Rider Feature: JESSICA SINCLAIR
THE CALIFORNIA COAST, A WEEKEND JOURNEY.
AUG 30
Jessica Sinclair: @jescakate
Jessica Sinclair of the Litas Los Angeles has been all over the country on her sportster, but for a long weekend in June, she put a brand new Harley Davidson Road Glide to the test, cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway to Northern California, always choosing the scenic route.
“I decided to beat the Southern California heat wave and plan a 5-day trip with my boyfriend for his birthday. I’d never been able to travel all the way up the Pacific Coast Highway in full before, due to seasonal wildfires and the consequential landslides that erode parts of the historic highway almost yearly.
We wanted to take out time and enjoy the trip, stopping at places we thought looked cool, instead of hauling butt to an end destination, so we capped each day at 300-ish miles. We decided to end our trip at the port city of Eureka, CA. Nothing, in particular, drew me there; it just seemed like a nice coastal city north of San Francisco within an attainable mile goal.
The first day was our heaviest. We were ballin on a budget as well; I couldn’t afford the hotels that fell south and more west of Salinas, as they are mainly beautiful resort towns. The closer to the Bay you go, the more expensive those accommodations are as well. It was a BEAUTIFUL riding day up. We stopped at the Madonna Inn off Highway 101 and treated ourselves to a nice lunch. (Located in San Luis Obispo, Madonna Inn is famous for its opulent Barbie-pink and gold vintage decor, complete with themed hotel rooms.) We made it to Salinas before sundown and gorged on some delicious Indian food at a restaurant I had visited previously.
Day 2: We rode through San Francisco, stopping for lunch at Hog Island for some Fish and Chips and their famous chowder. We rode HWY 1 and then branched off onto some curvy roads out east to get to Ukiah, California. Riding Highway 101 in this neck of the woods is phenomenal & highly recommended- you’ll find neatly paved, curvy roads, and long sweepers lined with tall redwoods.
Day 3: We headed north with the goal of hitting Eureka- and man, did I plan a doozy of a route! Sticking true to my goal, I took us back out to the 1 and continued traveling north. My boyfriend and I ended up on some dicey roads in Mendocino County, accidentally stumbled upon the Chandelier Tree, and really tested our teamwork and our bikes on some roads I’d not recommend for the light-hearted. At the end of the scariest road I’d ever attempted, we were rewarded by the mountains opening up to a small two-lane road through farms and open pastures, with the ocean to the west. Here, we almost ran out of gas and I had NO IDEA where the next fuel stop was. Separately, we both came to the conclusion as we rode that keeping on and getting as far as we could would be our only option. Twenty-plus uphill miles later, the next town we reached didn’t have a gas station! We continued on, and thankfully, eventually found a gas station. Sharing a good laugh, my partner and I shook off all that had happened throughout the day, fueled up, and hopped back on our bikes. After some misty cold and gloomy riding along the coast- EUREKA! We made it!
Day 4: Time to head back home. We cruised through the Avenue of Giants, which flirts alongside Highway 101 for a great distance, guiding you through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. We made it to Morgan Hill that night after dark. The bay area was a completely different beast this time through- groggy and cold and dark. Here, we called it a night.
Day 5: For our ride back home, we stuck to our guns and rode the 1 south all the way down, despite it being the longer route. We made an amazing time, considering it was a Sunday and EVERYONE was out cruising the coast.
This whole trip was a doozy. We made good friends with construction flaggers on the road, as we are usually waved to the front of the line. While we wait for the road to clear ahead, we often dismount our bikes and chat with the workers. I planned this really complicated route west to get back closer to the coast before making it to Eureka, which ended up being a real test of my riding skills. My daily rider is a Sportster 1200, but I was loaned a Road Glide for this trip. I tested my grit and resilience on hairpins that took me on high climbs, on roads with steep drops featuring gravel on the back half, and sometimes on no road at all. That's another story all on its own.