Category: Trip Reports

  • Easter Sunrise: Clear Skies, New Peeps

    Easter Sunrise: Clear Skies, New Peeps

    Easter Sunday on Mount Tamalpais—I’ve been doing this ride for years now, and I’ve written about it enough times that you’d think I’d run out of things to say. But 2026 handed me two firsts,… Read more

  • Riding Shotgun on 4×4 Day: BARC at Tumey Hills

    Riding Shotgun on 4×4 Day: BARC at Tumey Hills

    BARC, the Bay Area Rivian Club, held its Tumey Hills run on the calendar for April 4th: 4/4, known as 4×4 Day in the offroad community. When I first signed up, I didn’t really think… Read more

  • Highway 168: Chasing Winter in the Central Sierra

    Highway 168: Chasing Winter in the Central Sierra

    Every Wednesday at diabetes camp, we’d hike to the Grant Tree. Camp Sequoia Lake sat just outside Kings Canyon National Park — a week each summer for kids with Type 1 diabetes, up in the… Read more

  • Two Generals, One Long Overdue Visit

    Two Generals, One Long Overdue Visit

    For over 15 years, every Wednesday at Camp Sequoia Lake, we’d hike to the Grant Tree. The camp sat just outside Kings Canyon National Park — a week each summer for teenagers with Type 1… Read more

  • The Ride Up for Ride Down

    The Ride Up for Ride Down

    It’s no secret that I love riding my motorcycle up and down Mount Diablo. It’s the ride that doesn’t require hassle. No bridges, tolls, or traffic exist on this technical squiggle. Last night I needed… Read more

  • #kindness

    #kindness

    I’d been wanting to get the Speed Triple out for a sunset ride all week. There’s something about that bike and golden hour—the way the light hits the tank, the temperature cooling down just enough… Read more

  • Crisscrossing the Shasta Cascades

    Crisscrossing the Shasta Cascades

    Back in the day, M and I used to run motorcycle tours for motorcycle riders who hadn’t done an overnight ride before. Over the years, we picked up more and more riders and developed quite… Read more

  • Same ride, completely different experience 

    Same ride, completely different experience 

    The BMW Club of Northern California’s Range of Light ride has stuck with me for a couple of weeks. Being up in Quincy reminded me how much I really do enjoy that part of California… Read more

  • Exploring Sand Harbor

    Exploring Sand Harbor

    With the long summer hiatus in Canada, early September hit me with the realization that summer in Northern California was fleeting. Time didn’t stand still here. Many of the things I would normally do over… Read more

  • Driving the Aorta of the West: Interstate 5

    Driving the Aorta of the West: Interstate 5

    Six weeks have gone by fast. It seems like yesterday I was hopping in my truck, driving to Vancouver with a motorcycle strapped in the bed, awaiting the adventure ahead. All I had planned (if… Read more

  • Highway 101 – The Marine Route

    Highway 101 – The Marine Route

    As long as I’ve been in California, US 101 has been a part of my motorcycle ethos. Whether it’s trips up to the Redwood country to search for Sasquatch, visiting good friends in wine country,… Read more

  • Chasing Mount Tantalus

    Chasing Mount Tantalus

    R and I decided to take the Rivian up to Squamish to explore the Sea to Sky Highway, take some photos of the Tantalus range, and head up to Backcountry Brewing for some lunch. Whether… Read more

  • Riding Together on the Sea to Sky

    Riding Together on the Sea to Sky

    R and I first met about seven years ago. We both rode motorcycles. We both talked about motorcycles. We’ve spent plenty of time two-up on my R1250GS (I’m not even going to entertain the idea… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 7 – The Duffey Lake Loop

    BC Road Trip: Day 7 – The Duffey Lake Loop

    As I was riding into Kamloops yesterday, I noticed a small fire off to the left of the hotel. There was a small but steady flow of smoke rising from the ground to the sky,… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 6 – Rogers Pass

    BC Road Trip: Day 6 – Rogers Pass

    What a difference 24 hours makes. The weather today is absolutely fantastic, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 50s stretching across the landscape. I’m really starting to love Kicking Horse Road. With bluebird skies,… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 5 – Golden

    BC Road Trip: Day 5 – Golden

    Every adventure has its harrowing moments, and for this journey through the interior of British Columbia, crossing Rogers Pass was that moment for me. R was on high alert about this stretch due to the… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 4 – Banff and Kooteany National Parks

    BC Road Trip: Day 4 – Banff and Kooteany National Parks

    Of all the days on the road, I think today was the day that brought me the most excitement. I was in Invermere, right in the heart of the Kootenays, and headed through Kootenay National… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 3 – Invermere

    BC Road Trip: Day 3 – Invermere

    Today’s trip had a special surprise – the ferry! As I mentioned yesterday, some of the lakes in this region can be so long and deep that it’s easier to run a ferry across the… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 2 – Ainsworth

    BC Road Trip: Day 2 – Ainsworth

    On long motorcycle tours like this one, day two is always a bit of a challenge. My body often has minor aches and pains from day one, and this is the transition day where my… Read more

  • BC Road Trip: Day 1 – Osoyoos

    BC Road Trip: Day 1 – Osoyoos

    Coincidentally, some good friends of mine from home were also spending time in Vancouver with family. R and I spent a few days in the city with them and their kids, doing some of the… Read more

  • British Columbia: Planning the Journey 

    British Columbia: Planning the Journey 

    About 15 years ago, I remember coming across the Destination Highways series of books. There was one for Northern California, which I purchased, as well as editions for Washington and British Columbia. At the time,… Read more

  • Ninety Six

    Ninety Six

    As I travel around California, I fall in love with different parts of the state during other seasons. For a long time, I’ve always had a heart for the Sierras—both the eastern and western sides… Read more

  • The East Bay’s Best Moto Camping

    The East Bay’s Best Moto Camping

    It’s no secret that I love riding my motorcycle up and down Mount Diablo. It’s technical, tends to have very little traffic on weekday afternoons, and has kick ass views across Northern California. While riding… Read more

  • The 2025 Pit Ho Rally

    The 2025 Pit Ho Rally

    This is a continuation of Pit Ho weekend started on The Night Patrol. Budman, the rally organizer, secured a fantastic rate at the Best Western Amador Hotel in Jackson, California. It’s rare to get a… Read more

  • Reconnect and Ride: A Pashnit Motorcycle Adventure

    Reconnect and Ride: A Pashnit Motorcycle Adventure

    An old co-worker of mine reached out in March. He wanted to go on a Pashnit motorcycle tour but didn’t want to show up solo and asked would I be interested in joining? We hadn’t… Read more

  • Chasing Sunlight on Easter Morning

    Chasing Sunlight on Easter Morning

    Easter Sunday – it’s become one of my favorite motorcycle traditions here in the Bay Area. Easter has come late this year, April 20th to be exact. That means the sun gets up extra early,… Read more

  • Sandy Eggo

    Sandy Eggo

    Riding the Pacific Surfliner down to San Diego, I had time to reflect on the past week. An old manager of mine gave me valuable advice as we were both long-term employees of our company.… Read more

  • Riding the Pacific Surfliner

    Riding the Pacific Surfliner

    Recently I found myself in Orange County for a conference. It was a great week networking throughout all aspects of my professional community. It’s a set of people I’ve enjoyed immensely in my current career… Read more

  • Ambling around Anchorage

    Ambling around Anchorage

    Flying into Anchorage to see the Aurora was a bucket list item. I’d had this trip on my list for as long as I could remember, but didn’t have a way to make it happen.… Read more

  • Exploring the Matanuska Glacier

    Exploring the Matanuska Glacier

    For the last day of exploring, my hosts didn’t really explain where we were going. Geography in Alaska is, in some ways, quite simple, as there are relatively few roads. However, those roads travel across… Read more