There are some nice rides in So Cal - Rim of the World Hwy, Ortega Hwy, etc - but they all involve getting there using either the freeway or surface streets both of which are heavily traveled and often gridlocked. Northern CA, north of San Francisco, is completely different with low population density, similar to rural Oregon, and lots of open land. It also has very few east-west roads so routes will be very long. Those of you who went to STAR in Mammoth Lakes can attest to that.