Need San Fran to Austin Info

[John Bennett]

On Wednesday, June 8th I intend to ride from San Francisco, California to Austin, Texas.

Below is my intended route. If you know of any "Must See" places along this route, please let me know!
San Francisco to Los Angeles on PCH1, hugging the coast when possible
Crash for a day or two with a friend in L.A.
Bang up to Las Vegas and maybe spend the night.
Ride to Phoenix, AZ and spend the night with my cousin.
Slab it to Austin, maybe spend the night around El Paso.
Please give me suggestions!

( Here is a map of my basic route (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jbennett1966/sf-austin/sf-austin.gif) )

( Here is a map of the Oakland to Irvine section (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jbennett1966/sf-austin/oakland-irvine.gif) )

Thanks!

[VFRinAustin]

John,

If you have time when riding down from NoCal to SoCal might I suggest the following:

After you pass San Luis Obispo, PCH gets a littl boring, better than US101 but still you have better options. When you get to Santa Maria, take CA 166 East, past Twichell Resevoir and over into the Cuyama Valley. Then take CA 33 South down to Ojai. Then take CA 126 East to Filmore and CA 23 South to Thousand Oaks and then to the coast. I think you will like this more, lots of twisties, less traffic and more sceinic (IMHO). Of course this takes you inland and this time of year that means less sea breaze and more heat. But its a dry heat. Also, be aware of a certain type of "Sea" food on these roads as they are also popular with the local squidlies (especially as you get closer in to the LA Basin area).

As for places to stop, along PCH there are way to many to name, you are best just picking them as you get the urge. Carmel, Big Sur, San Simeon (home to Hurst Castle), Cambria, Pismo Beach etc. Great food can be had in any of these for lunch.

As for your route, and any stopping on your way out to LV, this time of year I would probably just try to get there as fast as you can. In the Mojave it is going to be HOT, HOT, HOT. But if somehow you happen to get one of those rare cool June days, you might try riding up to Death Valley Junction and then back across to LV from there.

Hope that helps.

[whoa]

Crash for a day or two with a friend in L.A.
Please give me suggestions!


Can't be much help with the route, I'd love to make the same run myself. I can say Yosemite and the Sequoia's were a must see. But that wasn't your question was it?

My suggestion, don't use the work crash when talking about a trip.

God's speed, enjoy the ride. I envy you man.

[VFRinAustin]

Oh yeah, as for must see's (forgot that was what you were really asking), you are going to close to the Grand Canyon to miss it if you have never been there. Too hard to describe but a definite must see.

[Aileron]

Crash. Bang up. Slab.

Are you sure you want to do this? :mrgreen:


The run down the coast looks like it's going to be really great and I'm jealous. I was out in San Diego last month and wish I'd had my bike with me. You'll really enjoy the ride between Las Vegas and Kingman - the scenery is breathtaking (I love the desert). Take a couple of hours and tour Hoover dam if you never have before - it's well worth it. About the only thing I can think of between there and Austin would be the Grand Canyon or Carlsbad Caverns. Metor Crater is neat, but it's well North of your intended route.

I always hate driving that last stretch of I-10 East of El Paso. I hope it's more enjoyable on a bike.

[silverstreak]

Oh yeah, as for must see's (forgot that was what you were really asking), you are going to close to the Grand Canyon to miss it if you have never been there. Too hard to describe but a definite must see. Another place that is a must see if you have time, is a town called Sedona Arizona. After the ooh and ahh's about the Grand Canyon, Sedona is gorgeous there is nothing that compares to it, not even the Grand Canyon. :-D

[10-95]

Take a couple of hours and tour Hoover dam if you never have before - it's well worth it.

I hope it has changed since I was in LV a few months ago. It took about 2hrs fighting through traffic to get to the dam. I was in a car with A/C. I can't imagine idling all the way there on a bike. :headbang:



How'd you manage to get the time off from work and FAMILY for this???

[kocook]

Try anything you can to add some time for this trip. Skip some visits if you have to. You are passing near some of the most fantastic scenary on this planet. Don't miss it.

If you can change your return route a bit, I'd skip Vegas and go to the Grand Canyon via Needles, Flagstaff. Why see something man-made when you can see God's work? From there, you can go south to Pheonix to visit your cousin.

From Pheonix, I would head west using secondary roads, such as taking US 60, 70, 78, 180, 152, I-25 south, US 70 northeast by White Sands (go see that if you can).

At Alamogordo pick up 82 (north of town off US 54) going west through Cloudcroft. At Artesia, take US 285 to Carlsbad to see the caverns. Stay on 285 to Fort Stockton and check that out.

From Ft Stockton, you can check with Tourmeister for excellent routes to Austin via the Big Bend area.

Have fun...

[Texas T]

From Pheonix, I would head west using secondary roads, such as taking US 60, 70, 78, 180, 152, I-25 south, US 70 northeast by White Sands (go see that if you can).
East, perhaps? :mrgreen:

If you stay on I-10 down to Tucson and you like caverns you can go to Kartchner Caverns (http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/kartchner.html) as you approach Benson. I visited it several years ago shortly after they opened it for tours (it's a living cavern) and they've expanded the tour since then. Well worth it if you like that sort of thing.

Cave map (http://www.pr.state.az.us/Images/parkmaps/kartchner_map.html)

[Tourmeister]

:tab If you like aircraft, there are the Museums near Tuscon wehre they have all the aircraft just sitting out in big fields, row after row... Don't recall the name of the place but I have been told it is worth the visit!

:tab Also, there is Hwy 191. Take US 180 South from I-40 to US 191. Then just start heading all the way down to I-10. This is a ride of a life time, literally. Just be careful because you will be in a VERY remote area and if you mess up, help could be a LONG time coming, assuming anyone knew you needed help. You will pass through the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, and then down through the Apache National Forest. The open pit copper mine at Morenci has to be seen to be believed :shock:

Adios,

[Gilk51]

If you like aircraft, there are the Museums near Tuscon wehre they have all the aircraft just sitting out in big fields, row after row... Don't recall the name of the place but I have been told it is worth the visit!

I have always heard it called "The Boneyard" - the dry climate preserves most of the parts (except those sensitive to HEAT).

Linky - Davis-Monthan AFB (http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/museums/az/dmafbaz.htm)

Anodder One (http://www.virtualtucsonmagazine.com/vtmsections/valleypages/airplanegrave.html)

The problem with the western US is that it is SO big and there is SO much to see. :-?

[Texas T]

:tab If you like aircraft, there are the Museums near Tuscon wehre they have all the aircraft just sitting out in big fields, row after row... Don't recall the name of the place but I have been told it is worth the visit! The Pima County Air Museum coordinates tours of its facility as well as that of the Boneyard (AMARC) and the Titan Missle silo south of Tucson. Reservations are needed during the winter but at this time of the year you'll probably be ok by just showing up.

http://www.pimaair.org/

[John Bennett]

Outstanding! Thank you guys!

This is just the kind of information I need.

Here's San Luis Opisbo to Malibu.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jbennett1966/sf-austin/sanluis-malibu.gif

Here's Irvine to Tuscon via Hoover Dam & Grand Canyon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jbennett1966/sf-austin/irvine-tucson.gif

[VFRinAustin]

Looks like a lot of fun. I just DONT want to hear about it and DONT want to see and pics when you get back. Its too hard to clean the drool out of my keyboard.

BTW: Just as a cuationary note, going down PCH in Central CA in June, especailly before lunch can be wet, foggy and down right chilly. I suggest you take some cooler weather gear (at least some rain gear) just in case. Once you headed south from Monterey, there isnt much chance to get off the coast and if you start out getting wet it can be a long cold ride before you get to San Simeon or Cambria.


Have fun

[John Bennett]

Thanks Andy for the heads-up on the temperature. I was wondering about that. The balance between plenty of gear and too much junk is difficult to find.

Here's a MS-S&T file I worked up with minimum time frames...

http://cox-internet.com/johnb/sf-lufkin.est ( right click, 195 Kilobytes )

It's totally not realistic, but it's a start.

I took a week off work, so no big if I laugish here and there.

[Texas T]

Here's Irvine to Tuscon via Hoover Dam & Grand Canyon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/jbennett1966/sf-austin/irvine-tucson.gif

FYI... It's Tucson, not Tuscon.

If you want to add a few more miles and stay off the slab down to Phx, continue to the east and then come down south. Run over to Holbrook and then go south, go through Payson and then west towards Phx.

You've also got Tombstone a few miles down the road if you make a right turn at Benson (SE of Tucson).

T - a native of TUCSON :-D