Mulholland Drive was officially opened in 1924, built by various real estate developers of the Hollywood Hills. It was named for William Mulholland, the person most responsible for transporting much needed water to a growing city via the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The idea behind the road was to traverse the top of the Santa Monica mountains from east (at the Cahuenga Pass) to west (at the Sepulveda pass). During the 1950's and 1960's, the famous road became even more famous as kids in cars discovered various "lookout points" along the route where they could stop, take in at the breathtaking city lights, and "make out." Mulholland Drive became known as a veritable Lover's Lane. Then in 2001, David Lynch's movie by the same name was released; the late movie critic Roger Ebert's review called it a "a surrealist dreamscape in the form of a Hollywood film noir, and the less sense it makes, the more we can't stop watching it.
West of the Sepulveda Pass, Mulholland Drive becomes an unpaved road not open to motor vehicles. It opens again just east of Toganga Canyon Boulevard, then splits into Mulholland Drive and Mulholland Highway. Mulholland Drive terminates at the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills (close to our house). Much more well known for its breathtaking vistas, sweeping turns and white-knuckle twisties, Mulholland Highway is the much preferred route of bikers and fast cars over Mulholland Drive. There you will find The Rock Store, originally a stage coach stop and a favorite hangout of Steve McQueen. You will also find "The Snake" - three miles of hell that will test the mettle of any rider.
Yesterday, our group of bikes set out to ride Mulholland Drive as far as we could go. Then slab it to the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas for lunch before setting off to ride Mulholland Highway all the way to to its terminus at Pacific Coast Highway. But due to the recent "rainmageddon" in southern California, parts of Mulholland Highway were strewn with rocks and dirt - making it too dangerous in the lower sections of the road. So right after surviving The Snake, we made a left on to Kanan Dune and then took Latigo Canyon down to PCH. Latigo is always a fun roller-coaster ride.
I had driven Mulholland Drive in a car a few times, but never ridden it on a bike. It's a very fun road, although a little chewed up in spots and crowded with cars at the Runyon Canyon trail head. But it has some nice turns and spectacular views. Here is a lookout point we stopped at early on in the ride. This view is looking northeast towards Universal City (yes, that's the new Harry Potter castle in the middle-right of the picture) with beautiful downtown Burbank in the distance.
Yesterday, our group of bikes set out to ride Mulholland Drive as far as we could go. Then slab it to the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas for lunch before setting off to ride Mulholland Highway all the way to to its terminus at Pacific Coast Highway. But due to the recent "rainmageddon" in southern California, parts of Mulholland Highway were strewn with rocks and dirt - making it too dangerous in the lower sections of the road. So right after surviving The Snake, we made a left on to Kanan Dune and then took Latigo Canyon down to PCH. Latigo is always a fun roller-coaster ride.
I had driven Mulholland Drive in a car a few times, but never ridden it on a bike. It's a very fun road, although a little chewed up in spots and crowded with cars at the Runyon Canyon trail head. But it has some nice turns and spectacular views. Here is a lookout point we stopped at early on in the ride. This view is looking northeast towards Universal City (yes, that's the new Harry Potter castle in the middle-right of the picture) with beautiful downtown Burbank in the distance.
 If these two roads were movie stars, Mulholland Drive might be Bette Davis - intense, excessive, camp even, could easily turn into a nightmare. Mulholland Highway might be Sandra Bullock - understated sexy, record-high likability, was married to a guy named Jesse James. Enough said. Hollywood - "what's your dream?" No biker deserves to be bored . . . |
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