A pristine view of San Francisco Bay from the top parking lot of Mount Tamalpais. Photos by the author and J.P Pina.
My Grandpa rode an Indian and I decided to follow suit by purchasing a 2016 Roadmaster. I bought it one rainy January day–a prime time to shop for deals. Now, when I ride alone, I often imagine Grandpa or my recently passed father riding in the passenger seat.
With the bike freshly broken in and winter weather past, the first of many long rides ahead was in order. I decided to stay close to home for the trial run. My region is chock-full of great roads and interesting places to see, so all I needed to do was choose a route.
Three main peaks surround the San Francisco Bay area: Mount Tamalpais to the north, Mount Diablo to the east and Mount Hamilton to the south. Combining those three destinations into one day’s ride would make for a pleasing combination of fast freeways and twisty mountain roads that should be a good test run. Computer planning estimated 300 miles round trip. Nice! Participants of the ?Three Peak Ride? at the vista point on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Left to right: the author, J.P. Pina and Scott Hammond.)
While I enjoy riding alone, my most memorable rides have been with fellow riders. Two brothers from my local Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter were able to join me: Scott on his Kawasaki Vaquero and J.P. on his Harley Street Glide. The day of the ride the weather forecast called for clear skies and lig...