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California / Pacific Coast route from Pismo to Gaviota
« on: July 23, 2009, 01:23:02 pm »
I had been wanting to do a 2-day ride from Monterey to L.A. before now but various things partly beyond my control have delayed it. However for our 25th wedding anniversary this week we did drive up to Morro Bay and San Simeon. I've never been on a bike that far north, but I can definitely confirm what everyone says about the wind. It was a very strong wind out of the north (obvious when we went for walks), and at one point I stopped the car at the side of the road to make a call, and watched the shaddows of the clouds absolutely zooming by us going south with incredible speed. Instead of driving back on 101, we took Hwy 1 and followed ACA's route to get familiar with it for the bike ride.
This is where I'm puzzled. Why would ACA specify Hwy 1 from Pismo Beach to Gaviota pass? 101 is a freeway with two lanes each direction, and a center median so oposing traffic will never cross into your lane to pass. It is far more attractive than Hwy 1, safer, shorter, and has very wide shoulders in excellent condition. The ACA route through that portion often has no shoulder at all, and has a lot of bumps from dirt blobs mashed down by farm equipment. Parts of it are just plain ugly. Even though it's closer to the ocean, it's still too far inland to see the ocean through that portion. Is it that the wind is better on 1 since it's closer to the ocean? Or did a lot of people just assume that it must be better because it's not a freeway and they wouldn't even try the freeway? I think 101 would be far better, and I have ridden it from a little north of Buellton to Ventura (then Hwy 1 the rest of the way to San Diego). So what's the scoop?
This is where I'm puzzled. Why would ACA specify Hwy 1 from Pismo Beach to Gaviota pass? 101 is a freeway with two lanes each direction, and a center median so oposing traffic will never cross into your lane to pass. It is far more attractive than Hwy 1, safer, shorter, and has very wide shoulders in excellent condition. The ACA route through that portion often has no shoulder at all, and has a lot of bumps from dirt blobs mashed down by farm equipment. Parts of it are just plain ugly. Even though it's closer to the ocean, it's still too far inland to see the ocean through that portion. Is it that the wind is better on 1 since it's closer to the ocean? Or did a lot of people just assume that it must be better because it's not a freeway and they wouldn't even try the freeway? I think 101 would be far better, and I have ridden it from a little north of Buellton to Ventura (then Hwy 1 the rest of the way to San Diego). So what's the scoop?