Day 13: Steep Hills, Famous Twists, and Electric Horsepower
Yesterday was a high-octane journey through the iconic sights of San Francisco and into the open valleys of California. We transitioned from freezing coastal fog to steep city inclines, crossed the world’s most famous suspension bridge, navigated hidden mountain passes, and wrapped up the day by test-riding the future of two wheels.
From Lombard Street to electric acceleration, here is how our run from Santa Cruz to Oakdale went down.
The Morning Log: School Days and Sidewalk Diagnostics
The morning started early with a great family update—we got some cool pictures of Hawkins celebrating his very first day of school. With smiles on our faces, we headed down to the parking lot to load up the touring rigs.
Our Santa Cruz hotel was situated right next to a Denny’s that evidently served as the local hub of the area, with a lot of interesting foot traffic moving up and down the sidewalk. As we were strapping down our gear bags, Dean noticed a crucial bolt had gone completely missing from his foot pegs. He had to run off to find a quick replacement to patch it up before we could hit the road.
Peg fixed and engines warmed, we pointed the front fairings toward San Francisco. We stayed on Highway 1, where the heavy marine layer was still rolling in thick and keeping the morning exceptionally cold.
Navigating San Francisco and Surviving Lombard Street
We missed a turn on the way in, but it turned out to be a lucky mistake. The detour took us right through the beautiful grounds of Golden Gate Park and past the city zoo. To shake off the coastal chill, we pulled over at a Peet’s Coffee to grab a hot drink and a quick snack to warm our hands.
After cruising down along the beach, we set our sights on the ultimate city challenge: Lombard Street.
[ RIDER REPORT: THE LOMBARD INCLINE ]
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The Blunder: We missed the approach on the first pass because we got stuck in the wrong center lane, forcing us to loop back around. Looking up at that steep grade on a heavy bike is enough to make your stomach drop.
The Climb: The hill is incredibly steep and features not one, but two stop signs on the way up. To make matters worse, the tourist traffic was moving at a crawl. After the first stop sign, the next one was a four-way. I decided I wasn’t risking a tip-over—I just rolled the throttle and gunned it straight to the summit.
The Descent: From the top, we dropped down the famous, crooked section lined with red brick pavers and razor-sharp switchbacks, with crowds of tourists watching from both sides. I was creeping down as slow as humanly possible, but I kept gaining on Blake anyway—if the street had been any longer, I would’ve rolled right into his rear fender!
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The Golden Gate and a View of the Rock
Just down the hill from the twists, we rolled past Ghirardelli Square and made our way onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Traffic was thick with cars, but crossing that massive orange span is always a milestone moment.
We climbed up to the main observation point on the north side to look back at the city. The fog was stubborn, but every few seconds the wind would tear an opening in the clouds, giving us a quick glimpse of Alcatraz out in the bay. We managed to time the weather perfectly for a quick group photo with a piece of the bridge framing the background.
For lunch, we headed down into Sausalito and tracked down a fantastic Italian restaurant just a block away from the water. We scored a table with a phenomenal, uncompromised view of Alcatraz over our meal.
Wind Turbines and Electric LiveWires
Leaving Sausalito, we crossed over the double-decker Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and headed east on the interstate to put some miles behind us.
We pulled off the highway in Livermore to splash some fuel in the tanks, and as we looked for a way back to the main route, we stumbled onto Patterson Pass Road. What a hidden gem! It’s a narrow, highly technical, twisty blacktop that treats you to an unbelievable panoramic view of about 300 massive wind turbines spinning across the valley floor. The road was only about 10 miles long, but it was packed with scenery: grazing cows, horses, unique rural homes, and rolling green pastures that looked exactly like ski moguls.
The pass eventually dumped us back onto the interstate, and we cruised down into Stockton, making a pit stop at Eagle Nest Harley-Davidson. It was a cool, relaxed shop. While we were hanging out in the snack area grabbing a cold drink, a young tech from the service department walked up and asked, “Have you guys ridden the LiveWire yet?”
I told him I hadn’t, but immediately followed up with: “Can I?”
[ RIG OVERVIEW: HARLEY-DAVIDSON LIVEWIRE ]
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The Ride: A thrilling, four-mile impromptu factory test ride.
The Power: Absolutely mind-boggling. The instant electric torque means 0 to 70 MPH is entirely immediate.
The Top End: Two seconds after crossing 70, the digital dash is already reading 100 MPH. The bike completely pegs out at 132 MPH, though I didn’t push it quite that far!
The Verdict: A total rocket ship. It’s a completely different animal than our touring rigs, but a total blast.
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The Run to Oakdale
The guys at the dealership told us the best move was to keep pushing hard without stopping until we reached Oakdale. We took their advice, chased the setting sun down the highway, and successfully located our hotel.
To celebrate an incredible day of riding, we walked over to a nearby Mexican restaurant. They were only operating with outdoor service, so we sat right out in the parking lot, enjoyed some killer food, and soaked in the beautiful, warm evening air.
We are officially back in the room, huddled around the maps, and picking our mountain routes for tomorrow.
Next Stop: Heading toward the big country. Keep the shiny side up!