The Pacific Coast Highway was the goal for Day 8, May 30, 2009, and we had success. We left the hotel early in the morning, for us that meant 8 am, and headed west. We were told the temperature at the coast would be in the low to mid-60’s; we dressed accordingly. We had a short 40 mile ride to the Pacific Coast Highway or Route 1 - it was agreat feeling when we hit Route 1 - we made the coast.
The Pacific Coast Highway was all it was advertised as - tremendous vistas and views, great riding and cool places to stop. Our first stop was the Hearst Castle and besides the Information Center not much was visible and we head up the coast to the elephant seal observation point. Pretty cool to see 100 elephant seals moving around the beach and playing in the water - all the while snorting loudly. It certainly was a treat.
We spent the next hour riding up the coast enjoying the view and appreciating the limited traffic along the way. We stopped at several locations to take pictures and enjoy the view. The riding was great with 30 mph turns, switch backs and easy curving straight a-ways. It was a treat to be on the road and required looking at the road and not the scenery. A brief coffee stop at he Big Sur bakery was a nice reprieve from the cool weather which was also damp.
Our appointment to have the bike’s serviced was with Monterey HD in Salinas, CA and we arrived around 12:30 pm. The afternoon was spent at the dealership - one of the friendliest and helpful dealers I have experienced. We left the dealership around 5:30 pm and headed back to the Pacific Coast Highway.
Heading north, our plan was to reach Half Moon Bay and spend the night. We reached our objective and had an awesome meal of sushi at Sushi Main Street - it was the first time I had papaya and mango in my sushi.
Today we head north toward Sacramento via the Golden Gate Bridge and make the turn east for the leg back to Lexington. On the first leg of the trip we traveled about 3,500 miles - glorious miles!
For those of you not enjoying a cross country motorcycle trip and living in Lexington, KY - be sure to stop by 238 Pin Oak tonight between 8 pm and 11 pm for Lexington’s first Art House and bring your own art or art activity - this is an event not to be missed!
Safe travels!