Modern Vespa

For you SF Bay Area folk, do you have favorite books (and/or maps) on backroads, routes & destinations for our area and Northern California?

When you take a trip, if you're not camping, do you think ahead about where you'll stay each night, or just wing it and see where you end up? Are there books oriented to such things for scooterists/motorcyclists, with a day's route ending up wherever, with options on places to stop for the night?

I've visited the Pashnit site, which appears to offer promising information, but I'm wondering what resources you use to plan beautiful, fun routes with overnight stops along the way. Is there any difference between planning a motorcycle tour and a scooterist tour?

Karen

I've been looking around for something similar. So far, trial and error. I'll be watching this thread...

Last weekend a buddy of mine pulled out a "Mad Map". Had some really great routes for motorcycles.

Was a great map and shows lots of interesting facts like: where the cops are and points of interest..

I believe these maps were first put together by motorcyclists here in the Bay Area..

madmaps.com

On a long trip (not returning the same day) I always plan where I'm staying, possible fuel and food stops, and almost a turn by turn route.

To create the route I use google maps/earth, Garmin MapSource, and some websites that list good motorcycle roads.

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/
http://www.motorcycleroads.com/
http://www.buell.com/en_ca/inside/news/newsdetail.asp?news_id=402
http://www.bestbikingroads.com/

Mad Maps are great, and have maps that cover SF and the wine country.
http://www.madmaps.com/

Here are some favorite routes:

Tam Loop, With Chileno Valley Rd & Lucas Valley Rd: 108 miles
Longer Marin/Sonoma loop
Alice's Loop, with CA-9 and Pescadero Rd: 130 miles
Mines Rd, with Niles Canyon: 102 miles

But if you have a specific destination in mind, let me know and I can try to help out.

As a general rule, I look for roads along coastlines, lakes or rivers, or roads that go over mountains or along ridgelines. These tend to be the most interesting for riding.

+1 on Madmaps.

I also signed up via e-mail to receive notices from my local BMW/Triumph store, and I receive monthly notices of their monthly group rides. Although I've not participated in one of their rides, I like to peruse the routes they take. The following is their latest, (sans photos and nice layout) and it sounds like a beautiful ride. If anyone's interested in making this a two day ride on some upcoming fall weekend, pm me and let me know. I'd like to do this one.

September 2 will be our 500 mile Two Pass Ride! This is our longest ride of the year; it starts early and ends late! We will get back at the shop around 9:00 or so and the last 90 mlles are the hardest. Our route is simple - we go over Sonora Pass, south on 395 to Lee Vining for lunch, and back over Tioga Pass. Total mileage is about 530 miles, more or less depending on whether you take any side trips, such as to Twin Lakes or Bodie. We will start out at a little after 7:00 am and pick up people along the way. We will regroup at our first gas stop in Jamestown if someone gets separated. We will pause for about 20 minutes in Jamestown for a little rest and a chance to get something to drink.

We will try to keep everyone together until the Jamestown gas stop, and more or less together all the way to the store at Dardanelle, on Sonora Pass. The weather will be perfect - not too hot, not too cold, and almost surely sunny. After Jamestown the road gets interesting, and we should have light traffic from Sonora through Strawberry all the way to Dardanelle. The last ten miles to Dardanelle are among the nicest in the Sierras, and we will have great corners leading to the turn-out to the Dardanelle rest stop and food store.

We will take about a 30 minute rest stop at Dardanelle, buy snacks at the little store and relax before heading up to the top of the pass. It is only about another fifteen miles to the summit, and we will stop there for pictures and a quick break to rest the throttle hand before heading down the east side of the pass to Bridgeport. Some of the best views are seen on the south side of the pass - Leavitt Peak, Sardine Falls, the entrance to the Leavitt Lake trail, and then the West Walker River Valley opens up onto 395, which takes us in to Bridgeport. There are terrific views of the Matterhorn Range to the west as you approach ride into Bridgeport. There is heavy enforcement over the Labor Day Weekend, so try not to get traffic tickets. We will all stop at the Bridgeport gas station as you come into town, gas up and regroup.



In Bridgeport we'll take a short detour up to Twin Lakes for spectacular mountain views, all street riding, and I'll indicate the Aurora Canyon Road route for any adventuresome GS'ers who want to ride into Bodie via the back way (all dirt) and out the Bodie-Masonic Road (also dirt)..

We'll stop in Lee Vining, for a late lunch and cupcake at Nicely's Restaurant. We always make that our destination stop, because the food is good, and they are not upset at accommodating 15 or 20 hungry bikers at one time. I always finish my meal with deep-dish peach cupcake and vanilla ice cream, but instead of a nap, we'll gather the group for a charge up Tioga Pass to Tuolumne Meadow.

We'll stop in the parking lot at the foot of Lembert Dome, the big granite knob just to the north of the road going into Tuolumne meadows, at the bridge over the river. I make a point of mentioning this, so that you can climb it, too, if you want to. I usually do, and bring sneakers and shorts with me just for this purpose. We friction climb right up the front of the dome, eschewing the trail that runs around behind it, and usually make it to the top in about half an hour. After enjoying the views of Cathedral Peak, Unicorn, Hoffman, Mt. Conness, etc. we'll head back down in about 15 minutes. By this time it will be about 4:30 pm and we still have a lot of miles to go. We will stop again briefly at Olmstead Point, for views of Cloud's Rest and Half Dome in the evening sun.

Our next major stop will be in Oakdale, at the Shell station for Starbucks double shots and junk food to get us the rest of the way home. It should be just starting to cool off and be pleasant for crossing the Central Valley.

Total mileage will be about 530, time on the road about 12 - 14 hours, probably about 11 of them actually riding, the rest spent eating, climbing, etc.

This remains one of my most favorite and popular rides, and if you did not make it last year, I hope you can join us in 2007!

Ride safely,
Kari Prager

Wow, Val, that does sound like a cool, though arduous trip. I'd probably want to stop midway for an overnight. Where does it originate from?

Thanks for the links, Patrick--I look forward to investigating them. Michael, I've already printed out one of your rides & will do the same with the others. It's neat you also live in Marin, so I can tailor them. Also found the Mad Maps I want are at BMW so will stop & pick some up today.

Just the kind of help I was looking for. Thanks, and keep it coming for those with other ideas.

Karen

Mad Maps! I don't like to plan. More spontaneous. "Hey, I wonder where this road goes?" I also don't like franchise food. I would rather have a bad meal at a Mom-n-Pop place. At least I'll remember it.

Got my Mad Maps--3 of 'em, and they're great, indeed. Only thing they don't include are options for places to stay. Their Roadhouse & Restaurants appear to be only eateries/bars etc. Sure would be cool if they had hotel listings at destination towns, too.

Michael, was going to ask this in a PM, but since others might value the info in the future, I'll ask you here: Have you ever taken the Fairfax/Bolinas road from Fairfax over Tam down into Bolinas before? It's a few blocks away from me, and I've wanted to take it, but have been daunted by the the comment of a woman scooterist who said she went on it once and it was *awful* coming down the west side into Bolinas--ok apparently up to just past the Meadowclub, but dangerous going down. You ever done it?

Karen

I love this thread! I am rediscovering roads in the Santa Cruz and Diablo Mountains that I used to ride on a motorcycle; these links (particularly Patrick's) are just what I have been looking for! Now I just have to get a GPS, I guess, and get out there and ride.

Hey Karen,
I actually like the BoFax road. I live in Tam Junction, so I usually go up Tam to Bolinas Ridge and then down to Alpine Lake and into Fairfax. It's the only way to avoid traffic *and* have a nice ride on summer weekends.

Here's the skinny on that road.

The section from Bolinas up to the Bolinas ridge (Ridgecrest Blvd.) road is a bit potholed, and narrow in places, but if you take it easy it is no big deal.

The section from Bolinas ridge down to Alpine lake is in the redwoods, very twisty and in the winter has a bunch of leaves and crap on the road, but in the summer it is fine. It might be a bit wet on a really foggy day, from the fog collecting on the redwoods and dripping down.

From Alpine lake to Fairfax is sunny and nice. There are a few sections where the road has some 'interesting' bumps, but generally it is a pleasant ride.

The main virtue of the road is an almost complete lack of cars, even on a busy weekend.

As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of doing a little ride on it tomorrow. Something like Tam Junction->Bolinas ridge->Fairfax->Nicasio->Pt. Reyes->Stinson->Tam Junction.

If anyone's interested in joining in, just say the word. I'll probably leave around 10am.

Hey, Michael, that's really tempting--I could use a ride (horrendous week) and it would be great to have a buddy first time over that hill...But my dilemma is the Fairfax car show happens tomorrow, and I wanted to go down early to take some photos there before it gets crowded, maybe 9:30 or so, which would get me down to Tam Junction past 10...Do you have any interest in checking out the car show? If so, we could leave there & go up over the BoFax road and proceed wherever. Don't change your agenda on my account, but I thought I'd put it out there.

Karen

Yep, ++1 on the Mad Maps.

Another good site is pashnit: http://www.pashnit.com , but I think they now charge a few coins to access the excellent writeups. Worth it. The guy really is pashnit about riding.

I did a route similar to what Val describes last year on the moto, about ran off the road a few times @ monitor pass it was so beautiful. You can turn off the engine and glide down to 395. The run up to tioga from lee vining is spectacular, and of course there is nothing like yosemite on 2 wheels.

The foliage in the sierra changes mid-oct and the traffic is low. One of the best times of the year.

Now I am all excited -- let's go! Seriously, I am definitely down for a 2-day w/ a layover @ lee vining or june lakes, or the campground @ foot of the tioga pass road. Beautiful aspen groves there.

\\osc

Wow! That was almost identical to route for the Jeep Jamboree my wife and I went on a few summers ago. We camped at Twin Lakes and wheeled in 4-LO to Bodie and around the area for two days. That would be a super-nice scooter ride. But long!

Hey Mr. Moore:

I am itching to get back on the moto and do some early Sunday AM Marin riding soon, LMK if you wanna bust out the duc sometime.

\\osc

I have ordered maps from www.madmaps.com Great maps for back roads, and places to stay and eat and drink.

Hey Karen - sure that's fine. It's actually a little easier going up Tam from that direction. I don't know anything about the car show, so just let me know where and when you want to meet.

And Oscillator, we'll do a moto ride another w/e, OK?

OK. Assuming you have some familiarity with Fairfax, I'll plan to look for you at the steps which are at the intersection of Bolinas Road and Broadway at 9:30. The cars will likely be parked in the parking lot above those steps Does that work? I'm figuring we'll both look like we're looking for someone, and will say, 'Are you Karen? or, Are you Michael?' and we'll find each other. Cool. We'll have a jaunt.

Karen

Sounds good, although I might be closer to 9:45.

I'll be wearing a Ducati jacket - but don't let that throw you off!

Fine. I'll look for you there, though I wouldn't know a Ducati jacket from any other jacket if my life depended on it.

Karen

It's kinda hard to miss:

Got it. Manana!

Karen