By Jeremy Beuttler

Having attended college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, I had the opportunity to ride the Pacific Coast Highway between Morro Bay and Monterey many times. I have returned on countless occasions in the past 40 years and never seem to tire of this classic ride.

It’s no surprise that AMA readers in the survey published in the April 2011 issue rated PCH No. 5 of 15 best rides in America. I personally think it should be No. 1, but having not done rides 1 through 4, I suppose I shouldn’t say just yet.

In September 2018, my wife and I decided to make a slight variation to our normal excursion and were able to secure a campsite at Kirk Creek—one of the most beautiful campgrounds on the California coast.

There are many other campgrounds along this stretch of road, but none that affords the ocean and sunset views of this one. Kirk Creek also has the advantage of being centrally located, not only for this ride, but also for access extending into the Santa Lucia Mountain Range that we had been meaning to try for a long time.

Another attraction for us is its seclusion. There’s no cell service, no power and no plumbing. The campground hosts use a generator for power and a park service employee has to come by every day to give them the updated list of campsite reservations.

We loaded my 2005 Honda VT1100C Shadow Spirit into the back of our pickup, along with all the camping gear, and set out mid-morning from our Orange County home. This allowed us to avoid the Los Angeles morning-commute traffic and, after a leisurely lunch stop, we arrived at the campground in time to set up, unload the bike and enjoy a cocktail while watching the sun set over the Pacific.

The road to Carmel

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the mountains behind us and, best of all, no fog. State Route 1, also called the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH, is known for its persistent coastal fog, which is why we chose this time of year. Usually, conditions in the early fall favor clear mornings. Also, it’s eerily quiet.

This highway is popular and can be very busy, but the kids were back in school and it was early—traffic coming from Monterey or Morro Bay hadn‘t had time to build.

We hopped on the bike and rode a few miles south for breakfast at the Whale Watcher’s Cafe in Gorda. I think we saw two cars. Thankfully, the restaurant was open and, as the name implies, the dining room overlooks the ocean and is a beautiful place to enjoy a great breakfast.

A patient person might actually see the water spout from a whale’s blow hole.

There is also a gas station here, one of only a few on this stretch of roadway. So, if you need gas, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to fill up. But, be prepared, the price is steep—$6.50 a gallon when we were there.

We headed south to Ragged Point, another beautiful place to stop, with restaurants, gift shops and a gas station. There’s a great set of twisties on this section and beautiful ocean inlets far below the roadway. Take it easy here, because losing control in a turn can mean a long fall to the rocks below.

From Ragged Point, we turned around and headed north for Carmel. I tell my friends it’s a different ride each way. The mountain side on the right going north, then the ocean to the right going south. You get two completely different perspectives.

No ride along the coast would be complete without a stop at the Hog’s Breath Inn in Carmel.

Clint Eastwood used to own this restaurant while he was the mayor of Carmel, and I caught him in here having dinner a few times. But no longer. We still had to stop for tradition’s sake. The Dirty Harry Burger is my favorite.

After a fuel stop—gas is marginally cheaper in Carmel—we headed south back to the campground. I stopped one more time for gas at the Ripplewood Resort, the last station in Big Sur, so I would have enough for the next day’s adventure. My Shadow’s tank will only get us 130 miles before switching to reserve, and I knew we might need every drop.

 

Into the mountains

After another beautiful sunrise and a campsite breakfast, and we headed south to join up with Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.

A steep climb of 2,800 feet in 7 miles, no fewer than 100 turns, more breathless views, and we were deep into the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. Again, caution in the curves is recommended, there are no guard rails.

We crossed the South Coast Ridge Road, which is a dirt road and very tempting, but it was not something we would try that day with my bike.

We then descended through another myriad of curves to find ourselves at the entrance to the Fort Hunter Liggett army training facility. This road is occasionally closed without notice, so you might have to turn back, but, if it’s open, proceed for long, sweeping curves and seemingly limitless undeveloped land.

Once on the other side of the fort, we continued to U.S. 101 and south to San Miguel for gas and lunch at Leo’s Cafe. Great food and service in a friendly, small town atmosphere.

From there you can head south on the 101 to Paso Robles, then follow state Route 46 back to state Route 1 and north to Kirk Creek, a great ride unto itself.

But we enjoyed the Fort Hunter Liggett ride so much we decided to head back that way and do it again from the opposite direction.

Cocktails, barbeque dinner, another beautiful sunset, campfire and a starry night not to be believed (no light pollution out there on the edge of the world).

Four gorgeous days and two great rides made this one of our most memorable trips. I highly recommend it if you find yourself in the area.

Jeremy Beuttler is an AMA member from Sunset Beach, Calif.

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QUICK TIPS

Kirk Creek is a small campground and fills up fast. Reservations are made through the www.recreation.gov website as much as six months in advance. Don’t rely on stopping by on the off chance you might find an open site—it rarely happens.

Bring water with you. There is no plumbing. The bathrooms are pit toilets. If you forget, the campground hosts will sell you water at $5 a gallon, assuming they haven’t run out.

Check road conditions before you leave home, state Route 1 in this area frequently closes due to washed out roads or damaged bridges, especially after a big storm.

There are many other campgrounds along this stretch of road, but most are inland and have no views of the water.

Plaskett Creek campground is close to the road and just a few miles south of Kirk Creek. Check availability www.recreation.gov. Limekiln campground is also close to the road—more like under the road, because it’s beneath the state Route 1 bridge. It’s a few miles north of Kirk Creek and is a California State campground. Reservations can be made online through www.reservecalifornia.com.