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Road Trips: The Great Pacific - From RoadBike October 2005
The Great Pacific
Beemering Up The West Coast By Tricia Szulewski A full lineup of almost-new BMW motorcycles, first-class accommodations, excellent food, the best roads and vistas I’ve ever seen, and a friendly tour guide in the lead — what more could I ask for? An East Coast native, I eagerly anticipated my first-ever excursion to the other coast. I was going on an Edelweiss tour in California with my friend Mary. With no idea what to expect, we packed as lightly as we could, while still trying to be prepared for whatever weather Mother Nature threw at us. Mary and I had previously selected from one of several motorcycle tours that Edelweiss offers. There’s the Edelweiss Classic, with a chase vehicle, picnic lunches, and different hotels almost every night, and the super-luxurious Royal Tour. To celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, Edelweiss even added on- and off-road tours through some rugged parts of the world. We chose to do a Touring Center tour, which meant we’d be stationed at the same hotel for all but one night. There was no chase vehicle, and only one tour guide. The benefit was that we could settle in at our hotel, The Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach, California. We also chose the optional extended tour, which added two days to the basic four-day tour. First Meeting Our tour guide, T.R. Wenning, greeted us at the small airport in San Luis Obispo. He was easy to spot with his red, smiling face, extended hand, and Edelweiss shirt. T.R. led us to the van that would transport us to our hotel, answering all our eager questions about the trip, the weather, the bikes, and how he got such a great job.
The first evening, our tour group met for a debriefing in the hotel lounge. There were six of us. Chris, a young man from Chicago, was traveling alone. Will arrived a bit later from Tallahassee, Florida. The others — Gerry, Joyce, Don, and Lisa — were enjoying a family vacation. Gerry and Joyce had taken several Edelweiss vacations before, and had finally convinced their daughter and son-in-law to join them.
Day 1: To The Coast We met bright and early, to be greeted with a lineup of ’04 and ’05 BMWs in the hotel parking lot. There was a beautiful green K1200GT waiting for me, and a black F650GS for Mary, along with another CS, a R1150GS Adventure, two R1200RTs, and a K1200LT. Our fearless guide rode an R1200CL. He explained that Edelweiss keeps the bikes current, so next year these would be replaced with new models.
Once we were settled on our rides, we took off for the Pacific Coast Highway, heading north to Carmel. I immediately found a sense of peace as I fell in line with the responsive, powerful GT. For the first half-hour the road was fairly straight and easy, giving us time to get to know our bikes before heading on to more challenging terrain. Sensing that Chris, Mary, and I were aching to test our steeds, T.R. sent us on a back road that he’d previously scouted. I truly understand the phrase “carving through the mountain,” thanks to this fantastic road. Careful to navigate around loose rocks and mud left over from the winter’s many mudslides, we rode swiftly around blind bends, where the mountain seemed to fall right into the road. Suddenly, we came out from between the banks and were flying with the clouds on top of the world. Our road stretched out as far as we could see, curving in and out of the misty green hilltop, with the great Pacific on the horizon. With the ocean to my left, and a panoramic scene of multicolored cows among green, yellow, and lavender flora on my right, there could be no place more beautiful on this earth. After meeting the rest of the crew for coffee in Morro Bay, we stayed as a group for the ride up the coast. We stopped briefly at a site near San Simeon to watch sea lions that looked like overstuffed cigars lined up along the beach. From there, we could see Hearst Castle up in the hills, but we decided to come back to tour it on the last day of our trip. From San Simeon to Big Sur, the PCH is a challenging series of tight turns, falling rock, gusting wind, and breathtaking scenery. Watching the blind corners, choosing speed and lane position carefully, and trying to take in the views was both exhausting and exhilarating. We wound along the coast for hours, stopping only for lunch. Just before Big Sur, we saw signs for Julia Pfeiffer State Park, and followed T.R. to a parking area. He explained that if we wanted to make it to Carmel by 5, we wouldn’t have time to explore the park, but the view was worth a picture stop. We followed our leader about 100 yards up the road to a grassy area. He must have known that the scene from this spot would make a great spread in the magazine. About 800 feet down the cliff, a hidden inlet of turquoise water turned to surf along a secluded beach, made even more spectacular by a beautiful waterfall.
Day 2: Pismo Beach The next day, we covered a lot of ground, again avoiding the highways. The weather was erratic, alternately offering sprinkles and sunshine, but the scenery was spectacular. Starting out on rolling hills, we soon rode up and down mountains, and traveled through lush forests with huge moss-covered trees. The sun peeked through the moist leaves and glistened on the freshly fallen raindrops. The whole area seemed to glow. Leaving the mountains, we rode at least 30 miles through flat farmland, surrounded by cabbage leaves and grapevines that stretched for miles. We flew past ranches with a variety of cows — brown ones, black ones, white ones, and combinations of each. They seemed to stop what they were doing to watch us ride by. Around 4:30 p.m., T.R. asked if we wanted to do one more back-road loop, or head home. The riding had been so incredible that none of us wanted it to end. So, we pushed our luck — and paid the price. For that last hour, we rode a fantastic winding road through a torrential downpour. By the time we got back to the Cliffs that evening, we were all soaked to the bone. Day 3: Heading East This would be my favorite day of riding. We enjoyed a spirited pace for at least 300 miles in perfect weather. We started out heading east on Highway 58, and explored another part of Los Padres National Forest. We then rode through McKittrick, Taft, Pine Mountain, Cuyama, and the Sierra Madre Mountains. We experienced an incredible range of terrain, from forests with towering pines, to mountain peaks reaching as high as 8,831 feet, to areas that seemed like desert bluffs. The roads were sometimes tricky, as mudslides had left gravel and rocks in blind bends in the road. We even had to make a few emergency stops, owing to some flooded roads. Those roads were the most challenging and the most fun. The scenery was amazing, and the miles of deserted switchbacks were the best I’ve ever ridden. I thought back on it until I dropped into a deep sleep that night. Day 4: South To Santa Barbara Heading in the same direction as the day before, we took a southern route just before hitting Los Padres. We rode beside the National Forest for a while and were rewarded with picturesque views of purple, yellow, and orange flowers blending with all the shades of green that covered the hilly fields. Riding into the Danish town of Solvang, I felt as if I were in one of my daughter’s storybooks. We skirted around horse-drawn wagons in the center of town, heading toward the old Dutch windmill. There’s a Motorcycle Museum in town, but it was closed that day, so we just admired the vintage racers from the window. We scooted on toward the seaside town of Santa Barbara, and the closer we got, the cloudier the sky became. Descending from the mountains into town, I knew we’d reached the city once we hit traffic. We stopped for lunch on the second level of the busy pier. From a table outside, we watched the clouds disappear to allow a fantastic view of the city, which seemed to climb up into the mountains from the sea. We compared all the yachts moored at the pier, where there seemed to be thousands of boats. Since T.R. had promised to get us back a little earlier that day, we hightailed it back to Pismo via Route 101. Even though it’s a highway, the road winds alongside rolling hills, mountains and the Pacific, and it was hardly worth complaining about. Mary and I decided to skip the group dinner in favor of relaxing at our wonderful hotel. In fact, the others decided to do the same, so we all ordered pizza and sat next to the fire pit by the pool. It was so wonderful to be there, with great new friends, enjoying a conversation about all that we’d seen and experienced together. Day 5: Hearst Castle
The castle is reminiscent of architecture found in many different parts of Europe, and the gardens and grounds are fantastic in their own right. The marble sculptures displayed around the grounds, the tile mosaics on the staircases and pools, and the old hanging wool tapestries that decorated the great room were too much to digest in one short visit. My favorite area was proclaimed by Marlon Brando to be the most romantic place in the world. This was the indoor pool, complete with classic Roman archways with views of the Santa Lucia mountain range and painstakingly crafted blue tile mosaics. After leaving the castle, we headed to Cayucos for a delicious BBQ lunch. Afterwards, we were able to squeeze in a few more twisties and some amazing vistas before turning into the Cliffs for the last time.
T.R.’s extensive knowledge of the roads and towns made this trip extra special. He took us to some great restaurants, and always stopped at perfect places to snap photos. That left me to enjoy the twisty, well-paved, less-traveled scenic roads, the best I’ve ever experienced. I’ll be reliving these rides over and over in my mind, until the next time I get to the West Coast. RB SOURCES The Cliffs Resort Edelweiss Bike Travel Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument Pine Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea |
Our room at the Cliffs Resort faced the hotel’s outdoor pool, hot tub, fire pit, and fountains. Beyond the pool was an endless view of the Pacific. I opened the slider to our private balcony and drew a deep breath of fresh salt air. It was a moment that I wanted to remember. 
T.R. introduced us and gave us our basic itinerary. Every morning we’d meet as a group, head to our destination, and then meet back at the hotel for dinner. We could choose to travel as a group, or he could give us separate routes. The booklet that we received prior to the trip outlined the roads that we’d travel on. For each day, we had two options: a basic route or a longer, more challenging one. At the meeting, T.R. gave us instructions on group riding and skills that pertained to the types of roads we’d encounter. Finally, after a first-rate dinner, we all headed to our rooms for a good night’s sleep.
Finally, we motored into Carmel, a lovely town full of galleries, unique shops, great restaurants, beautiful beaches, and architectural marvels. The homes are named, not numbered, giving the area a small-town feel. The Pine Inn was our home for the evening. Nestled in the heart of downtown Carmel, the charming 1889 inn had the comfortable ambiance you can only find in a historic hotel. Our room was tiny, but it had lots of windows, two twin feather beds, and a private bathroom. The restaurant, Il Fornaio, was bustling with activity. The Italian cuisine was excellent, and my only complaint was that we didn’t have time for more than one mouthwatering dinner.
For our last day, we headed up the PCH to Hearst Castle. We parked the bikes and took the tour bus up the five-mile winding road, rising 1,600 feet to the castle. Forget all the challenging rides we’d been on in the past four days; this was the scariest one yet. 