Motorcycle Travel: Solvang, California

For our February 2001 examination of the relevance of motorcycle size to eternal happiness (see Size Matters, we spent a few days in and around Solvang and Buellton, California. Just a couple of hours' ride from Los Angeles and minutes from Santa Barbara. Set in the hilly, beautiful Santa Ynez valley, the area is dotted with wineries and laced with plenty of roads designed to seduce motorcyclists. Solvang was settled by Danes and retains a Danish theme -- and Danish flavors. So we set off on a ride-to-eat, eat-to-ride adventure.

There's an old touring trick we sometimes use to sniff out the best breakfast place in a small town. We check parking lots for an unusually high volume of construction trucks and service vans. Man, those guys know how to eat.

Such was the case with Ellen's Danish Pancake House (805/688-5312) in Buellton, California. "Famous for fine food since 1947," the restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside (or inside), but the food is tremendous. After the sun went down, we stuffed our faces at A.J. Spurs Steakhouse (805/686-1655), also in Buellton. If there is ever a good reason to unbutton your pants at the dinner table, you'll find it here.

Another sweet spot we highly recommend when touring in the area (and it doesn't have a thing to do with grub) is the Motorcycle Museum in downtown Solvang (805/686-9522). For a mere $2 admission you'll find a remarkable collection of vintage motorbikes from Ducati, Excelsior, Manz, Matchless, Moto Guzzi, Norton Manx, Triumph and even a supercharged Vincent that held the 1953 World Speed record for the mile. You know how hard is to find a decent motorcycle museum in the middle of nowhere...so don't strudel on by. For a virtual visit, check out www.motosolvang.com.

Additional Web Resources
Solvang City Data
Go There
Solvang Visitors Bureau
Solvang, California

For more descriptions of our favorite motorcycle rides and destinations, visit the Rides and Destinations section of MotorcycleCruiser.com.