Day one, destined for Pinnacles National Park. We’re not taking any interstates and limiting highway time where possible in search of great roads and even better views. Today was the longest planned day at around 330 miles, however, a stop over in San Luis Obispo and a quick diversion for fuel put us at nearly 400 miles for the day.
I planned this trip over the course of several weeks, refining the route many times. My focus was on taking roads that were never created to get you through. Access roads for utilities, farming roads and winding mountain roads created at a time when anything was better than a rutted, dirt trail. The goal was simple, see a few national parks and get to know some of the lesser traveled parts of California. I have only lived in California for about 10 years, since I was stationed at Beale AFB in 2013, since that time, I have grown to love the state and the many interesting locations it has to offer.
We started the ride right in the thick of it on Elizabeth lake road, to the south of the Antelope Valley. A winding two lane highway that leads through mountain towns and makes it’s way over to Gorman CA. This portion of the route has some truly awesome riding through the mountains south of the San Joaquin Valley. We saw snow, intense fog, and incredible views. The only traffic we encountered were a couple of travel vans heading the other way.
We stopped in Taft for lunch at El Alegre Mexican Grill where I got the Molcajete, and it was fantastic. If you’re passing through Taft, it is worth the stop. I love trying these types of small restaurants, they’re not always a winner but most of the time, the experience is well worth taking the risk.
Only an hour later, Taylor suddenly couldn’t hear my incessant ranting anymore. As it turns out, the microphone on my Cardo had given up the ghost. I can’t complain too much as it gave me years of service on my daily commute, but with 3 more days of riding ahead of us and me as the navigator, not being able to communicate wasn’t going to work. Besides, I can’t monologue to myself. So we set off to the nearest Cyclegear store in SLO. Only about a 60-mile detour. Once we arrived, the always helpful staff were able to give me a spare mic they had, getting me back on the road in only a couple of minutes. However, using this time to inspect his bike, Taylor found his rear axle was misaligned. A few minutes with the tool kit we actually remembered to bring had us back on the road in under 30 minutes. Can’t beat that roadside service time!
Fueled up and back on the road, we enjoyed the first of many 1.5 lane roads through central California. These are rosds I would have never found had I not intentionally made the route off the highways. While it’s not as majestic as the mountains or national parks, these roads are what make adventure riding worth it to me. Many of these roads appear to have been constructed more than 50 years ago, have no reflectors, no painted lines and wind through the back country like some kind of natural asphalt river.
We made great time to the intersection of Peach Tree Road and HWY 198 but discovered a small problem. I only had 60 miles worth of fuel remaining and we were faced with a sign: “70 miles to next services.” Some quick rocket surgery determined I would not make it. Round trip to Pinnacle was around 60 miles, also not ideal. As it appeared, the nearest gas station was in King City. A 30 mile detour. Running out of sunlight and options, we make the trek and fueled up. Not to bury the lead here, but the astute observer may notice a 1 gallon gas can strapped to the top of my top case…
Without much more fanfare, we made it to Pinnacles National Park and set up camp in the dark. Disaster struck as I filled the jetboil to prepare some gourmet freeze dried stew and promptly spilled boiling water on my right hand. Joy. Day one in the books. Lets see what tomorrow brings.