Unloading bikes at our favorite storage facility in Yreka after trailering down from Poulsbo. No sense using up expensive sport bike tires on Route 5. I can't remember the name of the place. They're mostly nice.
Another trip through northern California with Paul. Can't stay away from this place. I wanted to visit my older son Max in Mountain View and my younger son Evan in Sacramento on this ride. We hit rain in the Bay area and headed south to try to escape it. The RVs and endless traffic on Route 1 south made us abandon that idea. Braved the traffic through the Bay area and Sacramento, then headed east to the Sierras. Good decision that. Wonderful riding thereabouts.
Unloading bikes at our favorite storage facility in Yreka after trailering down from Poulsbo. No sense using up expensive sport bike tires on Route 5. I can't remember the name of the place. They're mostly nice.
Suited up, ready to head out mid morning.
Titlow Hill and South Fork Mt. Rd. is a crazy stretch of road. Huge elevation gain/loss. Great to awful pavement quality. Burnt sections, amazing views, deep forests.
Going through a burnt section.
Nearing the south end of it, descending down to wonderful Rte 36 near Mad River.
South view.
Having a refreshing beverage at the store near Wildwood and Platina on Rte. 36.
We took A16 from Platina to Redding. Liked it so much we came back on it the next morning.
Paused at the intersection with Buell Rd. Buell Rd, get it? Note the bike I'm riding.
Traditional prime rib dinner in Redding.
Paul with his prime rib.
Our humble lodging in Redding the next morning.
Back west bound on A16 in the morning.
Featured artist at Calico's Deli & Pasta in Garberville, the pot growing captial of the US. Paul got me a framed print of the last GanjaGirl work shown here. It hangs on my garage wall now.
The Honda dealership in Garberville. Interesting place. They do more ATV and generator repairs than any other Honda dealership in the US. Guess why?
Healthy pot plants growing next door to the Honda shop. They were about 12' high!
Generators in for servicing.
The coast, after going through Leggett and doing the radically twisted up section of Route 1 from Leggett to the coast. We typically do that stretch over at least a couple of times before heading onward. The linked, twisty turns there are some of the best I've ever ridden. And they go on and on and on...
Selfie by the beach.
Route 1 south bound.
Our motel in Fort Bragg. We like the Colombi Motel there. It's a few blocks off the main drag so it's quiet. Our room was a suite, so we each had our own bedroom for the price of a single room at other places. Covered parking there. There's a nice grocery store across the street too.
The Colombi Motel parking lot with good roof overhangs for bikes.
Breakfast before we head further south.
Clear skies to the north at Fort Bragg.
Not so clear skies to the south where we were headed.
Some healthy hens and chickens in Fort Bragg.
Stopped to take a walk at a seaside park south of Fort Bragg.
Further south on Route 1.
Getting closer to the Bay area.
We stopped and had oysters here. Nice view.
Beautiful day here. Not so beautiful the next day.
Our hotel in Pacifica, south of San Francisco on the water.
Looking towards the beach from our hotel in the morning.
Rainbow on the beach. Rainbows usually mean rain unfortunately.
Jump forward to after we turned around and headed back north to the Bay area where we visited my older son Max who was living near Union City on the east side of the bay. We spent the night in Livermore and headed north on a nice twisty road from there.
Younger son Evan in Sacramento.
Evan and I.
Cigars and brewskis by the pool at our hotel. It was either in Sutter Creek or Jackson.
Happy to have a motel.
Heading up east bound on Route 4. Lots of elevation gain here.
Mountain top pond.
The summit.
Lots of twisties on the one-lane section of Route 4 on the east side of the summit.
We took a right on Route 89 and rode it all the way down to 395. A very twisty and worthwhile diversion. The valley that 395 runs through visible in the distance. Fun to ride back up too.
A little fall color at this altitude.
Lunch in Markleeville on Route 89 on the way north to Alpine Village.
Sunshine, great pavement, no traffic!
There are wilderness roads west of Lake Tahoe that apparently are popular to some motorcyclists. I read about them and mapped a route through them not realizing how long it would take us to get the f#$% out of the woods. Endless one-lane roads with pretty iffy pavement. Scenic, yes. Traffic, no.
Burned trees. Guess there are a lot more of them now.
After escaping the forest roads we took a break at the Red Frog in Colfax. Nice place with a nice view from their deck.
The Ranchito motel in Quincy. A very nice place.
Our room in the Ranchito.
The Polka Dot in Quincy! Good old fashiond greasy food.
A dog at the shop in Quincy that changed our tires.
Nice doggie. He liked my Buell.
I think we got 3 tires changed here. Seriously!
Paul's Tuono on the lift.
From Quincy we did a great sport bike route, clockwise on Quincy La Porte Rd. and back on Bucks Lake Rd. Highly recommended!
Beautiful scenery, light traffic, great, curvery roads.
There are logging trucks though!
From there we wound our way up to Antelope Lake
Old remains of a forest fire.
Another wonderful curvy road.
Happy happy.
Nice boulder formations on the way to the lake.
Antelope lake. I'm guessing it's pretty snowy here in the winter.
Causeway by the lake.
Evening light on the way to Susanville.
The Pioneer bar in Susanville looked like a great place.
Unfortunately almost all the motels were booked in Susanville due to some event. So we spent the night at this casino. Never again.
That casino.
Paul posing by a sign that he posed by back in 1981 when we came through here by motorcycle after I graduated from college.
On our way to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
In the park, on their perfect pavement roads.
Curves in the park.
My Buell.
Boiling mud in the park.