Nostalgia Tour route help for N. Cali.

[MadChap]

Thanks for looking. While trying to decide where to ride for a week of vacation I had the brilliant idears to ride to places I remember from my childhood. I know, kind a geeky but hey...it's my ride. I'm primarily looking for route assistance in Northern and Central CA. I have no driving experience from Lakeview through to the Redwoods. The Oregon stuff I've got figured out. Let me get to the basic facts without boring you with all the nostalgic details:

When: July 1-9th. I know traffic and busy campgrounds, but it works for my job schedule.

Places I need to ride to:
Start in Madras, OR (north of Bend)
Will route through Lakeview OR as it's a pretty town and Klamath falls is ugly.
Lake Tahoe CA (Grandparents used to own a motel with a pool)
Angels Camp (Other grandparents lived here)
Eight Mile Lookout site, north of Dinsmore (Grandma worked the lookout after pa died)
Redwoods (old family photos)
Florence, OR (been there lots)
Cottage Grove, OR (family owned donut shop for about a year)
Blair Lake above Oakridge, OR (good camping memories)
Back to Madras

How I Ride
Riding Wee-strom with 50/50 tires 200+/- mile range
Try to travel light - no computer, not tons of crap
Love dirt and gravel, hate sand and mud when loaded
Twisties are what the bike was made for, so bring it on (36 looks awesome)
Will probably do 70% paved and 30% dirt but open to more dirt if it's awesome riding
Prefer to ride away from all the people, RV's, crazies
Enjoy the mountains more than the valleys
Will camp probably all but one night. Don't mind bush camping.
Don't like to plan my stops, but let the location tell me when it's time to set up camp
Food is not a big deal so restaurant ideas aren't important and I don't drink so the bar scene is N/A
Trying to stay off any 4 lane.


Here a picture and link to a Google route I threw together quickly. Looking for any and all ideas. This route currently is about 1,700 miles. Since I have 9 days, I can expand it some if there are places worth going. I usually don't ride more than 6-7 actual hours in the saddle. So with stops that comes out to 7-9 hours from campsite to campsite.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Ma...,15,18&t=m&z=6

Click the link above to be able to zoom in.


View Larger Map

[WRC51]

That looks like a nice route. Before you blast across HY36 if you have the time, you could check out the Ave. of the Giants riding it down to the Bull Creek/Honeydew exit then head West to the Lost Coast Loop. That will take you along the coast (heading north) and you will end up in Ferndale back near the 101 for your 36 crossing. Before I moved North I rode alot in the Sierra foothills, it looks like your route might be along HY88 as you leave Stockton. There is alot to see in the Gold Country,alot of small towns that have great history from the past. Ione, Murphys, & Jackson are just a few great towns in that area .

[TwilightZone]

>"exit then head West to the Lost Coast Loop. That will take you along the coast (heading north) "

Alternative route... more nice back roads. Lots of camping, not a lot of cars, and very 'backroads' experience.

Go down the to the 'Lost Coast' from Ferndale.
Take a right at Honeydew to Ettersburg and Shelter Cove Road, Visit Shelter Cove
Back on Shelter Cove road to Redway/Garberville
Alderpoint road to Kettenpom,
Zenia/Kettenpom road to Ruth Lake
Ruth Lake to Hwy 36
Hwy 36 South Fork Mtn summit left on FH1 to Hwy 299 (backroads=nice)
Hwy 299 to Willow Creek (10 miles)
Hwy 96 north to Salmon River road (camping)
Salmon River to Hwy 3
Hwy 3 south to Weaverville
Weaverville to Hayfork
Hayfork to Hwy 36
Hwy 36... Take the road from Platina to Igo/Ono... best tight-twisty road !
Ono back to 299 or... ?

Have a GPS ?

[NorCalslowpoke]

Originally Posted by TwilightZone

>"exit then head West to the Lost Coast Loop. That will take you along the coast (heading north) "

Alternative route... more nice back roads. Lots of camping, not a lot of cars, and very 'backroads' experience.

Go down the to the 'Lost Coast' from Ferndale.
Take a right at Honeydew to Ettersburg and Shelter Cove Road, Visit Shelter Cove
Back on Shelter Cove road to Redway/Garberville
Alderpoint road to Kettenpom,
Zenia/Kettenpom road to Ruth Lake
Ruth Lake to Hwy 36
Hwy 36 South Fork Mtn summit left on FH1 to Hwy 299 (backroads=nice)
Hwy 299 to Willow Creek (10 miles)
Hwy 96 north to Salmon River road (camping)
Salmon River to Hwy 3
Hwy 3 south to Weaverville
Weaverville to Hayfork
Hayfork to Hwy 36
Hwy 36... Take the road from Platina to Igo/Ono... best tight-twisty road !
Ono back to 299 or... ?

Have a GPS ?

Don't think you will regret taking this route, nice backroads, probably avoid a ton of traffic. These are great roads.

You probably know this but never hurts to mention: That time of year can be pretty hot (100+), especially in the valley, try to time the Sacramento Valley/southern/Gold Country riding for the early am, have some gear for hot weather. Watch for deer at dusk, especially Highway 36.

Cheers

[lvscrvs]

Nice route.... couple of suggestions...

After you leave Tahoe and hit Markleeville, head up 89/Monitor Pass before you go up 4/Ebbetts Pass... even if you do it as an out-and-back to the vista point up top, it;s worth it.

When you get to Lake Oroville, take Bucks Lake Rd north to 89. Less traffic and better riding than 32.

FH1 is awesome....

[MadChap]

Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. Looks like I could easily spend several days riding great roads in a rough square between the coast and I-5 and from Red Bluff to north of the border. So many awesome options that if I don't do some riding in circles I might miss some great stuff.

Maybe I'll make camp for two nights and just ride the area with a lighter bike.

When I think about riding the Oregon coast, I know I really need to ride it from north to south so I'm on the ocean side of the road. Makes it much easier to pull off for pictures. So I'm thinking of reversing my route. If I find the north coast too appealing I could pull the plug on Tahoe/Angels Camp and stay in the north. I like to keep my options open when I'm riding and stay in the moment without having to get somewhere. I usually like to have way more routes than I can use.

Thanks for the warnings about the heat. I live in the high desert of Central Oregon. That's why I like the mountains more than the valleys. I have a mesh jacket and will be picking up some mesh or just well vented pants before this ride.

And I do ride with GPS and usually have all my routes loaded up in case I want them. I love my maps and don't hesitate to spend good money on purchasing more of them. I'll be picking up a Benchmark Atlas for California as I love the ones I have for Oregon and Idaho. I'll probably order the maps for Klamath and Trinity National Forests.

Keep the suggestions coming. I dig pouring over my maps and really getting them locked into my brain. For me planning the ride is part of the fun of the trip.

Thanks everyone!!