach, California

Our first family vacation will be a trip to California which will involve 2/3 of us flying (son and spouse) and 1/3 (me) riding there and back by motorcycle. We will be spending a week together in the Bay Area of California, more specifically Stinson Beach and day trips around the San Francisco area. I will be leaving 4 or 5 days in advance to ride down with mostly freeway routes to make time and a few days of fun rides. We’ll spend a week together and chillax then I’ll return home in 4 or 5 days through the Pacific Northwest.

Bike to Ride?

I’m tempted to take the dual sport because I can get off the beaten path and explore for camping opportunities. There are so many excellent forestry roads in the Western United States with only a bit of gravel to get to some pretty cool spots. The trade-off is to have a really sore butt during the traveling days on the freeway – not fun.The VFR is more comfortable, quicker and more fun to ride on the twisty roads. It is also much better with a few long freeway days that will be necessary – it soaks up the miles and makes it much more smooth and bearable. It’ll likely be the VFR that gets the call to duty for this trip.

Camping

I’m also thinking about the possibility of bringing along my camping gear to cut costs and reconnect with nature a bit. I’ve been chronically sick for almost two three years so maybe a chance to be outside and get the fresh air might be a way to revive my energy and prepare for the upcoming school year. I’ve got all the necessary kit and it fits neatly into one waterproof bag including sleeping bag, cookware, tent, etc.

Possible Activities

• MLB game – Giants vs Diamondbacks – booked
• Exploring the surrounding wine region
• Obligatory trips to see the Golden Gate
• Return trip up the Lost Coast Highway/Mattole Rd.

Routes and Itinerary

• Day 1 – Calgary to Idaho Falls, ID – 1081 Kilometres (marathon) – proposed route
• Day 2 – Idaho Falls, ID to Las Vegas, NV – 1025 Kilometres (another marathon – avoiding Salt Lake City) – proposed route
• Day 3 – Rest Day – Las Vegas, NV
• Day 4 – Las Vegas, NV to Bishop, CA – 556 Kilometres (via Badwater Rd – Death Valley -178, see also Danté’s View) – proposed route
• Day 5 – Bishop, CA to South Lake Tahoe, CA – 663 Kilometres (Tioga Pass, Yosemite, Sonora Pass) – proposed route
• Day 6 – Lake Tahoe, CA to Stinson Beach, CA – 650 Kilometres (Carson Pass) – proposed route
• Alt. Carson City, NV to Sonora – 500+ Kilometres – route (check out Kingsbury Grade outside of Lake Tahoe – Del Puerto Canyon Road to Livermore)
• Alt. Sonora to Stinson Beach – route

Return Route (Tentative – 8 Days)

• Day 7 – Stinson Beach, CA to Fort Bragg, CA – 360 kilometres + side trips (Skagg Springs Road to 128 to Mountain View Road from Boonville back to Highway 1) –  proposed route (1/101)
• Day 8 – Fort Bragg, CA to Shelter Cove, CA to Petrolia, CA to Ferndale, CA – 400 kilometres – proposed route (Mattole Rd/Lost Highway)
• Day 9 – Ferndale, CA to Mad River, CA (Last Chance Ridge) to Highway 96 to Klamath Falls, OR (Highway 66 – Green Springs Highway) – 558 kilometres – proposed route
• Day 10 – Klamath Falls, OR to Oakridge, OR to Rainbow, OR (Aufderheide Scenic Byway) to Sisters, OR (Old McKenzie Highway 242) to Bend, OR – 442 kilometres
• Day 11 – Bend, OR to Crooked River Road (27) to Prineville, OR to Paulina, OR to (Unity Lake – 245) Baker City, OR – 495 kilometres – proposed route
• Day 12 – Baker City, OR to Enterprise, OR (through Snake River and Hell’s Canyon) to Lewiston, ID/Clarkston, WA – 424 kilometres (possible side trip – Palouse Falls) – proposed route
• Day 13 – Lewiston, ID to Kalispell, MT (Lolo Pass #12) – 582 kilometres
• Day 14 – Kalispell, MT to Home – 507 kilometres

SPOT Adventures Tracking Page