California to Seattle and back through Nevada in a 1999 Audi V8

Driven in 2024 · A friend's 1999 Audi V8 quattro

Best months: May to June and September to October. Late spring and early autumn. July and August are peak season on the coast, and Nevada and Las Vegas pass 40°C (104°F).

San Diego and Temecula, the Los Angeles shops, the coast road to Monterey and Laguna Seca, north through Oregon to Seattle, then back down through Idaho and Nevada to Las Vegas in a friend's 1999 Audi V8 quattro. A broken fan belt, a weekend in a rental, and cheap lodges all the way.

Change the dates, stops and your vehicle. The planner works out fuel, night stops, sunset, weather and the grade of every road. Then drive it: GPX for your GPS or phone, or Google Maps and Waze on your phone.

Distances and grades from the planner's route on OpenStreetMap roads. Your plan may differ.

Hardest stretch: Race, tar and smooth roads. The grade reads differently by vehicle: what's fun on an adventure bike can be slow and hard in a car.

Day by day

1. DAY 1 · 96 km (60 mi)
   San Diego International Airport → Temecula
2. DAY 2 · 320 km (199 mi)
   Temecula → Temecula
   Via Costa Mesa (StanceWorks), Roland Sands Design, Long Beach, Bike Shed Moto Co, Los Angeles
3. DAY 3 · 448 km (278 mi)
   Temecula → San Luis Obispo
   Via Malibu, Santa Barbara
4. DAY 4 · 219 km (136 mi)
   San Luis Obispo → Monterey
   Via Big Sur, Bixby Bridge, Carmel-by-the-Sea
5. DAY 5 · 34 km (21 mi)
   Monterey → Monterey
   Via Laguna Seca
6. DAY 6 · 20 km (12 mi)
   Monterey → Monterey
   Via Pebble Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea
7. DAY 7 · 564 km (350 mi)
   Monterey → Redding
   Via San Jose, Golden Gate Bridge
8. DAY 8 · 502 km (312 mi)
   Redding → Eugene
   Via Mount Shasta
9. DAY 9 · 473 km (294 mi)
   Eugene → Seattle
   Via Portland, Tacoma
10. DAY 10 · 433 km (269 mi)
    Seattle → Pendleton
    Via Ellensburg, Yakima
11. DAY 11 · 563 km (350 mi)
    Pendleton → Twin Falls
    Via Boise
12. DAY 12 · 409 km (254 mi)
    Twin Falls → Ely
    Via Jackpot, Wells
13. DAY 13 · 459 km (285 mi)
    Ely → Las Vegas
    Via Caliente, Alamo
14. DAY 14 · 31 km (19 mi)
    Las Vegas → Las Vegas
    Via Shelby Heritage Center, Count's Kustoms
15. DAY 15 · 442 km (275 mi)
    Las Vegas → Temecula
    Via Barstow

The story

July 2024. Flew into San Diego and stayed in Temecula, then took a friend's 1999 Audi V8 quattro the long way round. Los Angeles first, for the shops: Oil Stain Lab, StanceWorks, Roland Sands Design and the Bike Shed. Up the coast road to Monterey, where the fan belt broke. So we spent the weekend in a rental car around Pebble Beach, a week before Car Week, and went to a club track event at Laguna Seca. We got chatting to the organiser and his sponsor, great people. All the bikes in the paddock were theirs, and they travel with a workshop in an RV. Then the direct road north through Oregon to Seattle to make up the lost time. Back down through Washington, the sunflower fields in southern Idaho and US-93 through Ely to Las Vegas for the Shelby Heritage Center and Count's Kustoms, and home to Temecula. Cheap lodges all the way, nothing special.

Good to know

• Monterey Car Week is in mid-August. Rooms around Monterey and Pebble Beach book out and prices jump, so plan around it or book early.
• Check the belts and hoses before a long trip in an older car. Our fan belt broke at Monterey and it cost us a weekend.
• Highway 1 through Big Sur closes after landslides from time to time. Check Caltrans before you go.
• US-93 from Ely to Las Vegas is long and empty. Fill up in every town.
• Las Vegas passes 40°C (104°F) in July and August. Drive early in the day.
• Check the Laguna Seca calendar for club days if you are in the area.

More misadventures on the blog ›

Roads change. Check conditions before you go, and report what you find in the planner so the next rider knows.