Riding the California Dream

Following his adventures in Italy and Oman, Gerhard Czerner’s ‘Riding the California Dream’ takes us on a journey along the USA’s southwest coast. His narrative vividly captures the essence of California's Pacific Coast Highway, intertwining the sheer joy of riding MTBs with the diverse beauty of the Golden State's landscapes. Packed into an 8-meter RV with rider Franziska Gobeli and photographer Martin Bissig, Gerhard heads from the historic trails of Mt. Tamalpais through the bustling streets of Los Angeles to the towering redwoods of Santa Cruz, to experience the California dream on two wheels.

The Pacific Coast Highway, considered one of the world’s most beautiful panoramic roads, winds its way through the geographically diverse state of California, which also happens to be the birthplace of mountain biking. It was in the 1970s, on the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais, located near San Francisco, where biking on wider tires was invented. The sport has come a long way since, and now there are numerous mountain biking areas along the coast that are worth trying out. Mountain biker Franziska Gobeli, photographer Martin Bissig and I headed off to check them out and to live the dream of experiencing a mythical California road trip firsthand.

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Motorhomes, referred to in the USA as RVs (recreational vehicles) are a great way to travel, and there are plenty of RV parks where you can pull in for the night. We decided to rent a mid-size RV for our road trip. It had enough space to sleep five, and came equipped with a shower, a toilet, a kitchenette, couch and a giant fridge. At over eight meters in length, this was one mighty vehicle, at least from our European perspective. However, as we found out, from a Californian standpoint, our vessel was more on the small side. In retrospect, my apartment is smaller than lots of the motorhomes we saw during our trip.

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The first few days were a flood of new impressions. We started out on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where we squeezed our RV into a parking spot right on the Pacific coast, and we found ourselves diving headfirst into the California lifestyle. What better spot than Venice Beach for a total immersion of culture. Skaters and surfers rub shoulders with artists and free spirits, each of them embodying what this unique part of the city has come to represent. Indisputably, this melting pot of diversity is unrivaled anywhere else in the world. 

From there, we continued to another highlight of our tour: the distinctive Santa Monica Pier. Founded early in the 20th century, this iconic park is featured in countless movies. We were fortunate to be there as the sky gradually darkened, and we marveled at the resplendent spectacle of the bright lights of the gigantic Ferris wheel against the backdrop of the blood-red evening sun. I'd always thought that the photos of red California sunsets had been edited. But no, reality here is just as over the top as the photos we’ve seen.

The hustle and bustle of Hollywood is the ultimate combination of kitsch and surrealism. Next stop was the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the world’s most famous sidewalk, along which we pushed our bikes, surrounded by Spiderman, the Hulk and Superman. The sidewalks are embedded with more than 2500 stars honoring celebrities in the entertainment industry, and for many fans, this is the closest they’ll get to their stars. But not just Hollywood is synonymous with the world of film. Various beaches have also become famous through movies or television series. One of the most famous is Malibu Beach, featured in the 90s TV series Baywatch. The Pacific Coast Highway also took us past the spot where David Hasselhoff and a scantily clad Pamela Anderson famously and repeatedly jogged along the beach in slow motion.

"I'd always thought that the photos of red California sunsets had been edited. But no, reality here is just as over the top as the photos we’ve seen."

Our next stop took us further north: Morro Bay. This is where Oro State Park is located, and once there, we rode the Hazard Peak Trail. We pedaled up the perfectly laid out, two-foot-wide path, all the way up to the highest look-out point. From here, we were able to see the distinctive Morro Rock rising up out of the bay. The trails were pretty dusty, so we had to keep a distance from the rider ahead. This turned out to be a good thing because at some point, I rounded a corner and suddenly, there was Martin, right in the middle of the trail. I managed to stop just in the nick of time. “There was a huge wildcat, right in the middle of the trail!” he yelled out, visibly surprised. We found out later that the area is home to cougars! Martin must have startled one of these rare creatures.

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We had other encounters with wildlife the following day, while we were driving along the never-ending coast. There was a colony of elephant seals right by the highway. More than a hundred of them were lounging about in the sand, not the least bit disturbed by the tourists flocking around them. It was quite an experience to see these magnificent animals from so near. There was no end to the highlights of this trip.

The next stretch of highway was definitely one of the most spectacular of our trip. To our left, cliffs, several hundred meters in height, plunged down to the Pacific. Down below, the waves crashed against the rocks. The panoramic route snakes its way along the coast as far as the eye can see, and navigating these curves was not the easiest in our ungainly vessel. Giant redwoods towered above the dense forest to our right. Higher still we could see condors riding the thermals. The perfect theme song came on the radio, and we turned up the speakers to blast out the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song Californication. We sang along at the top of our lungs.

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Just past Monterey, we reached Fort Ord National Monument, a former United States Army post. The grounds are crisscrossed with perfectly laid out bike trails. We discovered a good mix of uphills and downhills in varying degrees of difficulty. A blend of wide, scenic high plateaus and narrow, winding paths through deep valleys made for a lot of variety in terms of the landscape. The trails are well marked, making this experience a positive one. Right across from there is Toro Park, so we tried out the Pipeline Loop. The ascent, at a gradient of 20%, was pretty gnarly, and took every last bit of our energy and focus. We were grateful to still have some reserves for the surprisingly technical descent. As residents of the Alps, we’re used to steep and challenging downhills, so the chundry stretch was pretty dope! Total riding pleasure!

We could have spent weeks in Santa Cruz. This beach-side city is pretty chill. This is where surfing was first done in the USA, and world-famous surfing spots like Steamer Lane are right on the outskirts of the city. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, with its historic roller coaster and slot machines and restaurants right on the beach are worth a visit. The brightly colored houses along Capitola Beach are like an open-air museum, but people actually live in them and here, too, things are pretty lively. In addition to surfing and skateboarding, mountain biking also plays a big role. Santa Cruz Bicycles, a well-known manufacturer of high-end mountain bikes, founded in 1994, is also nearby. Franziska owns one of their bikes and was thrilled to ride past the company’s grounds. The area is ideal for biking. In Wilder Ranch State Park, one of the 14 state parks along the beaches of Santa Cruz, the trails lead from the beach right to the ancient giant redwood forests. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to closely explore the unbelievable plethora of options available to us, because we were on a tight schedule. Our next big destination: San Francisco!

The world-famous City by the Bay is just a 90-minute drive from there. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge in our RV. Just on the other side, on the left, is Mount Tamalpais, which, as the birthplace of our sport, is an important destination for mountain bikers. But instead of heading for the trails, we decided to explore the city's urban canyons and sights on our bikes. And of course, we wanted to cross the Golden Gate Bridge on our bikes! Alamo Square, Alcatraz, China Town, Columbus Avenue, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street, the cable cars…. We had a long list of “must sees” and we tried to see as much as possible.

"The perfect theme song came on the radio, and we turned up the speakers to blast out the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song Californication. We sang along at the top of our lungs."

Unfortunately, after two intense days in “Frisco,” our time was drawing to a close. Once we'd gotten used to the closed quarters of our RV, spent several days on the trails and roads of the Pacific coast, seen several places of interest and marveled at the many spectacular sunsets from the comfort of our motorhome, we finally understood the magic behind the mythical California road trip. And this magic will remain with us for a long time yet.