I entered California through scenic highway 199 which led directly into the Redwoods and famous coastal highway 101. Quite the drive -- despite the thick haze over the Pacific.
I stayed at a campsite a few miles inland -- where it was noticeably warmer. No cell reception, but I had an interesting chat with Mike, who had been coming to the campsite for over 15 years and was 8 months from retirement, and his son Mike (!), a Gamestop store manager.
I got up early to take the Scenic bypass which led straight into the heart of the Redwoods. Massive Sequoias flanked the highway.
Around lunchtime I would head further inland. I found a nice 200 mile loop through the coastal range. Little did I know this would completely change my course through Cali.
After completing the first leg of the loop I found the other highway closed off. Turns out -- there's quite a few forest fires going on. I was to stay inland. The next few days more and more highways across the coastal range would be closed off, and as of today only 2 highways across the mountains are open between Oregon and SF (350 miles).
No problem though. This would give me a chance to explore the Sierras - starting with Lassen Volcanic Park. A winding highway goes up to 8600ft (with an additional hike up to 10k ft).
Coming down from the Sierras I took historic highway 70, which followed the course of the Feather River. Gorgeous scenery, the highway runs across from a railroad, which cross each other several times and run over several dams. Some very impressive engineering work on display here.
A far cry from the beautiful $15 camp sites in Wyoming or free downtown camping in South Dakota's state Capitol.
Today I finally headed made it down to San Francisco. Heading over the Richmond bay bridge and, of course, the Golden Gate by motorcycle were truly humbling experiences and might very well be the reason I took this trip.
I'll be meeting several friends in the city - one of which graciously offered to host me for a few days.
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