R
roughwaterjohn
Guest
Link to photo album (4 pages). Click on any image to enlarge it, or to scan through each image one at a time. Sample images are below.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v116/krowsea/San Diego to San Francisco ride/
Link to part 1:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=47568
Link to part 3:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=47565
The next morning dawned cool and overcast, the marine layer extending well inland, keeping the sun from caressing my checks with its warmth. I jumped back on Hwy 101 and headed North. The stretch of Hwy 101 North from Ventura is beautiful. It starts off as a 4 lane highway, but quickly turns into two lanes cruising picturesquely North, the Pacific Ocean rubbing shoulders with you all the way to Gaviota, where it turns inland. Carpenteria is a great first stop on the way North. It’s a nice surf town, very bohemian, with quaint shops, lots of good food and a nice beach history to explore in architecture and people. My first stop was just outside Gaviota, at a rest stop just before the tunnel that points 101 inland for awhile, passed Buellton (great Pea Soup!), Santa Maria and Pismo Beach.
Just passed Pismo, I pulled off to get a cup ‘o joe, and take a few pics in the little town of Shell Beach. I pulled off the freeway again just before San Luis Obispo, to get a picture of my bike in front of the Madonna Inn. I didn’t stay here, but it’s a crazy place with themed rooms, crazy “Disny-esque” architecture and a cool restaurant with red overstuffed leather booths and pink (yes pink) velour wallpaper. I won’t mention the reason, but the men’s room gets a surprising amount of tourists through it, male and female, taking pictures of the d?®cor and layout. You’ve got to be pretty sure of your manhood to use the urinal, while old ladies in moo-moos take flash pictures of the room. The entire place is just tacky enough to warrant at least a one night stay if you get a chance.
I really love San Luis Obispo (SLO), and stop there every time I’m in the area. I cruised the town a bit, stopped at the bookstore, then grabbed a sandwich at a local bread shop that had a pretty good customer base of locals buying fresh bread and eating sandwiches outdoors. The food was great, but I forgot that I was planning on dinning at the Taco Temple in Morro Bay, something I only remembered as I passed it. Oh well, there’s always next time. SLO is where the turnoff is to Hwy 1, so after lunch, I pointed the bike west again and headed to Morro Bay. I took a few pics of “the Rock”, hung out at the harbor and drove around the town a little bit, before getting back on Hwy 1 to continue the ride.
Just North of Morro Bay, I pulled off again to cruise through Cayucos, and take a few more coastal shots. Cayucos is another great town to visit and explore, although smaller than Carpenteria, if similar in atmosphere. After Cayucos, I cruised past Harmony (population 18) and then into Cambria, my home for the night. I wasn’t staying at the Cambria Pines Lodge, but I stopped there and pulled all the way to the back lot, so I could take some pictures on the trails overlooking Cambria.
Hwy 46 which runs from the coast to Paso Robles and beyond is littered with great wineries. Santa Rosa Creek Road is a great motorcycle road, starting in the east Village of Cambria, and eventually connecting with Hwy 46 about halfway between Hwy 1 and Hwy 101 (Paso Robles). Cambria is one of my all time favorite destinations on the Central Coast. West and East Villages have wonderful shops and artist galleries, and the East Village also has some amazing restaurants. The Sow’s Ear, Robin’s, and Lin’s are some of my favorites.
I usually stay at a little pricier B&B or hotel like the Blue Whale Inn on Moonstone Dr or the Cambria Pines Lodge on the hill overlooking the East Village, but this time I was on a budget. I stayed at the Bluebird Inn and was very happy. It’s a small, older motor lodge that is in very nice shape. It has beautiful gardens and a creek running out back and the staff is very friendly. Plus, they accept one night stays during the weekend, something most places don’t in this area. They even have actual room keys with those plastic key fobs that guaranty postage back to the hotel if the key is dropped in a mailbox. I remember those! I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring both East and West villages, before an amazing dinner at the Sow’s Ear. I usually dine at Lin’s for Breakfast (love the Ollieberry muffins), but on a recommendation from the Bluebird staff, I tried the Creekside Gardens Caf?®. It has a small inside dining room with a larger (heated if needed) patio. I was the only non-local in the joint. I got there early, but soon there was a line and the owner knew everyone by name. It was a great choice.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v116/krowsea/San Diego to San Francisco ride/
Link to part 1:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=47568
Link to part 3:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=47565
The next morning dawned cool and overcast, the marine layer extending well inland, keeping the sun from caressing my checks with its warmth. I jumped back on Hwy 101 and headed North. The stretch of Hwy 101 North from Ventura is beautiful. It starts off as a 4 lane highway, but quickly turns into two lanes cruising picturesquely North, the Pacific Ocean rubbing shoulders with you all the way to Gaviota, where it turns inland. Carpenteria is a great first stop on the way North. It’s a nice surf town, very bohemian, with quaint shops, lots of good food and a nice beach history to explore in architecture and people. My first stop was just outside Gaviota, at a rest stop just before the tunnel that points 101 inland for awhile, passed Buellton (great Pea Soup!), Santa Maria and Pismo Beach.
Just passed Pismo, I pulled off to get a cup ‘o joe, and take a few pics in the little town of Shell Beach. I pulled off the freeway again just before San Luis Obispo, to get a picture of my bike in front of the Madonna Inn. I didn’t stay here, but it’s a crazy place with themed rooms, crazy “Disny-esque” architecture and a cool restaurant with red overstuffed leather booths and pink (yes pink) velour wallpaper. I won’t mention the reason, but the men’s room gets a surprising amount of tourists through it, male and female, taking pictures of the d?®cor and layout. You’ve got to be pretty sure of your manhood to use the urinal, while old ladies in moo-moos take flash pictures of the room. The entire place is just tacky enough to warrant at least a one night stay if you get a chance.
I really love San Luis Obispo (SLO), and stop there every time I’m in the area. I cruised the town a bit, stopped at the bookstore, then grabbed a sandwich at a local bread shop that had a pretty good customer base of locals buying fresh bread and eating sandwiches outdoors. The food was great, but I forgot that I was planning on dinning at the Taco Temple in Morro Bay, something I only remembered as I passed it. Oh well, there’s always next time. SLO is where the turnoff is to Hwy 1, so after lunch, I pointed the bike west again and headed to Morro Bay. I took a few pics of “the Rock”, hung out at the harbor and drove around the town a little bit, before getting back on Hwy 1 to continue the ride.
Just North of Morro Bay, I pulled off again to cruise through Cayucos, and take a few more coastal shots. Cayucos is another great town to visit and explore, although smaller than Carpenteria, if similar in atmosphere. After Cayucos, I cruised past Harmony (population 18) and then into Cambria, my home for the night. I wasn’t staying at the Cambria Pines Lodge, but I stopped there and pulled all the way to the back lot, so I could take some pictures on the trails overlooking Cambria.
Hwy 46 which runs from the coast to Paso Robles and beyond is littered with great wineries. Santa Rosa Creek Road is a great motorcycle road, starting in the east Village of Cambria, and eventually connecting with Hwy 46 about halfway between Hwy 1 and Hwy 101 (Paso Robles). Cambria is one of my all time favorite destinations on the Central Coast. West and East Villages have wonderful shops and artist galleries, and the East Village also has some amazing restaurants. The Sow’s Ear, Robin’s, and Lin’s are some of my favorites.
I usually stay at a little pricier B&B or hotel like the Blue Whale Inn on Moonstone Dr or the Cambria Pines Lodge on the hill overlooking the East Village, but this time I was on a budget. I stayed at the Bluebird Inn and was very happy. It’s a small, older motor lodge that is in very nice shape. It has beautiful gardens and a creek running out back and the staff is very friendly. Plus, they accept one night stays during the weekend, something most places don’t in this area. They even have actual room keys with those plastic key fobs that guaranty postage back to the hotel if the key is dropped in a mailbox. I remember those! I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring both East and West villages, before an amazing dinner at the Sow’s Ear. I usually dine at Lin’s for Breakfast (love the Ollieberry muffins), but on a recommendation from the Bluebird staff, I tried the Creekside Gardens Caf?®. It has a small inside dining room with a larger (heated if needed) patio. I was the only non-local in the joint. I got there early, but soon there was a line and the owner knew everyone by name. It was a great choice.
