Itinerary - Classic Route
- September 10th and 11th (Saturday and Sunday): Gather in Eureka
- Motel for this year: ** Motel 6, 1934 Broadway Street, Eureka, CA, (707)
445-9631
- Gather for dinner Saturday, Woodley Island, Cafe Marina (select Eureka),601 Startare Drive, (707) 443-2233
- Gather for dinner Sunday, Samoa Cookhouse,off Samoa Blvd., (707) 442-1659
- Featured Side Ride: Leave 9AM Sunday, US101S to CA299;
CA299E to Weaverville; lunch in Weaverville; CA3S to CA36; CA36W to US101;
US101N to Eureka/Arcata - 252 miles (6-8 hours*) - to map and details (NOTE: We have taken this ride every year - it's a GREAT ride!!!)
- Eureka lodging, restaurants and attractions
- Suggested side ride #2: US101N to CA299; CA299E to Burnt
Ranch and back - 122 miles
- Suggested side ride #3: US101S to CA36; CA36E to Forest
Glen and back - 166 miles
- Suggested side ride #4: US101N to Klamath and back -
132 miles
- September 12th (Monday): Gather at Bayshore Mall for group and bike photos
at 8:30AM
- Leave Eureka, CA 9:30 AM - to Leg 1 map and details
- Head south on US 101
- At CA211 exit turn west onto California Highway 211 toward
Ferndale, CA
- Proceed south along the Lost Coast route through Petrolia
and Honeydew; rest stop at Honey Dew
- At the end of CA211, pick up the Avenue of the Giants (CA254)
(see Leg 1 map for details on this intersection - it's tricky); rest stop
just after entering the Avenue of the Giants.
- Stay on Avenue of the Giants until it joins US101 at Philipsville.
- Gas stop at Garberville - the first and last one for a while.
- Lunch at Garberville; we usually stop at the Getti-up Burger
place on the left side of the main street, across from the Shell station.
- At Leggett, CA turn west on CA1, the Pacific Coast Highway;
rest stop after reaching the coast
- Arrive Fort Bragg, CA between 4 and 5PM.
- Most popular motel for riders in the past: ** Best Western
Vista Manor Lodge, 1100 N. Main St., 800 821-9498
- Enjoy the scenery
- Distance: 175 miles (6-8 hours*)
- Time for side trips, etc.
- Gather for dinner at The Wharf Restaurant ,32260 North Harbor Drive, (707) 964-4283
- Suggested side ride #1: CA20E to Willits; US101S past Ukiah;
CA253W to Boonville;
- CA128W to CA1; CA1N through Mendocino to Fort Bragg - 128 miles - to map and details
- Suggested side ride #2: CA20E to Willits and back - 60 miles
- Fort Bragg lodging, restaurants and attractions
- September 13th (Tuesday): Leave Fort Bragg, CA 9:00 AM - to Leg 2 map and details
- Head south on CA 1
- Enjoy the scenery
- Proceed south along the Mendocino coast
- Watch out for the turn where CA1 and CA128 join - CA1
takes a right-angle, right turn across the bridge; this occurs shortly
after you go through Albion.
- Rest stop at Gualala
- Lunch at Bodega Bay, The Boathouse, 1445 Highway 1;
707 875-3495, on your right going through town, just before the Candy and
Kites store.
- At the junction with Valley Ford Road there is another
right-angle, right turn in CA1; watch out for this one as well; it occurs
shortly after you go through the town of Valley Ford.
- If you haven't already gassed up by the time you reach
Point Reyes Station you will want to stop here; it's the last one for quite
a while.
- Ride out to Point Reyes Headlands and see the lighthouse
(fog permitting)
- Ride one of the curviest sections of CA 1 from Stinson
Beach to Mill Valley
- Check out Marin Headlands for a spectacular view of
San Francisco and the Golden Gate; the exit is just before you get onto
the bridge. This one is not for the faint of heart; the road is steep,
narrow and winding. If you get onto the one way section, the down
grade probably exceeds 20 percent. There is usually a lot of traffic
including tour buses. Please use caution here.
- Cross the Golden Gate Bridge
- Ride through San Francisco on CA 1
- Turn South on CA 1 toward Pacifica
- Proceed to Pacifica, CA; arrive in Pacifica between
4 and 5 PM
- Most popular motel for riders in the past: Nick's Sea
Breeze Motel, 100 Rockaway Beach, 650 359-3903 (mention the Pacific Coast
motorcycle group for a group rate)
- Distance: 220 miles (7-9 hours*)
- Time for side trips, sightseeing in San Francisco, etc.
- Gather for dinner at Nick's Restaurant, next to Nick's
Seabreeze Motel, 100 Rockaway Beach, (650) 359-3900.
- Suggested side ride #1: CA1N to CA35; CA35S to I280;
I280 to CA92; CA92W to CA35; CA35S to CA84; CA84W to CA1; CA1N to Pacifica
- 82 miles - to map and details
- Pacifica lodging, restaurants and attractions
- September 14th (Wednesday): Leave Pacifica, CA 9:00 AM - to Leg 3 map and details
- Head south on CA 1
- Gather at 11:00AM at the SECOND parking lot at Pescadero
State Beach on CA1, five miles south of the junction of CA84 and CA1 for
a group photograph of our bikes with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop; have
your cameras ready. We will back track to the junction with CA84 to get
to Felton for lunch.
- Be prepared for some fun on the roads to our lunch spot; this establishment
is run by one of our own: Jim Geary.
- Gather at 12:00PM at the Cowboy Bar and Grill, 6155
Hwy 9, Felton, CA via CA84, CA35 and CA9; enjoy leisurely lunch; group
photograph of the people on the ride; have your cameras ready.
- Enjoy the scenery
- Proceed from Felton to Santa Cruz via CA9 and then on
CA1 to Monterey, CA; arrive between 3 and 4PM
- Most popular motel for riders in the past: Cypress Tree
Inn, 2227 N. Fremont St., 831 372-7586; NOTE: They are booked full on this
date. Please either try Motel 6 (almost across the street) or the Ramada
Inn down the street (both are Fremont Street addresses).
- Distance: 199 miles (5-6 hours*)
- Time for sightseeing in Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur and/or
Santa Cruz
- Time for side trips into the coast range; lots of good
riding roads
- Gather for dinner at Bullwackers , 653 Cannery Row, (831) 373-1353
- Suggested side ride #1: CA1N to Santa Cruz; CA17E to
Los Gatos; CA9W through Saratoga, across Skyline Boulevard to Felton, Ben
Lomond and back to Santa Cruz to CA1; CA1S back to Monterey - 142 or 151
miles - to map and details
- Suggested side ride #2: CA1S to Carmel-by-the-Sea; G16
through Carmel Valley to G17; G17 west to CA68; CA68W to CA1 and Monterey
- 105 miles - to map and details
- Suggested side ride #3: CA1N to CA156; CA156E to Hollister;
CA156N to CA152; CA152W to Watsonville; CA1S to Monterey - 108 miles - to map and details
- Suggested side ride #4: CA1S through Carmel-by-the-Sea
to Big Sur and back - 65 miles
- Suggested side ride #5: CA68E to US101N; through Salinas
to CA156; CA156W to Castroville; CA1S to Monterey - 50 miles - to map and details
- Monterey Peninsula lodging, restaurants and attractions
- September 15th (Thursday): Leave Monterey, CA 9:00AM - to Leg 4 map and details
- Head south on CA 1
- Ride through Big Sur and a 74 mile section of curves!
- Rest stop at Ragged Point
- Proceed past San Simeon (gas and lunch available)
- Proceed through Morro Bay (gas and lunch available)
- Go through San Luis Obispo on US 101 (gas and lunch
available)
- At Grover City (the name on the map; town name is actually
Grover Beach), pick up CA 1 again
- Lunch at the place next door to the old Rusty Pig just
below Oceano - it has been under different ownership each time lately...
- Proceed south to Lompoc, CA; arrive between 3 and 4
PM
- Most popular motel for riders in the past: ** Motel
6, 1521 N. H. St., 800 466-8356
- Distance: 190 miles (6-8 hours*)
- Time for sightseeing, side trips, etc.
- Leave between 4 and 4:30PM for Solvang and motorcycle
museum
- Return to Lompoc for dinner at 7PM at La Botte Italian Restaurant, 812 N. H St., 805 736-8525
- Suggested side ride #1: CA1S to CA246; CA246E to Solvang
and back - 53 miles
- Suggested side ride #2: CA1S to CA246; CA246E thru Solvang
to Santa Ynez; CA154N to US101; US101N to CA166; CA166W thru Santa Maria
to CA1; CA1S to Lompoc - 94 miles - to map and details
- Lompoc lodging, restaurants and attractions
In Memoriam: The Friday leg of the southern run
This leg of the southern PCH run is no more. No one, including me,
liked it but I tolerated it better than most. However, after doing it 9
times in 12 years, I decided I had had the course. The 2011 Friday leg
was the last one. Dean Williams calculated that for the last three hours
into San Clemente, we averaged just over 21 miles an hour. Sorry folks,
but that's too much to bear even for me. I am leaving the information on
the Friday leg here in case anyone wants to try it. But they are on their
own. The southern terminus for the southern run will henceforth be Lompoc,
CA. We will figure out exit routes from Lompoc...
- September 16th (Friday): Leave Lompoc, CA 9:00AM - to Leg 5 map and details
- Head south on CA 1 until it runs into US101
- Proceed through Santa Barbara on US101
- At Oxnard, CA exit US101 onto CA 1
- Lunch at the McDonalds just beyond downtown Oxnard;
it's on the left
- Proceed south on CA1 skirting Los Angeles and environs
- Continue on to San Clemente, CA; arrive between 3 and
4 PM
- NOTE: if you spend much time for lunch or other stops,
it could be a good deal later because of traffic in the LA area.
- Most popular motel for riders in the past: ** Best Western
Casablanca Inn, 1601 N. El Camino, 949 361-1644
- Distance: 209 miles (6-8 hours*)
- Time for sightseeing, side trips and so on
- Gather for dinner at 7PM at La Siesta Mexican Restaurant, 920 N. El Camino Real, 949 498-3094
- San Clemente lodging, restaurants and attractions
- September 17th and 18th (Saturday and Sunday):
- Gather for dinner at the restaurant on the pier (name
and number to be added); take a walk on the pier after dinner
- Featured Side Ride: Leave 9AM Saturday, I5N to San Juan
Capistrano, CA74E to I15, I15S to Temecula, Lunch in Temecula, I15S to
CA76W, CA76W to I5, I5N to San Clemente - 110 miles - to map and details (Note: We've done this ride every year since 2001; we are occasionally
joined by a bunch of SCPCRC riders for it)
- Suggested side ride #2: I5S to CA21, CA21W to La Jolla
and back - 116 miles
- Return home...
* - depending on how fast or how slow you take the curves.
** - these motels will take reservations through the web; for the Best
Western Motels use this Best Western link .
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