By Olivier de Vaulx
Adventure motorcycles are often marketed with pictures of rough trails in exotic destinations. But these versatile machines can also help us riders explore hidden gems closer to home, deep down in the most secluded places of our states. Dirt or pavement, it doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy the ride and discover new sceneries!
With two Desert Xs available in the press fleet of Ducati USA, it was urgent to seize the opportunity and settle on a big adventure ride. Unfortunately, the heat wave scorching most of the west was not an appealing prospect. That is, until the idea of exploring the state of California—where high mountains and long shorelines provide a milder climate—gave us the excuse to finally pack our Mosko bags for a 10-day trip. Starting from southern California, the goal was to loop around the state, avoiding the crowded National Parks but following the Sierras and then the Lost Coast north of San Francisco up to Eureka, before coming back via wine country. This would give us plenty of opportunities for wild camping and a great diversity of landscapes.
SoCal Deserts
For people living in the Los Angeles megapolis, Highway 395 is the gateway to freedom. Following the Sierras mountain range, this long stretch of pavement is a necessary evil to put as many miles between your motorcycle and civilization. It only takes a couple of hours to be in the middle of a desert area, with high summits on both sides and hundreds of sandy trails going in every direction. Following the GPS loaded with tracks of the CABDR-South, the Ducati Desert Xs get their taste of the California desert. Switching modes on the digital dash to get into Enduro or Rally mode helps tremendously here, as traction control is adjusted on top of the power and ABS settings. The ride is mostly flat and fast-paced, and if it wasn’t for the weight of the camping gear, this could have looked a lot like the Sonora rally! After Lone Pine, we immerse ourselves in the western movie vibes of the Alabama Hills, before stopping at the Japanese internment camp of Manzanar, reflecting on a dark chapter of American history.
Up in the Sierras
Reaching Mammoth in the evening, it’s tempting to go to the Minaret for a glimpse of sunset. We miss it by a few minutes, but the light over the pointy summits is still gorgeous. Despite the low light, finding a spot to camp in the nearby forest is fairly easy. The two tents are dressed quickly while the temperatures drop dramatically. Even with a hot meal cooked on the JetBoil stove, it’s hard to stay outside without freezing. Whatever, it’s been a long day and there’s no shame in finding refuge in a warm sleeping bag, right? In the morning, following the CABDR-North, the Desert Xs find themselves in tight OHV double tracks more suited for dual sport bikes. It’s fine for the most part, except in some harder sections with deep sand. The front end of the heavily loaded bikes tends to sink and wobble more than anticipated. A crash for each rider convinces us to shortcut to Mono Lake, where the gravel roads are more big-bike-friendly. The reward is a perfect morning light over mirror-like water, perfectly reflecting the odd mineral sculptures emerging from the lake. Heading to the ghost town of Bodie, the twin engines race to the summit. On hard-pack dirt or gravel, these bikes rip! As the sun finally disappears in the distance, the camp is set on a high mountain pass, with a 360-degree view free of human presence. The place looks so remote that we might as well be in Patagonia.
Navigating Road Closures
Trying to follow the CABDR-North route, we encounter a roadblock a few miles west of Bridgeport. The construction workers are building a tunnel to facilitate the migration of wildlife, a project everyone supports. The detour makes us skip a lot of good dirt, but it doesn’t matter as paved backcountry roads can be fun too—especially on an Italian bike built by the winning brand in MotoGP. A few incursions in the red zone later, we set up camp in south Lake Tahoe. However, the next day is spent mostly on dirt, following the ancient Pony Trail and then some remote Jeep roads across burnt forests and over deep canyons. There are rivers, lakes, steep climbs, and rocky downhills. Suddenly, we’re not traveling anymore, we’re just playing with big dirt bikes. The miles pile up as we go through this wide wilderness in a cloud of dust. Being back on pavement at Donner Pass, we admire a perfect view of Donner Lake and observe climbers risking their lives on the granite walls of the surrounding cliffs. The temperatures are warm, the sunset magnificent, and we even spot a bear crossing our camp and disappearing without stealing any food. Can’t ask for a better day!
The next morning though, a storm of snow and hail tells a different story, as we are shivering our way over the passes heading to the Bay Area. Over 7,000 feet, it’s winter time. Back in the valley, it’s summer again with temps in the mid-nineties. It helps to have waterproof jackets and pants with vents, as we don’t need to change gear to affront these contrasted conditions. Being in the Bay, we pay a quick visit to Ducati USA in Sunnyvale. After all, when was the last time a rider ever refused the opportunity to visit a professional shop full of beautiful machines?
The Lost Coast
While most of the tourists drive along the California coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco, we push further north, and the traffic is scarce. We’re not going any faster though, as we stop at every other corner to admire the views of the cliffs falling in the Pacific Ocean. Further up, small towns of a few hundred inhabitants are like harbors for weary travelers, who can find solace in a hot sandwich and a cup of coffee in the foggy mornings. The road itself, with barely a straight line in sight, is so much more than just a scenic highway. It’s almost like a supermoto track in disguise, where you jump from one hairpin to another relentlessly. There are occasional opportunities to get dusty, or even sandy. At least one beach seems open to riding—at least no sign is saying otherwise and there are already tracks on the ground—and it’s fun to fight with traction on the gray sand. The surface is too soft though and these futile efforts will not lead us anywhere. We’re better on dirt or pavement than stuck on a remote beach!
Reaching Point Arena after operating hours is a blessing, as there are no more tourists. The manager lets us go through the gates with our motorcycles, and we enjoy the quiet maritime atmosphere of the lighthouse for ourselves.
From Fort Bragg, the biggest city we’ve seen north of San Francisco so far, the Lost Coast offers way more dirt options. The Ducatis quickly find themselves contemplating the ocean from the top of a cliff, accessible only via a rough jeep trail. Once again, we’re alone… the trail then goes deeper in the forest and we are suddenly thrown into a different environment, closer to the Amazonian jungle than anything else. The vegetation is so dense that the sunlight can barely reach the ground. It makes for a Jurassic-Park-like forest: cold, humid, dark, and almost scary, with century-old Redwoods waiting for us to fall. Suddenly, the sight of an elementary school, with no kids but deer in the schoolyard, makes us doubt our eyes. Talking later to a nice retired pot-growing lady, we learn that we just passed by the only off-grid school in California. How cool is that? Filling up gas at Shelter Cove General Store, we are back in daylight and sweating in the scorching sun, before finding ourselves shivering on the foggy shore next to the lighthouse. Irish people like to say that they get 4 seasons in one day, but it seems to be the same here in northern California!
Giant Redwoods
Instead of following the coast up to the charming town of Eureka, we turn east to explore the world of the giant Redwoods. If we thought that the previous forest was dark, this one is even darker, to the point that it’s almost impossible to take a photo without using settings usually reserved for nighttime. The trunks grow so high that it’s hard to distinguish where they end, if they even do. The canopy filters most of the light, while the trees absorb sounds. This makes camping in these woods a surreal experience, one where you lose track of time and end up whispering even though there’s nobody around to hear you. Wildlife is abundant here, and we observe a family of deer eating just a few yards from us. We’re off-season, and that’s probably the best time to enjoy this feeling of being outside of time. Hiking for a couple of days would probably be an even better way to explore this cathedral of trees, but we have no time for silly walks. We’re on the move, going down south, and ain’t we happy that we did! The roads have been freshly paved, and this perfect tarmac is laid out on some of the best winding roads ever. The Desert Xs cannot hide their DNA as they unleash a fury of strong accelerations exiting corners, before leaning like monsters into blind curves. The few cars on the road give way in the first turnout they can find, and we use the whole side of our tires, almost forgetting it’s a road and not a track. Luckily, there is also some road construction on our way, which provides us time to calm down. It’s hard sometimes, but we need to stop thinking about putting our knee out and more about soaking up all the scenery.
Wine Country
Santa Rosa is our first non-camping stop, as we are hosted by a fellow rider, met last year in Baja. Dale lives in horse and wine country but only cares for the horses powering his own Ducati. We couldn’t agree more, even though horses in the distance are nice to look at, and we enjoy in the evening the sense of community that riders all over the world know so well. The next day, before reaching Paso Robles, we divert into Fort Hunter Legget. The yellow grass covering the rolling hills, so typical of NorCal, is in full display. Since the road crossing the military camp doesn’t go to the coast anymore, thanks to the washout on Highway 1 near Big Sur, we have the whole area for ourselves. Once again, the 900cc twins rage over the asphalt and we enjoy miles of empty roads with only sole spectators: a few hawks circling lazily in the blue sky. A few miles out of Paso Robles, a city famous for its wine, we stop for the night at California Street Winery. It’s a warm evening, with the stridulation of crickets in the background, and we learn as much as we can about winemaking. The owners, EJ and Tina, will guide us through their secrets, while we share delicious food and relax. After all, adventure bike riding doesn’t always have to be challenging, right?
Back via Soda Lake
Not in a hurry to go back on busy highways, we stay away from the crowd and cut through the backcountry down to Soda Lake. Sitting on a high plateau, surrounded by nothing but sun-burned grass, this vast salted surface is a nice discovery. It’s not the only wonder of the day, as we soon find out while heading toward the coast. There, more winding roads, mountain passes, and opportunities to scrape the pegs are waiting for us. After Thousand Oaks, this is pretty much game over though, as we are back into the weekend’s traffic. Staying on the Pacific Coast Highway, we see the sun settling down as we cross Vincent Thomas Bridge over Long Beach Harbor. The sky illuminates progressively with pretty shades of blue, orange and pink, and we don’t even feel tired.
Back in Orange County, the loop is officially over. We never left the state, but we feel like we’ve been traveling through many countries; we rode through such diverse sceneries and weather conditions! California is a beautiful state, but if there is one lesson we keep from this ride, it’s that the destination doesn’t matter as much as we think. No matter how far or close you go, some fun trails and winding roads are most likely waiting. No need to plan for an expensive and time-consuming once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip to have fun; the best riding might well be next door and accessible on a weekend ride! That’s the beauty of adventure riding; we create our own opportunities and our own memories.
Special thanks to:
Bradley Hartman, who found two perfect Ducati Desert X for us; Brian Campbell who provided the comfortable Alpinestars gear that kept us dry and ventilated; Dale H. for hosting us in his little paradise; EJ and Tina Z. from California Street Winery.
