After a long COVID-19 related hiatus, I finally managed to do a long-planned multi-day ride. Initially my plan was to head up the California coast to what’s called the Lost Coast¹. But that got stymied by on-going rain forecasts. So instead I opted to head south and west to knock off another Sierra mountain pass, to make progress towards my long-running goal of riding all of the paved ones².

And you know what? I’m really glad I made the switch! Because going through the Sherman Pass took me through some wonderful parts of California that I’d not only never been to but knew almost nothing about.

To see the daily trip reports, click on the motorcycle icons in the map below, which shows my overall route. Or click on the links below the map.

• Day 0: Rain, Rain Go Away
• Day 1: Home to Coalinga by way of Hollister
• Day 2: Coalinga to the Upper Kern River Canyon
• Day 3: From Upper to Lower Kern River Canyon…the Long Way Around
• Day 4: Go West, Old Man, to the Pacific
• Day 5/6: Up the Monterey Peninsula to Home

1. so-called because the Pacific Coast Highway was supposed to run along it, but the geology is so unstable the state decided it couldn’t afford the maintenance coast the route would involve ↩

2. previously I’d done Ebbett’s, Tioga and Sonora ↩