Trip report - ride around San Francisco Bay

[ScottRNelson]

I wrote this up for another forum, but I thought that the Ducati MOB might appreciate it.  And maybe it will inspire some of you to do something similar.  Who knows?   Maybe we could organize a rolling group ride where we pick up people along the route and you drop off once you've made it completely around.

A special thanks to Michael Moore for suggesting Lucas Valley Road.  I especially enjoyed that section of the ride - after stopping a few times to let traffic clear ahead, at least.

As is my custom with this type of trip report, I have included a lot of photos, but only the small versions on this page so that it doesn't take forever to load.  If you want to see more detail, just click on the link below each small image to see a bigger version.  Some of them look quite a bit better when they're larger.  And if you don't want to read all of the words, just look at the pictures.

After a guy on the other forum posted his description of riding around Chesapeake Bay in April I realized that I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 20 years and have never gone around the whole thing in one day.  That had to change.

The first thing I needed to do was come up with a route.  It would be fairly easy and probably wouldn't take more than about three hours to just hop on the freeways and run all the way around.  There is only one little section in the North Bay that wouldn't be freeway for the entire loop.  That route would only be about 150 miles, but it would also be boring, so I set my goal to have a route of 250 miles or less on as many interesting roads as possible and no freeways if they could be avoided.

Here's the route that I came up with and that I followed for the most part:

http://tinyurl.com/AroundSFBay

It was estimated to be around 250 miles and my odometer indicates that I traveled very close to 250 miles on the trip.  It took a little less than eight hours.

I like to ride with a few friends on long rides like this, but I don't enjoy riding in larger groups or with people I haven't ridden with before.  I had put out a few feelers to see who was interested and had two friends scheduled to go with me, but one was out of town for about two weeks before the big day and never got in touch with me and the other had something come up, so I did the ride on my own.  It's a little easier to stop to take photos if you don't have other riders with you plus I always ride at exactly the pace I feel comfortable with when I'm alone.  But I don't usually make as many rest stops as I should when I'm on my own because I always want to get to the next place on the route.

I made a set of written route notes as reminders to help me keep on course in the areas I'm not overly familiar with.  I only had three or four wrong turns, but the first two important turns were included in those.  I totally missed a turn up north in Sonoma and took a route I hadn't intended, but it was probably slightly shorter and it was easier riding, right before lunch when I needed some rest anyway.

So here I am ready to hit the road.  Everything had been made ready the day before, chain lubricated, tire pressure checked, gas tank filled, and route sheets set in order in the clear plastic on top of my tank bag, with my digital camera ready inside.  I tried wearing my Buff around my neck in case I run into any more bees.  My wife ran off to Fresno for the weekend, so I had to set the camera on a chair and use the timer for this shot.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3657.jpg

Starting from my house, the route (obviously) covers roads that I'm very familiar with.  Early in the morning with the sun at a low angle you get a lot of flickering as you're constantly switching between sunlight and shadow.  This is Calaveras Road right before it gets interesting.  When riding through the flickering shadows I usually turn my head slightly away from the sun to reduce the effect a bit.  Fortunately, that part only lasts about ten miles, then there is a lot of riding going west, away from the sun.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3658.jpg

On the far end of Calaveras Road above Calaveras Reservoir there is the nest of a bald eagle on top of a power pole (tower, whatever).  Sometimes there are many cars parked along the narrow road to view it, but none on this morning.  I stopped to photograph the nest, then just after I had put the camera away I saw the eagle fly in.  I'm sorry that I missed getting a photo of the bird in flight, but at least I got a photo of the bird.  I love that 10x telephoto lens feature of my Canon S5-IS.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3667.jpg

To get from the mountains on the east side to the Santa Cruz mountains on the west side requires some in-town riding through Milpitas, some highway riding on CA-237 and a little more in-town and residential riding through Los Altos.  I took a few photos there, but they're boring, so I haven't included them.  I was checking my route sheet for the next turn in Los Altos and even though it said that I needed to make a right turn I was somehow thinking left, although I realized the error about two blocks after missing the turn.  I think I'm going to draw little arrows for left and right next time just to be sure.

The road that I chose to get from Silicon Valley to the ocean is quite narrow and tight, but also has very little traffic.  Besides, it's an interesting ride.  This is a typical view of the road once up on top of the hill.  All of the trees are down on the sides of the hill.  Note the bicycle.  There were lots of bicyclists there, but we were all able to share the road in a very compatible manner.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3671.jpg

At the top of the hill Page Mill Road crosses CA-35 and turns into Alpine Road.  There is a small parking lot and a nature trail there.  Since I had been riding for an hour and a half already, I "forced myself" to stop to have some water and walk around a little bit.  When I'm on my own I tend to want to just keep riding.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3674.jpg

At the above stop I decided to remove the Buff from around my neck, since it was getting warm and that didn't help me stay cool.  I hadn't gone two minutes down the road before a bug hit me dead center in the neck.  Fortunately it wasn't a bee, or if it was, it wasn't able to use its stinger.

Heading down towards the ocean, there are open fields at first followed by forest.  This photo gives a pretty good idea of what the road is like up there.  I especially enjoy the variety of terrain in this area.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3676.jpg

A bit further down the road the trees get thicker eventually going through a redwood forest.  The people who built the road did what they could to leave as many trees as possible.  Some of the trees that are very close to the road collect a few scrape marks from cars that get too close.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3678.jpg

Most parts of this road don't even have enough room to stop and take a photo from atop the motorcycle, let alone room to park.  I pulled off at a wide spot to get a few more forest photos.  I need to come back here sometime and spend a few hours walking through the forest.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3689.jpg

Once I made it over to the ocean I stopped to enjoy the view of the area I had just come through.  It's hard to capture the feeling in a photograph, but I thought that this panoramic shot sort of captured the feeling.  It is also evidence that Northern California is not completely full of people yet.



Once on Highway 1 along the coast you have to be careful not to be distracted by some of the awesome views.  This is a typical view heading north towards San Francisco.  It gets better as you get closer, but there are fewer places to stop to record the sights.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3694.jpg

The parking lot near this surf site at Half Moon Bay was already full.  Not a great day for surfing, but these guys were out there hoping for a few good waves anyway.  By the end of the ride I think I would have jumped in to join them - without the wetsuit to protect from the cold water.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3698.jpg

I found one other good stopping place as I got closer to San Francisco.  You could have this beach completely to yourself if you could find a way to get to it.  No hiking or climbing is allowed in the area due to the danger of loose rocks and dirt.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3700.jpg

I missed one more turn coming into San Francisco.  I'm not sure if I got off one exit too soon or one exit too late.  My route sheet said to turn at exit 508 and somehow I got off on exit 509.  I ended up riding through a residential area with houses close to the ocean but no way to actually get to the ocean easily.  After riding for about a mile on 25 mph streets with lots of stop signs I finally found a road cutting across to The Great Highway where I wanted to be.  Actually I missed one more turn near San Francisco Zoo, but that didn't put me too far off course.  Maybe I'll invest in a GPS device one of these days.

[ScottRNelson]

[continued]

Once successfully on The Great Highway along the beach on the west side of San Francisco I know the way.  You eventually have to turn east through some city streets for a while before heading into The Presidio.  I stopped for this shot because I feel that these kind of houses identify San Francisco as much as any other thing you'll see there.  Usually they are built on streets that are much steeper than this one.  Narrow houses with a garage and entrance at the bottom and two stories above with the bay windows are the common architectural style for much of the residential part of the city.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3713.jpg

The other thing that clearly identifies San Francisco, of course, is the Golden Gate Bridge.  There are lots of places to get a shot of it, but this isn't one that you see too often.  There are wonderful scenic views all over the city.  One of these days I'm going to ride over there on my Honda and spend a day taking a few hundred photographs.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3714.jpg

I hope you don't think I'm obsessed with the Golden Gate Bridge, because it is truly beautiful from all angles.  While riding across it I wanted to go slower to enjoy the view, but had to keep moving with traffic - which is still slower crossing the bridge than elsewhere.  In addition to driving across the bridge, you can walk across it on the east side or ride a bicycle across.  The west side "pedestrian" area is bicycle-only although you can also take a bicycle across on the east side with all the people who are walking if you don't mind going a lot slower.  In my opinion, the best way to enjoy the view is on a bicycle.  Or if you don't mind a three mile walk across and back, walk it.  I've tried them all.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3740.jpg

Once across in Marin County the first exit is at a large parking lot with a spectacular view.  Sometimes the parking lot is full, but this time there were quite a few spots available - away from the view.  I was going to just double-park for a quick photo, but a car was pulling out of this optimal spot before I could get off of the bike, so I backed into it.  Loads of tourists in this area.

A guy asked me if he could sit his four year old son on my bike and take a photo of him.  I immediately thought of recent discussions of the dangers of kids getting burned or possibly tipping the bike over, so I declined.  Thinking about it later, I probably should have taken the time to help them get the photo.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3733.jpg

As already mentioned, there are great scenic views all over the place anywhere near San Francisco.  This is the Bay Bridge and the city as viewed from the north.



I had originally planned to get off of Highway 101 as soon as possible, but that would have either made the trip much longer or put me into a lot of rather slow traffic.  A friend that lives in Marin County recommended Lucas Valley Road and I'm thankful for that suggestion.  The little bit extra freeway riding was definitely worth it.  The road instantly leaves "civilization" and runs through the countryside.  This photo captures the nature of the road pretty well.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3741.jpg

A bit further onward and you're into the forest again.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3742.jpg

I totally enjoyed the ride until I got to Petaluma and some slow traffic through town.  It was at this point when I started to notice the heat.  I don't know why it is, but the last three or four long rides I've planned have always been on Saturdays when the temperature jumps up at least ten degrees above normal.  Need some warmer weather?  Let me schedule a long ride that weekend.

From Petaluma to Vallejo is where I did a rather poor job of following my route.  I think I missed turning on 116 and instead ran straight to CA-37 which I had intended to avoid.  Part of the distraction may have been because I was behind a couple of Hells Angels on their Harleys.  I wanted to try to take a photo of their jackets, but we never came to a stop along that route.  They seemed like any other pair of Harley riders except that they made an awful lot of noise when accelerating and they never waved at another motorcyclist.  I waved to everybody coming the other way and pretty much all of them waved back, regardless of what type of motorcycle they were on.

I had started looking for a place to stop for lunch just after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was over an hour later before I found something appropriate in Vallejo.  I was past due for a longer stop anyway.  I was debating whether or not to get more gas, but somehow convinced myself that I would have enough to make it home.  I knew that once I crossed over into Contra Costa County I wouldn't see another gas station along my route.

Here's a shot of the Carquinez bridge(s) from the vista point on the Contra Costa County side.  Half of the bridge is the old design and half is the new one.  I think the water is considered to be part of the Sacramento River at this point.  It's sort of right where the river connects to San Francisco Bay.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3746.jpg

Although I live in the East Bay and have ridden many of the roads there, I have stayed away from the ones up north.  I had to go about six miles on I-80 before getting off at Pinole Valley Road, but from there on I was able to follow my route sheet successfully.  Other than above Berkeley and Oakland, there aren't too many houses in the East Bay hills so it was quite a pleasant ride through there.  The road includes a mixture of open fields and wooded areas and was an interesting ride.  Traffic wasn't too bad either.

At a few points there are good views of San Francisco Bay.  I have to include one more shot of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Visibility is quite a bit better than normal.  You can see Alcatraz Island out there and what is left of the Berkeley Pier going quite a ways out into the bay.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3747.jpg

This final shot is at a local motorcycle hangout simply known as The Wall.  It's a turnout on Grizzly Peak Blvd with a good view and an old retaining wall to sit on.  When I got there, the only other motorcyclist was this guy and his son who were out for a short ride.  One other bike pulled up as I was leaving.  The main reason that I stopped was to get a little more water and walk around for a few minutes.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3749.jpg

From here on I didn't need my route sheet anymore because I was now very familiar with the roads the rest of the way.  Once turned onto Redwood Road finding my way was automatic.  That road is not normally one of my favorites, but after all of the other roads I had been on during this long ride, it felt good to be on a more open road that I was familiar with.

I was watching my gas gauge and trying to decide if I could fit in one more section of twisty road or take the most direct route home.  I finally decided that if my gauge showed two bars when I got to Palomares Road I would take it, otherwise I would follow the frontage road along I-580 back to Pleasanton.  Two or three miles before I got there, the low fuel light went on, plus fatigue was starting to set in and I just wanted to finish the ride and get home.

As it turned out, it probably would have been easier to take the longer route because there was a rodeo at the little rodeo place along the frontage road and traffic was a real mess there.  Officially there is no parking allowed along that 55 mph speed limit road, but there were at least two hundred cars parked on both sides of the road and lots more people trying to find a place to park.  So one more bit of slow going before I could finally park the bike for the day.

Once home I grabbed some orange juice to drink then hopped in the shower with the temperature set on "cool".  I could have just turned into a couch potato for the rest of the day, but I had to run over to Cycle Gear to pick up the wheels to my other Ducati.  They had a special one-day-only sale on Pirelli tires with savings of over $150 that I just couldn't pass up.  They were nice enough to let me leave my rims there on Thursday night, and had the tires mounted on Friday, but the sale price was only available if purchased on Saturday.  So I still have some wheels to install and many bugs to clean off before any more riding.  Oh, and some new tires to break in too. 

[Michael Moore]

Great write-up and photos Scott. I'm glad you enjoyed Lucas Valley Rd, even if it was the hottest day of the year!

[sidm]

great write-up and pics scott.  did u end up using the cruise-control cramp buster doo-hickey you picked up from the nichols opening a few months ago?

[Spidey]

That sounds like a great ride, Scott, and one that I want to follow when I can get a whole day off.  Thanks for the extensive write-up and the pics.  I'm glad you were able to experience Lucas Valley Rd.  When there aren't cars around, it's just amazing.  

[ScottRNelson]

great write-up and pics scott.  did u end up using the cruise-control cramp buster doo-hickey you picked up from the nichols opening a few months ago?

About half way through the ride I thought about it.  I had intended to get it out of the hard bag and use it, the next time I stopped, but somehow never did.  It wasn't like I spent much time at a steady speed anywhere along the route, so it probably wouldn't have made much difference.

I think I need to just put it back on the throttle and leave it there.  It's easy enough to rotate out of the way when not in use.

[GEEZER]

Thank you for a great write up and beautiful pictures. Maybe you could take a series of pictures on your next adventure and have people tell you where you were standing/riding.

Later
Cesar.

[ScottRNelson]

Thank you for a great write up and beautiful pictures. Maybe you could take a series of pictures on your next adventure and have people tell you where you were standing/riding.

I have plenty of photos from past rides if you want to start a game like that.

So are you still riding these days?

[Popeye the Sailor]

I recognized Alpine (occasional commute).


I think you should post this up in general.

[CharliesAngel]

Thanks! I really enjoyed the pictoral! Looks like you had an amazing day! Now that my bike feels 100% again, I'm looking forward to some nice long rides!   [moto]

[GEEZER]

I have plenty of photos from past rides if you want to start a game like that.

So are you still riding these days?

Not really...but I check in every couple of days to try and keep in touch. Thanks. Cesar.

[somegirl]

Great report, thanks for sharing!

I recognized Alpine (occasional commute).

I recognized Alpine and Page Mill from all my bicycling.

[B.Rock]

Here's a shot of the Carquinez bridge(s) from the vista point on the Contra Costa County side.  Half of the bridge is the old design and half is the new one.  I think the water is considered to be part of the Sacramento River at this point.  It's sort of right where the river connects to San Francisco Bay.


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/AroundSFBay/Img_3746.jpg

Although I live in the East Bay and have ridden many of the roads there, I have stayed away from the ones up north.  I had to go about six miles on I-80 before getting off at Pinole Valley Road, but from there on I was able to follow my route sheet successfully.  Other than above Berkeley and Oakland, there aren't too many houses in the East Bay hills so it was quite a pleasant ride through there.  The road includes a mixture of open fields and wooded areas and was an interesting ride.  Traffic wasn't too bad either.

That's great, and what a photo-documentation job.   
I didn't post up because your route seemed like it was long enough for your desires before, but there are a few pretty solid roads up 'round these here parts. There are a couple routes from Crockett, as above, to Pinole Valley / San Pablo Dam / Castro Ranch that are really pretty. Sort of a side loop. Anyhow, from Pomona St @ I-80 you can go east to either Crockett Blvd, Cummings Skyway, then Franklin Canyon or take Pomona St farther, it'll turn to Carquinez Scenic Dr., then take McEwen Road to Franklin Canyon. Franklin Canyon tees into Alhambra Ave. South on Alhambra, to Alhambra Valley Road. Take that to either Bear Creek or Castro Ranch.
I don't want to add extra what-ifs to your thread, but it's something as a future reference for whoever wants it.
 

[ScottRNelson]

I didn't post up because your route seemed like it was long enough for your desires before, but there are a few pretty solid roads up 'round these here parts.

I'm interested in finding out about as many good roads north of here as possible.  I feel sort of "illiterate" regarding the good roads to the north and always want to try others.  I'm thinking of doing a ride just to try out all of those between Pleasanton and the Sacramento River.

[remy]

Wow. That route looks like so much fun. I love the idea of a sight-seeing, full day's ride in your own 'neighborhood'. Like a mini vacation almost. I totally want to do this ride sometime.