Four Peaks And 14,268 Feet Of Climbing
Swollen gray clouds ready to dump rain on our Haley parade around the Bay Area peaks in April 2018. Photo: Ryan Racine
As a 51-year-old born and raised in Wisconsin who didn’t ride a Harley-Davidson until 2015, when given the opportunity to ride one all around California for two weeks I chose the Fat Bob Softail. I was drawn to the brawny bars and front tire, and the un-Harley aesthetic. Riding it north on US Route 101 from Los Angeles last Sunday was fun, but I wanted a bigger and dumber challenge to really get a feel for the bike. So I called my moto buddy Ryan.
“Want to ride the Bay Area’s four peaks in one day?” I asked point blank.
“Of course,” my Canadian friend said without hesitation. Then I told him the logistics: Mount Hamilton, Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais, and Mount Umunhum. Nearly 300 miles, with a combined elevation of 14,268 feet.
“It will take us 10 or 11 hours, you know,” I added.
“I’ll pack a large bag of Twizzlers,” he said. “See you early Thursday morning.”