Day 12. Fortuna CA to Reedsport, OR

Last night, I pampered myself and stayed at the Super 8 in Fortuna. I know that really doesn't sound too fancy, but I'm trying to keep costs down.  I also had to get the "Bates Motel" of Quincy feeling off of me. It was good to have the continental breakfast of fresh fruit, a waffle and juice.

I spent the day driving up the coast on US-101.
The first stop was a California rest stop in the Redwoods.

A field of elk.

I finally get to the Pacific Ocean.

I thought this was neat. On each end of the bridge over the Klamath River, there are 2 bears.

I saw this and thought I was in Brainerd, MN.

A few more from further north.

I've seen commercials for Jack in the Box and thought I'd try it. I stopped in Crescent City, CA for lunch. It wasn't bad.

Into Oregon.

In Gold Beach, OR, right along side the road, is the office for Backwoods Home magazine I've never had a subscription, but I've read many issues over the years. I stopped in and picked up the current issue. I may have to subscribe.

I ended the night in Reedsport, OR. I'm back to low dollar hotels. Tonights hotel was $43.00 with no extras.

Tommorow, I turn east for home.

Day 11. 140 Mile Workout and Avenue of the Giants.

I got up this morning and checked out of my motel... it was one step up from the "Bates Motel". I was ready to cross 2 more items off my list of places I wanted to see while on this road trip. I headed north on CA-89, all the way to CA-36, and took it west. A lot of the roads I've been on follow along the sides of rivers, and others were cut into the sides of the mountains. CA-36 has both. I stopped at a grocery store in Mineral. I was surprised, for being in the middle of nowhere they had everything. A huge Mexican and Asian section, better than some of the larger grocery stores back home! I picked up some more supplies, including dried tart cherries and craisins.
CA-36 crosses over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, then drops down into the Sacramento Valley, and finally over the Coastal Range, and it ends at highway 101, near the ocean. The temps today were nice and cool at the higher elevations, but it was 96 degrees at 1100 when I crossed the valley.

A short ways out of Red Bluff, in the valley, is this sign. I have seen it for years on web sites like sport-touring.net and pashnit.com. It's kind of a motorcyclists icon in northern California.

It was a long time from when I passed the sign, before the temps began to drop again and for me to gain elevation. It is a very fun ride. Traffic was light, and there were plenty of places to let other cars go by. I was in no hurry to reach the end. It was a heck of a workout, maneuvering a 650 lb, large, sport bike that's fully loaded for travelling, around all those curves!!! I'm beat!

When I came to the end of CA-36, I went south on Hwy 101.

I wanted to see some Giant Redwoods, so I went here.

The road is actually the old Highway 101. A newer, multi laned, road now runs almost right along side the old road. The giant trees are right next to the roadway. I still can't believe just how big they are. I saw pictures of them when I was in school, but they are so much bigger in real life. WOW, what a sight.

A couple more pictures from today.

Day 10. On to Quincy.

Today was not a very productive day. It started warm and just got hotter. In the 5 minutes it took to drive from the hotel to Rodz Grill for breakfast, the temp was warm enough to make my hands sweat and my gloves moist.

Rodz Grill, Angels Camp, CA. A neat, car themed diner.

My plan for today was to follow CA-49 up from Angels Camp, through Placerville, through Auburn, up to CA-89, to somewhere on CA-36. Things didn't go quite that way...

I was following the GPS and doing ok. Somewhere in Auburn things went wrong. The GPS will occasionally call the road I'm on by the local name, such as "Main Street", instead of the route number, like "49". So I wasn't to concerned when it told me I was on Auburn-Folsom Road. I should've been a bit more aware of where I was going, but it was HOT and I think the temperature got to my brain! I didn't realize I was so lost until I saw a sign for Rancho Cordova. I found my way onto Hwy 50 and got off back in Placerville. By the time I got back up to Auburn, I had wasted 3 hours! It was fun to re-ride that section of 49 again, but it was a time killer.
I found my way through Auburn, again, and managed to stay on 49 and not get lost. CA-49, especially where it runs along side the Yuba River, is a great road for a motorcycle!

CA-49 takes you through neat little towns like Downieville and Sierra City.

I had set my GPS to guide me to Quincy. It told me to turn north onto Gold Lake Road. As the elevation climbed, the temps dropped. It wasn't long before I was into the snow again. I wanted to stop and lay in the snow for a while and cool off. While I was following Gold Lake Road, the GPS told me to turn right onto a forest service road. I made the turn and in less than 50 feet I had to stop. Darn GPS.

As if wasting 3 hours because I got lost, and being sent down a snow covered road weren't enough, I got stung. After getting onto CA-89 from Gold Lake Road, it was very hot. I was running with my jacket totally unzipped. I was riding along and felt a bug hit me in my throat. It hit hard. Then I felt a pain in my left shoulder, right under the collar bone. I felt something in my shirt moving towards my belly. I grabbed at it with one hand, while trying to get to the side of the road and stop the bike. Once I got stopped, I ripped the my shirt out from my pants and a big fuzzy bumble bee fell on the ground.
I'd had enough. I stopped in Quincy for the night, had a Subway, and grabbed a hotel room. While I've been typing this, I've lost the internet connection 3 times. Good night!

Day 9. Bishop, CA through Yosemite, to Angels Camp, CA

This morning I thought it might be a good day to take in Yosemite N.P. It's also the day I decided to try and overcome my insane fear of heights!!
I left Bishop and headed for Lee Vining up 395. What a beautiful highway!

The view driving up 395

Highway 120, aka Tioga Pass Road, is mostly up hill all the way to the Yosemite entrance. The pictures don't reflect the reality of just how high the road climbs.

I know it may not look like it, but there is a road down at the bottom. It was almost straight down!

The same shot at 40X zoom...

I took a lot more pictures, but after a while they kind of start to look the same. I did meet an older guy in the park. He had worked there for over 30 years. He told me which roads to take in where to turn. He was very helpful. I spent over 5 hours in the park. I was comfortable at the higher elevations, but when I dropped down into Yosemite Valley the temp really went up. I was stuck in a lot of stop and go traffic. The Valley was packed.
I did amaze myself with where I went to get some of the pictures. I walked out onto a bridge that was so high, I could barely see the river below. I even walked out to the edge of some very steep drop offs on the sides of the roads. I'm not over my fear of heights, but I'm not paralyzed by it anymore (I hope).
I left the park on 120 towards Big Oak Flat, and followed it to hwy 49. I took 49 through Sonora, and stopped for the night in Angels Camp. The temp was nearly 100 degrees. I was wearing jeans, over pants, a non mesh textile jacket, gloves and a helmet. I was roasting! It wouldn't have been as bad if I could have picked up some speed, but traffic kept speeds slow.

I think I'm going to try and reach the coast tomorrow. I'd like to see some redwoods up by Eureka/Fortuna. After that, I'll drive up into Oregon a ways, then start to make my way towards home. Maybe.

Day 8. Ely, NV to Bishop, CA. The long way.

Tonight, I'm in a Motel 6 in Bishop, CA. I had a really good day. It started with breakfast at the Silver State Restaurant in Ely, then a quick tank of fuel, and west on hwy 6. I followed 6 out of town about 18 miles, then turned south onto NV-318. The weather was pretty good. Just a light off and on sprinkle. About an hour after I left, I stopped at a rest area (I hate riding and taking a diuretic!). There was a storm behind me and it was coming in fast.

I managed to avoid any more rain for the rest of the day.

Near the end of 318, the road gets twisty for a short ways as you pass through the White River Narrows.

In Alamo, I stopped for gas and a light lunch of a banana, some Craisins, and a 0 calorie Powerade. After lunch, I took off for Rachel on 375, the Extraterrestrial Highway.
In Rachel, I stopped at the Little Al'e'inn. I picked up a Area-51 sticker and a small pin. It's 160 miles from Alamo to Tonopah. There's no gas available in between, and I was fighting a HUGE head wind. I kept the speed down to try and improve my mileage. I took a few pictures along the way...
Jct. NV-375 and NV-318

The mail box marking the road to Nellis Air Force Range at Groom Lake, aka Area-51.

Rachel, NV.

I followed hwy 6 to Tonopah and gassed up. While I was taking a short break, I met a guy from CA that was on his way home after spending nearly a month on the road. He had been to New York and had put on almost 9000 miles on his Triumph Thunderbird.

A few more pictures from along hwy 6.

The road to the Tonopah Test Range.

Hwy 6 took me out of Nevada,

And into California.

It was a long day, but a good day. It ended with a great meal of, a spicy pollo verde tamale, a chicken enchilada with red sauce, and rice and beans from The Loco Frijole.
I miss you Nancy, say hi to the boys, Sticky, Orangie, Rudy, Screamer, Vinny, and Little Boy.