Click Picture Above for Video

Part 1 of Day 1

This video covers a portion of Day 1 from Buttonwillow, CA to Santa Margarita, CA riding on California Highway 58. The scenery was very nice including the California golden rolling hills and a very nice (very freshly paved) winding CA-58 Highway.

California Loop 2018 Motorcycle Trip – Overview

California Loop 2018 is a motorcycle trip I rode from May 26th 2018 to June 4th 2018 (9 months after my motorcycle accident where I broke my leg and six months after I purchased Dexter, my 2005 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic).

This trip was tour of some of the many iconic areas of California (there are so many). Trip started from Lake Elsinore, CA riding Interstate to Buttonwillow, CA where I catch CA Highway 58 to Santa Margarita, CA and jump on US Highway 101 and roll north to Humboldt Redwoods State Park near Weott, CA where I camped for a few days and explored the unpopulated areas of the Lost Coast.

From the Redwoods, I then continued north on US Highway 101 to just north of Eureka, CA and ride east on CA Highway 299 through Redding, CA and the Lassen National Forest (did not ride in Lassen Volcanic National Park, it’s on my list though), and turned onto US Highway 395 and rolled south to Reno Junction, CA. In Vinton, CA I tuned south onto CA Highway 49 to Sierraville, CA. From there I rode south on CA Highway 89 to Cottonwood Creek Campground located in the Tahoe National Forest. I camped here also for a few days using this as a basecamp to explore around Lake Tahoe and a little bit of Nevada (rode through Carson and Reno).

From Lake Tahoe, I rode back into the Central Valley on CA Highway 88 going over Carson Pass to the outskirts of Stockton, CA and then riding south on CA Highway 99 to the outskirts of Fresno, CA turning onto CA Highway 168 to Huntington Lake where I camped overnight.

From Huntington Lake I rode south to Santa Clarita, CA and west to Azusa, CA tuning north onto CA Highway 39 and camped overnight in the San Gabriel Mountains (Crystal Lake Campgrounds). Then it was back to Lake Elsinore, CA (where I lived until October 2019).

The First of Many

This was the first Long Distance Motorcycle Trip, well, long to my personal standards. My longest motorcycle trip prior to this trip (also on Dexter) was a two day trip to Death Valley, CA from Lake Elsinore for a total of 843 Miles. This California Loop 2018 trip was 2,469 Miles (granted 10 days versus two but still a much more significant trip in terms of distance.

Sadly so far, this trip has also been the only trip where I have not had a significant mechanical breakdown. I did drop the bike on it’s side on a National Forest fire road, that sounds more dramatic than it actually was. But despite the mechanical breakdowns, I have completed 3 additional long distance trips (Utah Loop 2019, USA West 2020, USA South 2020) and the fourth trip is coming up soon starting on 1 September 2023 (USA Midwest 2023). 2021 was a planned off year following the big move from California to Georgia. I did ride two regional trips, one to Charlotte, NC and the second to Myrtle Beach, SC. 2022 sadly did not have any motorcycle riding at all due to working two jobs (extra job to help fund projects and buy stuff. Always need more stuff).

Additional Planned Motorcycle Trips

I have several other planned motorcycle trips over the next several years. The timetable is a bit grey and fluctuates but generally speaking this is the plan, until it changes and it is not LOL

• 2024 – Florida Loop 2024
• 2025 – USA East 2025 – Possible last planned trip for Dexter
• 2026 – Ozarks 2026 – First planned trip for new motorcycle. Probably a Yamaha Super Tenere ES
• 2027 – Off year (Planning on a few local and regional mini trips.)
• 2028 – Alaska 2028 (Trying very hard to not have this trip postponed (again). Finances and vacation time are challenging obstacles, but does look promising as of 8/10/2023). This trip will be my magnum opus totaling 41 days and around 12,000 miles.
• 2029 – Off Year (no planned trips)
• 2030 – Utah Loop 2030 – Family vacation ride exploring Utah (will trailer to and from Utah)
• 2031 – Off year (No planned trips)
• 2032 – Colorado Loop 2032 – Family vacation ride exploring Colorado (will trailer to and from Colorado)
• 2033 – USA Northwest 2033
• 2034 – USA Northeast 2034
• 2035 – Hawaii 2035 – Family vacation – will ride rentals on some of the Big Island

Of course this list is probably going to change and dates are loose. But this is the current general plan. I am keeping the slate clear after 2035 and will see what tickles my fancy and what my health is. I am healthy now (will be 52 in October) but will see how I am after 2035. I have met folks in the 70’s who are still riding and touring. In 2018, I met a man 72 years old riding a Gold wing and still moto camping, I am hoping I will be able to do the same. wow, that’s 20 years from now lol.