People Around Los Angeles!!

I would like to hear about your experiences about driving truck through there well. I talked to Tom, Doc, and of course Red and I think that we have come up with a good rout or approximate rout.

Cowboy, have a good night my Southern Brother!

Johnny, the Pacific Coast Highway (US 1) is a great ride. There are some hairpin turns from Point Arena heading south toward S.F. If you're in no hurry, it takes the best part of a day and hugs the coast most of the way. The road was built by prison labor during the depression era. Look out for rock slides that may be blocking the roadway.

Thanks.

Was thinking bout even heading to south Oregon.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

Sounds like you're planning to ride some serious miles. I've been all up and down the west coast. Beautiful country inland as well and nothing like it in the whole world.

Hey Johnny,
As the other guys have said, you can stay on the 1 or the 101 pretty much all the way down the Cali coast. I have not been to a lot of places along the 1, but I need to tell ya about a few places that are a MUST SEE. When you’re heading down the 1/ 101, you need to stop in the city of Monterey. There you need to head down to Fisherman’s Wharf, walk out on the pier and have clam chowder in a bread bowl at “Old Fisherman’s Grotto.” They have the BEST clam chowder on the wharf! There are probably 10 places that will say they are the best on the wharf, pass um up and head to Fisherman’s Grotto! My wife and I go to Monterey every year at least once and that it the FIRST place we go every time.. A little tip, if you go in the restaurant the bread bowl chowder is like $11.00 But, if you buy it from the stand in front of the restaurant and just find a bench to sit on, it’s the same bowl of chowder for $6.00! Also, if you do want to sit at a table and eat, if you walk about 50 feet down the pier and look on the right, there is a place called “The Fish Hopper.” It’s owned by the same guy, it’s the same food, but you can sit and eat and get it for $6.00 there as well. It’s just a little a little shack to sit and eat in.

Another cool thing right there just out of Monterey is the (17 mile drive). It takes you through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach and in my opinion is one of the most beautiful places in California. The view of the multi- million dollar homes and the coastline are awesome.

Then, heading south out of Monterey on the 1, you will ride through the town of “Big Sur.” There are always a ton of bikes going through there! Inside the town of Big Sur is a restaurant called (Nepenthe). It’s kind of hard to find, your just riding down this mountain road with NO ocean in sight and then there is this little sign about the size of a dinner tray that says Nepenthe. You turn in to this LITTLE one car driveway and ride up a steep hairpin turn to the smallest parking lot I have ever seen. You walk up a flight of steps to the restaurant and all of the sudden you have this insane view of the coastline and mountains with patches of fog and clouds rolling in and out. THIS IS A MUST SEE PLACE! I have lived in Cali all my life and only saw it for the first time a few years ago.. The food is really good, kind of pricey though. But even if you just have a drink and sit on the patio it’s worth it.

I’m going to throw in a few links here so you can see the places I’m talking about. Have fun planning the trip and let me know if I can answer any questions for ya.

Take care..

Nepenthe Restaurant, Big Sur, California

nepenthe picture - Google Search

Old Fisherman's Grotto Seafood, Steak and Pasta Restaurant in Monterey California

17-Mile Drive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Images of 17-Mile Drive, Monterey - Attraction Pictures - TripAdvisor

Yes I am. After my trip with the Chapter I have felt a strong need to go on this trip, even more than before.

Thanks Doc!!!
Man, after taking a look at those links it this definitely seems like this is the rout to go. I am so very stoked about this ride that I think about it everyday. For me it isn't just about the riding, but I am going out that way to visit friends and to hopefully meet some new people, such as yourself. If you are interested, yes, I would be honored to meet with you and do some riding. There is another member from this forum, other than Red, that I will likely be meeting and do some riding with as well.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I am a member of Pashnit. I am rarely on there but I do subscribe.

Johnny, all the links you see above I've been to so many times I can't count. You have to pay to get into 17-mile drive. It's a gated community and used to be $5 to drive thru. Mac the Wife and I actually lived there about a year and a half. We were caretakers on a 6 acre property. She did all the domestic work and I worked the land. We had a cabin that overlooked the 5th hole of the Pebble Beach golf course. The old couple who owned the property lived in a huge home right off the beach at the top of a cliff. We were married during the time we lived there.

All this talk of the Monterey Peninsula is bringing back fond memories. Also, you'll want to take in Cannery Row. You'll find the best calamari (squid) on earth at the Old Row Cafe. We ate there all the time.

I think that I can handle the $10 it costs to get into the 17 mile ride.. Sqid is not for me though..

How long are you gonna be gone on this ride 3 weeks ?
You sound like you are going to be puttin some serious miles on the bike.

Good to know that the smog isn't what it used to be. It was horrible in the 70s, as I remember. All large American cities are in what Ray Charles called The Danger Zone, and more so now because of the gangs. When I was coming up, switchblades were in, and most of the gangs were white - now it's machine guns, and the worst gangs are people of color. Look out children, these guys can't shoot straight, that's why they need more bullets. My late friend Bobby Romero, a native of east L.A., prided himself because he claimed not to know a word of Spanish, said if I ever go thru L.A., stay clear of The Barrio. There are other areas a visitor will want to stay away from also - especially if you happen to be white. It gets more civilized the farther from the inner city you get.

I'm never going back, thank you. And yes, I lived in Oakland too. Another bad banana with a greasy black peel.

Thanks for the information Ken. My plan is exactly what it is that you had suggested. I am planning on sticking to the coastal roads, however my wife does have a cousin that lives in LA and she is talking about stopping to see him. Also my wife has an aunt that lives in San Diego. We may stay there a night but not sure as of now.

As far as the other stuff goes, aka gangs, I guess that is just something I will have to deal with. I try not to let stuff like scare me. If I did, I wouldn't do anything.. LOL

maybe we can meet up someplace? As of now, it would be Red Rider, Hot Rider, Copter MD, TomFLH and myself that have talked about meeting up for some riding. Your choice.

Again, thanks for the information, it is very helpful.

Johnny, sorry about sounding so cynical about So. Cali. There are good things also, as Ken has pointed out, plus beautiful girls everywhere, great food, and interesting places to see. We just got burned out after 22 years there. There's a big difference between living here and just passing through. The farther south we moved, the worse it got. I don't feel that way about N.C. after having lived here 13 years. Here the people are friendlier, though the gangs are infiltrating our bigger cities also.

The thing about gangs is not just that they are violent, etc., but that they are a network of sub-cultures that are undermining the American way of life as we know it. The worst threats we face as a nation are internal. We are slowly but inevitably rotting from the inside out.

So, it's not for fear of them that I try to avoid those areas infested with them. It's out of disgust and dismay at seeing how they are destroying our way of life.

After living anywhere for 22 years I think that most people get tired of their surroundings. I have lived in Minnesota all my life and there are many times that I have come close to moving out of Minnesota, but for some reason I stay here. There is gang activity in Minnesota and I have seen a lot of carnage because of them, I don't purposely go through their neighborhoods, but I also won't avoid a city just because they have a presence in on either. I look at it if I were to limit my options of my choice of what city I want to go to or not to go to because of gang bangers, then they have already won without me even leaving my home. No Thanks to that...

Well, I hope you have a good time if you go down that way. As some other posters here have recommended, try to avoid the commuter traffic - I would gladly limit my options to that!