Highway 1 on the SV650
I'm sitting here, still tired and sore from this weekend, but I'm Ok with that. It's the kind of soreness you feel you really earned, and thus can even appreciate. It's a small price to pay for spectacular weather, 16 hours of riding, and around 700 miles of pure fun.
Coakley and I headed up the famous Highway 1 through Cambria and San Simeon, past Big Sur and Carmel and Monterey, up to the Bay Area. I've driven the road many times over the years, and each time was wonderful in its own way. But riding it on the bike was incomparable. The endless curves that jerk you side to side in a car cage instead urge you to push and lean into each one, refining lines and becoming more and more at one with the machine.
At the start of the fun bit of Highway 1 is Morro Bay. We stopped briefly and parked in the shade of Morro Rock for a few photos. Then it was off up the coast, until another stop in San Simeon to see the elephant seals that sun on the beach in great heaps, sausage-style.
We pulled off at Ragged Point to check out the coastal views. We ended up hiking down a pretty treacherous trail comprised mostly of wet dirt and rocks (with a few pathetic, crumbling attempts at wooden stairways) all the way to the beach below.
Along the way, we turned off on Nacimiento Road. This is one of the hidden treasures of California. From the 1, the road snakes up the steep hills and eventually connects with the 101. We didn't get that far, but the portion we rode was freshly paved, wide, curvy, nearly free of other vehicles, and stunningly beautiful... what more could you ask for? We carved turn after perfect turn, and when we thought it couldn't get any better, the roadside flora changed from dry grass and scrub to redwoods and maples and dappled shade... beams of light filtered down through the canopy and lit up bright yellow leaves. The photos don't even come close to doing this place justice.
Finally we reached Big Sur, where we stopped to eat. We saw a restaurant on the far side of the road, but there was a 'No Left Hand Turn' sign, so I led us up a bit to a point where the far side of the road had a good shoulder to pull over on. But just as I finished the U-turn and stopped on the shoulder, I heard wild engine revving and a THUD from behind me - Coakley had dropped his FJR1300 (a big, heavy sport touring bike) smack in the middle of the oncoming lane - and we were not far past a blind curve! Luckily the first car to come around stopped and blocked traffic for us till we could right the cycle and get off the road. Apparently, when Coakley tried to accelerate through the U-turn, he found a false neutral instead of second gear, and the bike toppled before he could re-engage the proper gear. The bike (amazingly) and Coakley were both unscathed. Still, the lunch break was a good chance to calm our nerves. Even though we still had to deal with vicious winds that threatened to knock the bikes out from under us past Big Sur and Bixby Bridge, but we managed the rest of the ride without another incident.
Highway 1 is a national treasure, and I appreciate it even more now that I've done it on a motorcycle. Even better, we lucked out with near perfect weather and (relatively) little traffic. A weekend well spent!
Labels: big sur, motorcycle, sv650
