Whether it be deep into Southern San Benito County, over to
Monterey or cruising along the coast, there are many places for the
biker looking to escape the roar of the rally to get some fresh
air.
Hollister – Whether it be deep into Southern San Benito County, over to Monterey or cruising along the coast, there are many places for the biker looking to escape the roar of the rally to get some fresh air.
Every where is a great place to ride for legendary Boozefighter Vern Autrey, who roared into town on his knucklehead chopper Thursday for the 58th Anniversary of the Hollister Independence Rally.
Autrey attended the first rally in 1947, which was the basis for cult film classic “The Wild One,” and has come to every rally since. As one of the original Boozefighters, Autrey participated in several “gypsy runs” up to Hollister which were the precursors to today’s rally. For Autrey, every ride has one thing in common: “The cops are always the same,” he said.
Those looking to head out of town for a nice peaceful ride are in luck, many country roads lead to stunning views throughout the area. Rally regulars like fellow Boozefighter Jim “History” Quattlebaum had some advice on where not to ride.
“The worst place to ride is downtown during the festivities, but people like to do it anyway,” Quattlebaum said.
But for those looking to do some serious riding, the owners of the Harley-Davidson dealership in Salinas, Wanda and Bob Warren, have some advice: Take any road that leads to Monterey.
Warren and her husband Bob have been traveling around the country for years, seeking out the best rides to take on their twin Harley-Davidson Fatboys.
For Warren, motorcycle riding is about the outdoors.
“A lot of riding is about the open air, the smells,” Warren said. “You can’t get that feeling from a car like you can from a motorcycle.”
Warren prefers the ride down to Monterey and Carmel-By-The-Sea because of its great scenic views and sparse traffic.
But for the store’s parts and sales Manager Ralph Juarez, the best local ride is the approximately 250 mile ride down Highway 25 south of town to Highway 198, across Highway 5 and over to Harris Ranch.
“It’s a great two-lane road,” Juarez said. “It’s a good lunch ride, good places to eat, great scenery, smells, couple straight-aways, not too many blind turns.”
Juarez also enjoys the ride down Highway 25 south to Paicines then onto Little Panoche Road to Interstate 5 and then back up Los Banos.
“The country side is real nice this time of year,” Juarez said. “There’s nothing like it.”
All though posted speed limits along both routes range from 25 mph to 55 mph, Juarez said bikers could ride either route “pretty hard.”
Chrome consultant Eric Kiser, one of the more experienced riders at House of Thunder Harley-Davidson in Morgan Hill, said one his favorite rides is Highway 25 to the Pinnacles State Park.
“It’s a windy road with lots of blind turns so you don’t want to go too fast,” Kiser said. “But it’s a real smooth road with good surface conditions.”
Another of Kiser’s favorite rides is down Highway 101 to the Pacific Coast Highway and into Big Sur. Kiser said this scenic ride offers bikers many places to turn off the road and enjoy the ocean views.
Mike Crum and Gary Sheldon rode 500 miles to the rally last week from Grants Pass, Ore. Both agreed that the best place to ride was along the Pacific Coast Highway, but said the roads in California were in terrible condition compared to those in Oregon.
“Here the roads are really bad, you could lose a small Honda in some of the potholes,” Sheldon said.
Crum and Sheldon came to Hollister for the first time this year, but don’t plan on riding too much.
“We’ll take some short rides,” Crum said. “But when it starts to get hot, we’ll be in a nice air-conditioned bar hanging out and enjoying the scene.”
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
