Am I crazy? Really?

So the missus got WSBK/MotoAmerica tickets for Laguna Seca, bless her she's a fan!

We decided to make it part of a Nor-Cal 2 wheeled vacation, an area I'm pretty familiar with and one that will be deliciously cool (by Texas standards) even in July. I'd like to take our F800GS rather than rent locally & she can fly out and meet me there.

Question is; Dallas to San Francisco in July, am I one step from the nuthouse? Riding through the Western States in the height of summer? Without slabbing it the entire way it looks like the only real relief will be the Flagstaff area and then you hit Kingman and Las Vegas! Great route but...

Maybe I should look at shipping? Anyway, chime in with your 2 cents or experiences!

Leave early, ride late, rest in the middle of the day. Looks like there is more than one option to get north and not have to backtrack very far.

Trailer West. Ride once there and enjoy. Trailer home.

I got over that whole "have to ride everywhere I go" thing years ago. It has been a lot more fun since then

Use the internet. On more than one occasion I have planned trips where we needed a place to leave a truck/trailer once we arrived at our destination. Advrider has been great for this. I post in the regional forums for where I am heading and have always found someone willing to help. I generally look for people that have been members for a long time and are fairly active (well known). We've met some real nice folks this way. It also saves wearing out the center of the tires getting across the flat lands...

Done it a few times.

Texas will be the hottest, then stay north once out, hit the mountain passes. Travel through the warmer parts of the
desert in the early AM. Not an issue if you plan your days with plenty of hydration and rest stops.
You will truly be glad your on your 800 , the riding is spectacular!
I'm planning on traveling from Texas, to Carson City, then San Francisco end of July on my KLR!

If you have the time, when I say north, I mean Idaho. Stay away from Vegas and SoCal. It will be sweltering. North of death valley, come across tahoe, Yosemite, and over to the coast. Northern, central California will be perfect weather then

I was out at Laguna Seca for one of the first MotoGp's (wasn't even called MotoGp then). I want to say maybe 1988. It was the year that fellow Lubbock native Bubba Shobert rear-ended a stopped Kevin Magee on the track during the cool down lap and nearly died. Bubba lived but never was able to ride competitively again.

The best road, back then, that was close to the track was Carmel Valley Road. Great ride. If you get up north, Napa valley is amazing too.

I would trailer the bikes too.

A lot of the "feasibility factor" depends on your time frame. If you're not in a real hurry, I would advise staying in the rockies going north, then jump west in a two or three day shot, quitting before the heat kills you during the afternoon. I rode a Triumph Tiger across NV (Elko, Winnemucca) in July or August one year, literally almost died, but with good timing and appropriate day lengths (that is, riding day lengths) it will be all right. There are some nice routes (including Highway 50) that are very doable if you don't overdo it. I've ridden a route that goes through central NM (VLA), to the four corners , then up through Utah and hit highway 50, then it is two easy days to the Sierra Nevadas and then you're back in the sylvan glades, as they say.

I'm thinking of allowing for 4 days and veering somewhat to the North.

I'd definitely take the Northern interstate route if you are coming from East Texas. When I came back from Corona two summers ago I went through the mountains and the North pass. Was in the 50's and 60's most of the way and had a nice dew and rain to ride in. I had no problems staying cool, lol. One piece of advice, pack for both hot or cold. That area is like the badlands of Texas, never know what may roll across in a few hours. The bonus of the ride was being able to stop and Meteor Crater and just taking that in. Next time I head that way I am doing Grand Canyon. No sense trying to fit it all in one trip, lol...