I agree with the OP. I live in northern CA just north of Monterey / south of SF, and commute through redwood covered mountains every day. These are roads that the sports car and bike guys run on the weekend for fun. Every year around this time we see signs with car and bike logos on them. The major manufacturers use this area for press tours on new model introductions.
I grew up in northern Il, and while it was fun to go WFO on arrow-straight roads through miles of cornfields, it doesn't begin to compare to the rides around her.
We also have great destinations like Alice's Restaurant, where on the weekends you can see hundreds of motorcycles of every type converge for breakfast and bs.