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Hi all...Myself and 3 others are going to fly into Palm Desert (or San Diego) for a 4-5 day ride ending up in Las Vegas. We want to ride about 150-200 every day working our way over. (Monday-Friday). We are traveling late Feb, 2020.
So we are thinking loops every day each getting closer to LV.
Any thoughts on nice rides or must see places??
Skip the loops, ride straight through to Vegas and spend time rotating through the casinos consuming vast quantities of adult beverages and attending the wilder shows.
SoCal? Nothing to see, move along...
Most of the people in the casinos are from SoCal on a weekend escape. That should be a clue that nothing in SoCal can match Vegas.
Well I'd want to see the coast and the redwood forest and also the sequoias in the Sierra Nevada but given the time of year you might have a problem with snow in the mountains so maybe a trip through Death Valley from Lake Isabella.
You could ride over to the coast first,maybe visit Big Sur? Something like this using highway 58 instead of the freeway going east it's a nice two lane road not heavily traveled. Edit: link doesn't want to work for some reason.
Yes the Vegas casinos/shows can be impressive, especial for people that have never been here. But other cities have casinos, probably not as impressive as ours, and other sights to see. If you are flying out to take a '4 or 5 day ride' you should realize that there is much more to the Vegas area then casinos. I would recommend, because a 'ride' is part of the experience, that there are other things/areas vastly different then Albany. Visit Hoover dam, Oatman, Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley, Mt Charleston, and the Grand Canyon.
We have a lot of visitors from southern California because they want to go somewhere different from that with which they are familiar. Since it is not your home area you may find SoCal has things interesting to you. In Feb. You will probably be most impressed by the weather here or California, no snow! Except for possibly on Mt. Charleston, but even if there is it is usually much less then in Albany.
Most of us have been to Vegas, so the main reason for the return there is easy "hopefully" flights on the return. Looks like it is about 200-250 from our pickup to drop off so hoping to move 50-75 miles closer each day, while making progressive loops closer to Vegas...
It would seem like you might be renting motorcycles unless you have multiple loaner bikes waiting for you.
Renting a motorcycle from one location to return to another location will sometimes increase cost and it could be a factor for some.
May wish to consider looking at and getting ideas from eagle rider self drive tours (online).
The self drive tours will give you an idea of common routes and things to see.
It will also give you an idea of time factor.
Sometimes mixing and matching routes makes it fit your needs better.
Ideally a pick-up at one location and return at another location without repeating the same hotel (No loops) will allow the greatest amount of territory to be covered.
You state 4 or 5 days..flight arrival and departure times along with actual number of nights makes a logistical difference when picking the bike up and returning them.
There are plenty of great things to see here in Southern California I would recommend flying into San Diego and going up the coast towards Santa Barbara cut over through Death Valley and then into Vegas
My bike is in Las Vegas and I’m coming down in January, probably for a 4 to 5 day ride like the OP. I’m planning
Death Valley, then down to Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree, Lake Havasu City, Hoover Dam and back to Vegas. Seems about right for 4-5 day ride. A couple of these areas are new to me so it ought to be interesting and a nice break from winter in North Idaho.
As much as I love San Diego, unless you plan to stay 3 days then forget it. The ride from SD through LA is madness.
Not much to see in Palm Desert except golf. Heavy traffic from Palm Desert To PCH. Better option are fly into either Ontario CA. Or even better Hollywood Burbank Airport. That avoids riding through Riverside and LA.
Day 1. Airport to Santa Barbara.
Arrive, rent Harleys. From There to Hwy 210 Pasadena. Pasadena to Santa Clarita Hwy 5. Hwy 126 through Fillmore to Hwy 101 Ventura. Hwy 101 to Santa Barbara.
Day 2. PCH Santa Barbara to Monterey.
Hwy 101 & Hwy 1 PCH. Stopping points Solvang (Scandinavian Village) , Pismo Beach (kick back beach town) Morro Bay (Morro Rock), San Simeon (Hearst Castle), Big Sur (Nepentha), Bixby Bridge, Carmel, Monterey. Lots to see and do in Monterey. Have dinner at Carmel Mission Ranch. Clint Eastwood owns it.
Day 3. Monterey to Bakersfield.
HW1 PCH south to Lucia. Take Nacimiento Furgesson Rd through Los Padres National Forest & Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. Spectacular ride not known by many. Make sure you fill up before. Stop at Hacienda. It was built by Randolph Hearst as a hunting lodge. Have lunch. Continue through Jolon and Bradley to Hwy 101. 101 south to Paso Robles. East Hwy 46 to Lost Hills I-5. south to Bakersfield. Not much in Bakersfield but good lodging.
Day 4. Bakersfield to Death Valley & Las Vegas.
Hwy 58 over Tehachapi Pass to Hwy 14 Mojave. One of my favorite rides. Hwy 14 across desert to Hwy 395 (not much to see). Hwys 178 & 190 to Death Valley. Hwy 95 to Las Vegas.
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California Sight seeing advise?
