Suggestions for 2 day tour North San Francisco

4 guys want to fly June 20sh from Houston to San Francisco on a Friday, rent 4 BMW, tour Sat Sund and fly back Monday Morning.
Anyone has suggestions / recommendations?

what kind of bikes are you renting?

ian

pobably gs? may be an rt?

Juan

SF rentals:
http://www.thethunderroad.com/
http://www.dubbelju.com/
book early.

Then follow me. I'll take you on a tour of the Santa Cruz Mtns or Mount Hamilton.
Day two go ride Kbasa-land in Marin, north of the Golden Gate bridge. That should cover it.

Burnszilla said:

SF rentals:
http://www.thethunderroad.com/
http://www.dubbelju.com/
book early.

Then follow me. I'll take you on a tour of the Santa Cruz Mtns or Mount Hamilton.
Day two go ride Kbasa-land in Marin, north of the Golden Gate bridge. That should cover it.

Click to expand...

it's about time you CA boys kicked in... i was getting scared about giving all this touring advice... worried that i'd send someone up some snowbound road.

or something.

ian

Tahoe?

Burnszilla said:

SF rentals:
http://www.thethunderroad.com/
http://www.dubbelju.com/
book early.

Then follow me. I'll take you on a tour of the Santa Cruz Mtns or Mount Hamilton.
Day two go ride Kbasa-land in Marin, north of the Golden Gate bridge. That should cover it.

Click to expand...

There are endless good roads in and around the central coast. If Burnszilla and Kbasa are available, it would be difficult to find a better way to see this part of CA than with local knowledge. If for some reason they're unavailable or you want to make a longer tour, a Tahoe Loop would be a good alternative.

Assuming you rent your bikes in SF on a Friday afternoon, you will find traffic leaving the city after 3pm HORRIBLE. I would figure out how to rent the bikes Friday morning. Anyway, head south out of the SF on Skyline dr (35) There are a few good roads to drop into the bay area from 35, known to geologists as the San Andreas Fault. I'd take Alpine Road east down into Palo Alto. Take 280 north to 84 east. 84 east will take you over the Dunbarton bridge to the east bay. Stay on 84 through Fremont (Decoto road to Alvarado Niles road?) You want to end up on Niles Canyon road heading east. This is still 84. After you cross 680 the road becomes E Vallecitos, now you are heading towards Livermore. In Livermore, take 580 east for about mile and exit onto Vasco Road north, to 4 west, towards Brentwood. Take the bridge over the San Juaquin river ( THIS AREA ISN'T WELL MARKED, YOU MAY HAVE TO STOP AND ASK ) and follow 160 north towards Freeport. A good town to get off the bikes and walk around is Walnut Grove. The river divides the town, walk around the east side. WG used to be a huge fruit canning town and there is a lot of influence from the asian workers in the architecture and signage of this old town. Stay on 160 to 80 north, Sacramento. Stop in for a cigar with Arnie and then decide if you want to take the 80 interstate to northshore Tahoe or 50 to south shore. I would never classify this section of interstate as slab. You are about 2 hours away from the Lake. Which ever way you go to Tahoe, take the other way home.

On your return trip.

From Sacramento take 80 west, exit west on Marine World Parkway in Vallejo, which becomes Sears Point Rd (37) Follow this around the north Bay to Novato, take 101 south. Feel free to take a quick side trip to San Quentin. I believe the famous bridge where Dirty Harry jumped onto the school bus is still at the 101/Sir Francis Drake blvd exit. Follow 101 back to SF over the Golden Gate.

this is a basic route, there are lots of roads off this route that would be great to explore. In June, leave the rain gear in Texas : )

I forgot.. If you have two days you can also just head to the Sierras and hit a few passes. That's were the real scenery is. Hotel it on near Bridgeport and go see Bodie State Historical Park.

Let me know when you guys are in town. I'll take you on a one day ride that will leave your tongue hanging out.

Here's a good start, though.

101N out of SF to Cloverdale.
128W to the coast.
1 South, all the way back to SF. It should take you a good chunk of the day, if you stop for photos, have some lunch and just stop to rest once in a while after making your 900th line choice of the day.

I rode it a bit ago and stopped at the Point Arena light for a bit of a rest for a bit of fruit, some water and drinking in the view.

Visian said:

it's about time you CA boys kicked in... i was getting scared about giving all this touring advice... worried that i'd send someone up some snowbound road.

or something.

ian

Click to expand...

Yeah, kinda strange getting SoCal touring advise from North Carolina.
What gives, thinking of emigrating to the Sunny side eh?

This is my big weekend on Cuddy Valley Road.
Jerry

Visian said:

it's about time you CA boys kicked in... i was getting scared about giving all this touring advice... worried that i'd send someone up some snowbound road.

or something.

ian

Click to expand...

I still have to collect that beer!