Finished!   26 days of joyriding down the Pacific coast, from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico, and then east to Tucson, Arizona.      26 days of a journey that could be accomplished in 6.   

I spent time to visit some friends,  meander inland, indulge in longer multi-day stops, and even take a one-day, off-road riding course in Anza, California.

I employed the excellent Polar Steps app, a combination map tracking/journal/images log, to record my trip.      It shows my route, most of the stops I made, lots of images and some brief text.   To see it, go to:      https://www.polarsteps.com/MarkJacobson2/3809593-rtw-usa-north-to-south

I took the following route:

From where I live in Seattle, I dashed up to the border of Canada and back in a single, long day (did this back in February)

Seattle,  ferry to Bainbridge, long loop around Olympic Peninsula

Oregon coast

Northern California coast

Inland detour on “Redwoods highway”

Back to coast 

San Francisco

Inland to Salinas (only did this as am interested in the author, Steinbeck... not worth it otherwise)

Back to coast /  Big Sur!   Definitely in the top 3 day rides I’ve ever taken.

Los Angeles

Inland to Apple Valley 

Back to Southern California Coast—Newport,  San Clemente, Santa Barbara  

San Diego 

Mexico border 

Anza (off-road clinic there)

Palm Springs/ Palm Desert

And then east to Tucson, Arizona

In the above, I stayed on Highway 101 through Washington and Oregon and then, in Northern California, switched over to the magical Highway One/ Pacific Coast Highway.      I rode it most of the way with exceptions for the “Redwood Highway”, a must do, and forays into Sonoma, the mountains west of LA,  Palm Springs,  and the Mohave desert.        

Some personal recommendations

This isn’t a list of the most popular attractions.  It’s just some miscellaneous stops I liked along the way, and some ideas to consider incorporating into an itinerary. (For complete information and several great sample itineraries, I recommend the Lonely Planet guides. They have two specifically for the Coast road:   “Coastal California” and “Pacific Coast Highway” and one for each state.)

Washington...

The Olympic Peninsula...  stopping for a hike through one of the unique to the continental USA rain forests. Lush, different from the typical North woods.    Some get over a 100 inches a year.

The Jitter House Cafe in Hoquiam

Oregon

City of Astoria... for its outstanding museums, historical importance, and location on the mouth of the mighty Columbia River.   Recommend seeing: the Lewis & Clark Fort,   Cape Disappointment, Fort Sherman...  and especially the Columbia Maritime Museum.   

Almost any of the small towns that front the coast are worth visiting.      If have a few days,  maybe pick one in the northern part of the state, and one in the southern part,  and use them as bases for day trips.      

California... in rough north to south order

The Eatery Cafe in Trinidad

The Bear Creek restaurant near the Eel River (on the highway)

The Redwoods...   The Redwood Highway

Mendocino,  the hikes along the coast, Van Damme campground

Queenies Cafe,  on the highway

Point Arena lighthouse/ museum

San Francisco....  all the usual, plus Walt Disney museum,  the City Lights bookstore, ice cream 

     sundaes at Ghiradelis on the Wharf,   the Marin Headlands...    I arrived near sunset, crossed the 

    Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most memorable ten minutes I’ve ever spent on a motorcycle.

Santa Cruz boardwalk...  or any others that are in most towns along the Coast

Monterrey/ Carmel...  the Aquarium

Steinbeck museum in Salinas if you’re a literary buff/like his work...he’s the most mentioned  

      author when you ask ‘what fiction to read about California’

Big Sur!...   Everything about it... keep an eye out for the Elephant seals beach...  “The Bakery” at the 

      Shell gas station makes a great mid-way lunch spot 

Smoked albacore fish sandwiches in Cayucos, just south of Big Sur, Rudolf’s Smokehouse shack

San Luis Obispo,   a college town with a fine Mission museum... nightlife/cafes...   The Kreuzberg 

        Cafe is great for long catchup work sessions...  The Burger Place for exotic (antelope, bison,  

        ostrich, and other burgers)...   

The Southern California beach scene all the way down from here...   any of the towns will do.    

        Stayed in Santa Barbara, in the original #1 Motel 6 a couple of blocks from the beach

And then a ton more stuff in the following areas:

Los Angeles... Venice Beach, Museums, Hollywood,  so much

San Diego/ Pacific Beach

A quick trip down to the Mexico Border,  the Wall,  a touch of real Latin America

Palm Springs/ Palm Desert

The Mohave desert (towards the East)

Off-road riding training school in Anza, California… a couple of hours east of LA/ San Diego.     MotoVentures (https://motoventures.com/)   They have single or two-day courses for beginners/ intermediate trail riders on weekends. They provide trail bikes and armor/gear if needed. The instructors are competent, friendly—and thankfully, patient.  The owner—Gary LaPlante—wrote a book on the sport (How to ride off-road motorcycles) and helps teach the course.  They took me from a tentative dirt rider to someone who could: charge around a narrow, hilly, curvy dirt trail… ride a 10 inch wide beam 60 feet without falling off…go up and down steep hills and get the bike turned around if I stalled halfway up. There’s no pressure, just lots of encouragement—well worth it!  

Campgrounds...   from north to south (in California)

A friend of mine who’d been a tour guide for decades in the West prepared the following list of campgrounds for me.    They’re spaced conveniently down the coast of California so you can stay in them sequentially, a day or two for each one.      

Patricks Point State Park

Richardson Grove State Park

Point Reyes NS

Limelkin State Park

El Capitan State Beach

San Elijo State Beach

The ride down the Coast was one of the most attractive and magnificent I’ve ever taken.     I’ve been in a lot of places around the world, beautiful ones, but none of them are better, in my opinion, then this ride.   Assuming you’re living in the USA, this journey’s available now. Or at least in the near future when the latest Virus surge passes.   If you haven’t done it yet, you’re in for one of the best rides on the planet!