KLR Trip		CA Coast
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Road Trip on a Kawasaki KLR650
Four Days, 1,750 miles, on-road, off-road

Somebody's got to be nuts.
Take a single cylinder, 650cc dual sport bike 1,750 miles, both on and off-road, and do it in 4 days. Right. Who would do a trip like that? Well....... I would. You see I first learned to ride motorcycles in the local dirt fields around Southern California. Once I was old enough for a drivers permit it was time for exploring on a motorcycle - much as my brother had done before me on his Yamaha 100 and then on his legendary 1970 Yamaha DT1 250. (I can still picture the thing launching him over the bars as he tried to start the beast) I always wanted to discover what was over that next rise or learn what lay beyond that next mountain. Of course there was no better way to explorer, I thought, than to do so on a motorcycle. Freedom, wind-in-your-face, and ultimate mobility. 

The trip
When it came time to determine what I was going to do for our KLR650 test, I immediately thought of some out-of-the-way roads I'd never been able to explore in Northern California. Problem number one, the roads were over 591 miles away. That was in a straight line according to my GPS, and I never go in straight lines when riding unless it's on a drag strip. I usually look for the most out-of-the way and least visited areas I can find, and this trip would be no different. Problem number two, I had to have the bike back to Kawasaki on the fifth day. Just enough time to strip all my gear off and give the bike a bath - all with what I knew would be little sleep. Sounds like a plan to me.

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What to take
With Summer winding down, and more importantly, knowing I would be on the Northern California coast where the weather can be bone chilling cold or wet at a moments notice, packing the right gear was crucial. First of all, waterproof and warm gear was a must - even though I would be leaving town with daytime temperatures in the 100 degree plus range. This led to my choosing the attractive Gericke "Rallye Textile Jacket" and "Freestyle Textile Pant". They're both waterproof, relatively light in weight, feature numerous pockets, have full-length removable liners as well as venting in the jacket to boot. I would also learn, in four days, they're both as comfortable as flannel PJs.

Warmth: It's simply impossible to ride all day, or night, if you're cold. I needed to be warm, or the trip was off. I grabbed my favorite neck wrap and my most treasured riding accessory,  Gerbing's flame-on  Jacket Liner with heated sleeves and a Heat Troller thermostat, a small and very good thermostat.

Luggage: Luggage, hmm. I couldn't use any kind of meaningful tank bag on the Kawasaki's slanted tank, so one very large bag would have to carry everything. We had recently returned from the races at Laguna Seca and our group had purchased a Rev Pak "Excursion Pack" to turn Tim's VFR into the Mother Ship for carrying everyone's extra gear when we parted with the support van. One Rev Pak "Excursion Pack" here I come. We also took advantage of the many affordable and very handy storage bags available from the company. (shown at right)

Gloves: Simple really, one Summer, one Winter, and one off-road pair. I took various gloves I'd been using, ones that posses the most important feature - comfort.

Boots: These would have to be waterproof and waterproof boots are warmer as well. First Gears Comfortable, and as I would learn durable, Millennium boot filled the ticket. Simple styling and a waterproof as well as windproof Te-Por membrane liner would do the trick. Reflective tabs on the back of the heel wouldn't hurt things either. After thousands of miles, these boots have proved comfortable and more durable than they appear. They won't take home first prize in a fashion show, but they work very well and have held up to our constant abuse - including off-road excursions on our KLR.

Entertainment / Testing along the way: One Garmin III Plus (about $300) and one Megellan Map 410 GPS unit. All hard wired so no worry of depleted batteries. We'd had the Megellan for some time, but found learning to use it (repeatedly) next to impossible. The GPS III, kindly loaned to us by Garmin, had repeatedly been described to us as the ultimate GPS for motorcycling - we couldn't agree more. Our mount, for both units, consisted of a bulletproof, simple, and strong SAENG/TA Corporations universal GPS mount.

Tools and stuff: Since I would be in the middle of nowhere, and at all hours, I would have to be prepared. CruzTools "CruzMetrix" quality but heavy tool kit ($119.95) and the companies handy "PackWrench" ($14.95) as well as Progressive Suspension's tube and tubeless tire repair kit (TRK / $49.95) were needed. Since the KLR has tube-type tires, I would need to carry tire irons to handle any flats along the way. Aerostich's expensive, but incredibly light-weight, "Titanium Tire Irons" (TTI / $52.00) would also work out great.

Helmet: I'd been falling in love with HJC's Symax flip helmet. It would offer a bit more fresh air at fuel stops and I could open it fully to help keep me alert when traveling through town. This incredibly-easy-to-open helmet is a bit louder than a standard helmet, but the trade-off was well worth it on this trip.

Cameras: One film, one digital - and lots of memory cards. Both as small as possible.

Casual clothes: Who was going to have time to wear anything other than a riding suit? OK, I took jeans and sneakers.

Maps: Who needs a stinking map? I had two pre-programmed GPS units.... I brought back up maps for the off-road sections up north - I may be crazy, but hopefully I'm not dumb.

Getting To The California Coast
Location	Time	Mileage	Elapsed Time (seat time)	Elapsed Mileage (total)	Conditions
Day 1 - Getting To The California Coast Departure Riverside, CA	2am, Sunday (after the daytime heat)	(start mileage) 1,366	0.0	0.0	Riverside, CA. - It's hot, temperatures running well above the century mark.
Palmdale by back roads. Mud flows across some backroads - thankfully I was on a DP bike.	3:21am	80 miles - It was late and dark, the roads had been flooded in areas with mud across the road.	1 hr. 21 min.	80 miles	max speed 74 mph
Leave Gorman	Some time after 3:22am	N/A	2 hr. 14 min.	130 miles	max speed 83mph = top speed loaded down, elevation 3,892, avg. speed 57.7
The mountains	Late, or early depending on how you look at things.	It was still late and dark, and it was getting cold.	About 3 hours in.	N/A	Cool to cold
Hwy 166 (New Cuyuma Torture!	Just before dawn it's absolutely dark. Then it's beautiful.	Now a full moon with eerie skies - or was I just too tired.	N/A	N/A	Dark, Dark, Dark - before the moon came out.
San Luis Obispo, CA	Who knows or cares, the sun was still coming up	N/A	4 hr. 37 min.	270 miles	Elevation 268', avg. speed 58.4 mph
Location	Time	Mileage	Elapsed Time	Elapsed Mileage	Conditions
Cambria (the CA coast)	Maybe an hour later	Absolutely don't care at this point	N/A	N/A	Cold, wet, foggy
San Simeon, CA (near Hearst Castle)	Sun trying to come out through the fog, not having much luck.	Still don't give a hoot	Add a few minutes, it's only six or so miles.	N/A	Much needed rest on a picnic table, listening to the wonderful pounding surf. When I had all the rest I could stand, laying my head on a hard table, I was off. I also wanted to be plugged back into my Gerbings electric vest as well. Flame on!
Monterey, CA	I love Monterey, today it didn't matter - I was too tired.	N/A	N/A	N/A	It came, it went. Time to go inland to the Bay area.
San Francisco / Palo Alto	2:04 pm, Monday	N/A	8 hr. 31 min.	489 miles	Don't try stopping for gas in parts of this town - you won't find it and you'll get lost. There are purposely no roads leading to the Freeway as well. avg. speed 57.7, elevation 214'
Location	Time	Mileage	Elapsed Time	Elapsed Mileage	Conditions
The San Francisco Coast	Finally - let the ride begin!	When I'm in San Francisco on a motorcycle I just try to avoid being run over as I'm entertained by the antics of the local riders.	I've never seen so many Aerostich suits in my life. San Fran is certainly a hard core motorcycle rider town.	N/A	Lots of traffic near S.F., A glorious day for sure. Up the coast I find no traffic and silky smooth newly paved roads. Where's is the ZX9 when you need it.
Manchester, CA (a very small town on the coast, don't blink or you'll miss it)	6:50 pm	I stop to meet up with a really nice MN viewer who rides a Kawasaki Concourse. He manages the town's General Store.	12 hr. 39 min.	669 miles	I'm on fumes, and I don't remember a station in this town - will I make it to Fort Bragg? Elevation 155, avg. speed 52.9 mpg
Fort Bragg, CA On fumes!	8:03 pm	I cruise to conserve fuel and make it. The Kawi's large tank and mileage are wonderful! The bike's distinct lack of power isn't.	13 hr. 32 min.	710 miles	Now dark, cool, and getting damp & foggy. Elevation 142, avg. speed 52 mpg. I'm completely exhausted - time for a hotel - any hotel!

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Day 2 - Along The Coast
Day two would consist of searching for, and riding, the dirt roads I'd come here to explore. My goal was to travel along the California coast just above the point where Highway 1 turns inland. The day began with cleaning the KLR at the local Fort Bragg car wash and attending to service needs, there were none, and topping off the big 6.1 gallon tank. Last but not least, I dropped the tire pressure to about 15 pounds front and back. I'm going off-road today, one way or another.

I stop for photos north of town, just before the point I expected to start my off-road adventure. It's the end of Hwy 1 as I know it, and an incredibly beautiful area. My excitement grows as I near my expected turning point to leave the pavement. Hopefully I'll catch a glimpse of a dirt road leading north along the coast. But it's not to be, as I find no road. Instead, a drainage channel under the Hwy 1 bridge I'm on is full of fresh water leading to the sea. After checking the maps and some wishful thinking, I continue up the pavement with my eyes peeled for any type of junction or hidden road - heck a trail would be just fine.

The road I'm traveling is as twisting and beautiful as you'll ever encounter in a lifelong search. In fact, I've traveled two days to place the tires of a streetbike upon this twisting pavement. But I'm in search of dirt, dirt leading away from the pavement while transporting me along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As I begin to focus on the road and enjoy the KLR on blacktop, I notice a visual break in the lush greenery to my left. Thinking it's probably nothing, I turn around and go back to take a look. To my surprise I see a dirt road leading up a hill marked "Road not maintained ... 4 miles ahead."

I hit the dirt with great anticipation, as I've wanted to explore this area. The weather is warm for this time of year, perfect actually, the sky a deep blue. I round a few corners and discover a family sedan slowly traversing the same road. I pass and wave goodbye. OK, it's a remote road and it is taking me back to the cliffs above the Pacific, and yes, it can be traveled in the family wagon -  if you don't care much about its longevity.

The next 10 miles or so take me to places few will ever see. The coastal views are spectacular - there's simply no way to describe them with words alone. I stop a few times and snap some quick pictures to do my talking for me. Somehow my obsession with wanting to explore this road alone leaves me strangely worried the station wagon, now miles behind, will somehow catch up and pass me. This ridge road and its beautiful scenery eventually wound down to the ocean and to an unimproved campground. The road beside the camp actually allowed you to drive to the sands of the beach. I talked to a nice local fellow making tea from the back of his well used Toyota pickup. He says he comes here every chance he gets, and who could blame him. There's an unobstructed ocean view and miles of deserted beach to explore.

I'm hesitant to leave such incredible beauty behind, but I know full well cold and wet conditions are sure to greet me if I prolong my days schedule. I say goodbye and head out on an ever-changing dirt road. The road is now hard packed, slippery, rutted and camouflaged to a degree. I take it easy while taking in the sites, knowing full-well there will be some kind of vehicle coming the opposite way - there was. My path leads me up and away from the coast, though I know its not far away as the GPS units clearly show the coast line to my left. After many miles I come to a major dirt road intersection. The sign leading the direction of the coast gets the better of me and I have to find out what's down that road, just like when I was a kid. The winding, heavily forested road turns narrow with deep runoff ditches on each side. I smile, thankful that I'm on a bike where I can traverse this nearly single-lane dirt road at a reasonable pace. It would be a long haul in a car.

To my amazement, I stumble upon Sinkhorn Wilderness State Park, a primitive campground set at the base of a heavily forested mountain range resting next to the waters of the Pacific Ocean. I stop and talk to the camp host, a very nice lady who fills me in on this wonderful location. I discovered this place by mistake, and believe me, this is about the only way you'll discover it without reading Motorsports Network. It turns out this is a state park. There are volunteer camp hosts (sign me up), who stay in the cabin/visitor center for a month at a time. Some hosts experience the glorious summer, some the middle of the cold wet and often stormy Winter - all without power or communications. This is when I started fantasizing about being a camp host in the off season. Maybe I could get satellite web access - then I could finally get a lot of writing done.

My spell broke when the kind lady invited me to ride down the road to the remote campground access area for a better look. Watch out for the Elk she cautioned, their leader is very protective and can be aggressive. Elk I said? She replied, to my utter amazement, "Yes, they live here and travel down to the ocean. It's wonderful to see the young ones frolicking in the surf". Still a bit astonished, I rode down to the campground area but didn't see any frolicking Elk, or people for that matter. I did gaze upon incredible views however, ones I will simply never forget. 

Knowing daylight was burning, I reluctantly prepared to head up the hill. As I left the park, I thanked the kind host for her assistance and mentioned that I wrote about motorcycles and such. She then politely, and in a round-about way, hinted if I had to mention this place in my story. Right - we all pay for this spot to be preserved, think of it as an added bonus for reading Motorsports-Network.com. I left the park with a smile, knowing it would take a full day just to venture to this location in a car. It was just a glorious side trip for me.

More dirt roads led to remote populated areas in the forests outside of Shelter Cove. All of the houses along these dirt roads are hidden off to the sides and down cliffs. You rarely see anything more than a driveway or a passing car, talk about seclusion. It's seems clear this seclusion is the number one factor in peoples decision to live here. I turn on a motorhome-eating paved road (you'll have to visit to understand) which I take down to the ocean at Shelter Cove. This too is a very unique community, positioned on a vista beside the ocean. After taking in views of the ocean as well as the wind protected cove where people fish and surf, I head back up the hill back to my coveted coastal dirt road.

North of Shelter Cove the dirt turned back to pavement, winding through beautiful forests and small out-of-the-way communities. I'm on the gas now, trying to make good time as the sun is sinking in the Western sky. I must see where this road leads back to the ocean ahead. This is another area I've always had a burning desire to see, and  I'm not going to turn away when I'm so close. As I wind through country roads bordered with trees showing signs of early fall colors, the road turns back to dirt, at least for a section. I never break stride on the KLR, if anything I push on faster. Suddenly I'm rewarded with another spectacular view as I spy the ocean between the two hills that lay before me. As I pass between the hills and bank to the right I find myself along a desolate coast where a lighthouse used to stand. The winds are violently whipping off the water, it doesn't take much thought to figure this is one barren and nasty stretch of coast.

As quickly as the coast comes, it passes. Only a few miles after reaching the ocean the road turns steeply away from the coast and leads up into the clouds, literally. At the top of the hill, and not far from my final destination, I find myself traveling through cow pastures on a 1 1/2 lane wide winding paved road. The fog turns thick, offering up its moisture in the form of fog-induced rain dripping off the trees. At some point it may have turned into the real thing. I simply don't know as I couldn't see much, as I rode with my amber turn signal flashing (there are no emergency flashers) to serve as a meek attempt to increase my visibility to others.

Now soaked and cold,  I descended into the valley leading to my days-end destination. The fog stayed up high where I'd been traveling. It was a few more cold but gratifying miles to my hotel in Fortuna, CA. After removing my wet riding gear it was a difficult choice between crashing on the bed or taking that welcomed hot shower after a long day of riding. I don't remember the order of things, but the day eventually ended with a welcomed dinner at the nearest restaurant, Denny's. I'm not a fan of the chain, but it tasted extremely good this evening.

DAY 3 - Exploring The Redwoods
There are really two reasons I traveled to this part of the country, one was to travel along the coast as I had done yesterday. The other was to explore the roads in and around this nations incredible redwood forests.
Exploring the Redwoods	The entire day was spent meandering through the Redwood forests, both on paved and un-paved roads.	Too much exploration and beauty to describe. There couldn't possibly be a more wonderful day of motorcycling possible. Mass quantities of food needed for the trip home. I try to store food products like a squirrel for Winter. The KLR was certainly the perfect bike for this trip - maybe the only real choice to do what I had done. Can I just stay for a few more days?

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