Hello again from California! We are trying to catch up, but we are short on time tonight. So here we go...

8-7-2013 Tahoe City to Meyers, CA

A great scenery day, and getting to know Rt. 89 all over again. We left Tahoe City and followed a bike trail about half the way to South Lake Tahoe. Soon after the end of it, we had a short stretch of the Rt. 89 we have been on before. Narrow, twisty, high speed limit. But we got our shoulder back in time to enjoy the overlooks at the end of the lake. Emerald Bay is very scenic, and we could stop and park there only because we were on bikes. There was no car parking left. No worries. 

Emerald Bay View Point, South Lake Tahoe

Marty and Esther at Inspiration Point, South Lake Tahoe

We talked to a group of cyclists traveling together, and exchanged route notes. We stopped for lunch at Baldwin Beach and got free admission because we were on bikes. Good deal. 

Lunch at Baldwin Beach, South Lake Tahoe

After lunch, we started on one of the alternate routes suggested by the bike shop in Tahoe City. It worked very well! Low to no traffic and quiet. There were some challenges due to unmarked roads and a steep section, but no big deals. We only had to cross Rt. 50 to get to the campground, and that was enough for us. Once again we learned about trash and bears that night. Even after the camp lectures people about putting the trash in the bear proof dumpster, someone couldn’t get that done and we had a black bear come in and spread it around. I guess it had ribs in it. Yum. We had cleaned our camp really well and put everything inside the office. We had no visitors. We also could barely stay awake to 7:30 PM. Maybe the altitude? We are at 6300’. Or maybe just tired.

The Road to Lake Tahoe

Friday 8-2-2013 Childs Meadow, CA to Quincy CA

Today was a longer day by design, because we needed to get better aligned with the lodging on the route. It was not so hard to start, as we are still descending away from Lassen Park. The road got better for awhile, as it merged with route 36 and went along Lake Almanor.

Lake Almanor

We stopped for lunch near the Lake Almore Dam, at a nice little beach park. We continued through Greenville and Crescent Mills into a large valley. The next stretch was very scenic, but very dangerous.

Rt 89/70 Descends into the Canyon After Crescent Mills

Rt. 89/70 descended into a canyon along Indian Creek, and it was the most dangerous road I have ever cycled on. With limited sight lines and no shoulder, we watched semi-trucks and cars go flying through there. It had turn-outs, so we ended up sprinting between them when we could not hear them coming. Thank goodness it was a descent. I would never cycle that road again. It was an act of God that no one was hurt. We got out of the canyon and stopped for a breather.

Resting at the Rt 89 Rt. 70 Junction

The last ten miles to Quincy was a little better, with a lot of the trucks following Rt. 70 to the south. We climbed through the Feather River Canyon, which is famous for the rail line which also climbs up it.

Feather River Rail Line Snakes Under ...

And Over Route 89 Near Quincy

We still had fast traffic, but a little more room to deal with it. We finally got to Quincy and got a room. We talked to the locals here and they said the road opens up as we go south and we are into the weekend. That should eliminate most of the logging trucks. We have two more days to go on the road of death, so we will be careful. Do you want to cycle this route? Talk to us first.

Saturday 8-3-2013 Quincy CA to Sierraville, CA

A better day on Rt.89. We climbed out of Quincy to Lee Summit with a little shoulder and light traffic. The road follows the Feather River, then drops into the little vacation village of Graeagle.

Feather River Canyon From Rt. 89 

From Graeagle we climbed over another ridge, and descended into the Sierra Valley and Sierraville. The valley is really large and gave us Montana-like views. Really beautiful.

Big Pine Cones near Calpine

Rt.89 with Sierraville in the distance

We stayed at the Sierra Hot Springs Resort, which was a little different than we were used to. The resort is a spiritual retreat center owned by the Church of One Being (NACOB). It has a lodge, community kitchen, spiritual councilors, and offers various therapies like Massage and Rebirth. The main attraction is several hot spring fed pools. Nudity is OK here, and we were in a shower house with a group of nude people waiting for the showers. When in Rome… The campground is just a rutted field, which worked out OK. There is a drum circle tonight which lasts till midnight. Interesting place. As a final note, it turned out to be our most expensive campground yet, total cost of $60. It was weird at first but we warmed up to it and enjoyed it.

Sierra Valley from Sierra Hot Springs Resort

Sierra Hot Springs Resort

Sunday 8-4-2013 Sierraville, CA to Tahoe City, CA

We are off to Tahoe with one final day on Rt.89. We climbed out of Sierraville to a summit on the Nevada County line headed to Truckee. Things were good until we crossed over the county line and the road condition deteriorated. 

Near the Nevada County Line on Rt. 89

The edge of the shoulder-less road became broken up, and we had to hang out in traffic a little more. To add to the mess, the descent into Truckee was very busy with people going to I-80 in Truckee. It turned into a game of “hold your line” which was exhausting. As we got close to Truckee, a couple on road bikes noticed us and waited for us. They led us through side streets to get us off the highway and through Truckee. Thanks Karen and Andrew! They saved our day and our relationship (Smile). Truckee is also a famous railroad town, being the staging area for Donner Pass, a historic route dating back to the first trans-continental route. The road between Truckee and Tahoe is a busy freeway, but it had a sixteen foot shoulder which we could relax on. We cycled to the Squaw Valley entrance, and got on a bike trail which took us all the way to Tahoe. 

Squaw Valley, Site of 1960 Winter Olympics

The Bike trail was skinny, but not too crowded. It was fun to watch hundreds of rafters drifting down the Truckee River. 

Rafters on the Truckee River

We are staying about a quarter mile from the end of the bike trail, which is good as the traffic here is gridlocked. It is good to walk around and we are right next to the beach.

Monday 8-5-2013 Tahoe City, CA

We looked at our schedule and it looks like we will get to the Bay area on time with a little ingenuity. We have cycled over a thousand miles and too many thousands of feet of elevation to count and we still have some climbing in Yosemite to look forward to. Tahoe City is a cute little resort area. After our experience last week, we decided to talk to locals about the route ahead. We stopped in at Olympic Bike in town and talked to Peter, the owner. He may just have saved the remainder of the tour. He cautioned us about certain areas of the published route ahead. He gave local knowledge routes around the most dangerous areas and told us the best places to stop and eat. It now looks like we will spend a day in Nevada! It is obvious that he is passionate about the area and its history. We could not have talked to a better person. Marty bought a shop jersey and we would recommend that if ever in this area (Death Ride participants) you patronage this shop. He has everything you could need or want.

Sunny Afternoon on Lake Tahoe

Esther Hanging with her Mystery Man

Smokey Sunset at Tahoe City

Chilling in Lake Tahoe

Hi! We are alive and well and chilling in Lake Tahoe. Here is where we have been since last time.

Sunday 7-28-2013 Ashland, OR to Yreka, CA

We had noticed that the smoke was getting thicker, and today we were told that the Grants Pass, Oregon fire was growing. It is to the north of us, and no danger to us. So off we went to Siskiyou Pass. The road was quiet, gentle grade, and low traffic.

Climbing Siskiyou Pass

The excitement that morning was provided by some teenagers skate boarding down the pass. We saw them go by once fast and a little out of control. As far as I know, they lived through it. The top of the pass has a restaurant and a bar that the Pacific Crest trail hikers stop at for a drink (or two). We stopped for a snack and saw a few hikers. They looked like they had been in the woods for a while. After that we ended up on I-5 to descend into California. It is the only road there, but is safe and all downhill. We again departed the route on the advice of some locals and got off at a rest stop to take Rt. 263 into Yreka. Rt 263 is like Canyon Road near Yakima, rollers and warm. 

Kalamath River from Rt. 263

We ended up at an RV park in Yreka, and enjoyed the sunset with the large RV crowd. Great place, new and clean, but be sure to have them turn off the sprinklers at night.

Monday 7-29-2013 Yreka, CA to Mt. Shasta, CA

Today we took small roads that paralleled I-5 south to Mt. Shasta. The roads had great names like Easy Street, Old Highway 99, and Old Stage Road. We did notice the smoke in the air got so thick that we could barely see Mt. Shasta.

Mt. Shasta in Smoke

The smoke did not clear off that night, but we did check with the Forest Service. No local fires, and all the smoke was still from the Grants Pass fire. We also noticed a large population of young transients. We talked to one at the grocery store and he said there were at least 50 of them living in some camp by the river. There also were several firefighting crews resting at the Forest Service Headquarters. We were glad to see they were getting a break.

Tuesday 7-30-2013 Mt. Shasta, CA to Mc Arthur-Burney Falls State Park, CA 

Today we got our first look at CA Rt. 89. The Adventure Cycling route uses this road for the next couple hundred miles, and warns about it being narrow and busy. They are correct about that. We had one person in McCloud warn us about it and give us a run-down on the recent bicyclist fatalities. Rt. 89 is a busy road with many semi’s and RV’s. We came up with a system to get off the road when we saw truck traffic coming from behind us and in front of us. We got off the road several times an hour. It was very tense all day and we did not get to look around that much. We did try to find alternates, but had no luck at that. We found the traffic tapered off later in the day, but we only felt better after we were off the road. Just to add a little more excitement to the day, Esther had a bee fly into her glasses and sting her a couple of times. It didn’t look too bad at the end of the day (Smile). We stayed at a state park that night with really nice staff, nice sites, and a beautiful waterfall. 
Qunicy 447

Looking West from Rt. 89 near McArther Burney Falls State Park

Burney Falls

The waterfall is amazing because much of the water comes out of the ground on the face of the falls. They also had varmint boxes, to keep all the little critters from crewing holes in your gear.  The fire smoke seemed to have gone away today, and that was fine with us. It also cooled off into the 50’s at night. Good sleeping weather!

Wednesday 7-31-2013 Mc Arthur-Burney Falls State Park, CA to Manzanita Village, Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA. 

We woke up this morning and Esther’s eye had swollen shut over night. Guess the bee really did sting her. What do you think?

We had a little better day on the road of death today. The traffic was lighter and the heavy truck traffic died off as we approached the Park. The skies were clear and smoke from the fires up north was gone. 

Rt. 89 near Lassen Volcanic National Park

Memorial to Cyclist near Lassen Volcanic National Park

We ended up in a large campground just inside the park gate. We had not heard of Lassen Volcanic National Park before, and really didn't know what to expect. All we knew for sure was we would climb most of tomorrow to 8500 feet. We couldn't wait!

Thursday 8-1-2013 Manzanita Village, Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA to Childs Meadow, CA


Lassen National Park is the high point of our trip so far in a couple of ways. First, the park is beautiful: quiet roads, slow traffic, amazing vistas. Second, Lassen Peak summit was at 8500’. That is our highest road so far. The history of the park is similar to Mt. St. Helens, except it blew in 1914. It is amazing how much it changed the surroundings. The Park also had a major fire, the Reading Fire, in August 2012. 

Some of the Burn from the Reading Fire

Getting Close to the Top

Vista of Lake Almanor from Near the Top

The descent was a little nervous, as we had gusty winds on top which moved our bikes around. 

Getting Dressed for the Descent

The park is like a little Yellowstone, mud pots and all. We really liked it. 

Boiling Mud Pot 

We dropped out of the park and stayed at the first place we found. It was getting late and we were tired from the day. Childs Meadow is an old resort near the south park gate. 

Mt. Lassen from Child's Meadow

It was a very dated and weathered place, but it worked out fine. Esther kept saying something about the Bates Motel under her breath. We even got the owners opinion about everything also (No charge!).

Off to California!

7-25-2013 Union Creek to White City, OR

The next part of the Adventure Cycling route goes up into remote steep areas with no services for about two days. There is just nothing there. We thought about it and decided to head down to Medford on route 62 instead. Maybe we are getting soft, but we are also getting wise. And we don’t do wild camping (Smile). 

It was mostly downhill to Medford, but really warm toward the end.

Rouge River in Prospect, OR

Lunch in Joseph Stewart State Park

Lost Creek Reservoir from Rt 62 bridge

We took route 62 down to Eagle Point and stopped in a visitor center for lodging information. It was about 100 degrees outside, and we were melting. We found a room near the Medford airport in White City. We figured the tent would be really hot until 4AM, so we would sleep better in a room. We did plan to take a day off in Ashland, so we have a short day tomorrow and Saturday off. Good thing, as the weather forecast is for 100 degrees Friday and cooling off to high 80’s after that. One other thing has come up, and that is red flag warnings for forest fires. That could change our trip dramatically. We’ll keep you posted.

7-26-2013 White City to Ashland, OR

A little urban exploring today. We had heard of the Bear Creek Greenway yesterday from a local in Union Creek. It is a 20-ish mile long bike route from Medford to Ashland. We got a flyer for it from the visitor center and off we went. We found a lot of homeless people hanging around it in Medford, and some of the locals warned us about them. No worries, they were just part of the local picture. We stopped at AAA to get some California maps and we were in Ashland by mid afternoon. We found our Motel and a little Mexican restaurant and all was well. I have been hungry for the last week, and this is one time that I can eat as I feel. I just need to keep cycling.

7-27-2013 Ashland, OR

A slow day. We walked to downtown and looked around. Ashland is home to a Shakespeare Festival, which goes on all summer. We visited one theater and walked around the park next door. 

Main Stage of the Elizabethan Theater

The air here is hazy, maybe due to fires to the north of us. It seems to be clearing up as the day goes on. Ashland is also home to Southern Oregon University. It reminds us both of other small colleges. A nice little college town. 

Southern Oregon University

Tomorrow we are off to head into California via Siskiyou Pass. We are getting close to 800 miles. That seems to be going fast! And the wildfire situation seems to be better today, with some rain to the south of us yesterday. Good news.

Cooking in Ashland

Hello from southern Oregon! We are taking a day off and have all the key ingredients for blogging: Power, internet, and time. It has been really hot down here the last two days (100+ degrees). But we are in a room with AC, so all is good.
So lets get caught up.

7-21-2013 Bend to Lava Lake

Back on the road again! Today we climbed up to the Lakes region above Bend along the Cascade Lakes Highway. This area has lots of people who climb from Bend to the Mt. Bachelor ski resort on bicycles. Esther was happy to bug people by climbing her fully loaded touring bike as fast as them. Just give her a rabbit…. 

Mt. Bachelor from Rt. 372

Most all of the day trip crowd was gone after the ski resort, and we ended up at Lava Lake about 45 miles from Bend. Lava Lake has a forest service camp ground right next to a resort with a store, showers, and small marina. It is good for us because we can camp with full services at Forest Service prices. It gets very cold up here at night (40’s), so it is good sleeping weather.

The South Sister from Lava Lake

7-22-2013 Lava Lakes to Crescent Lake, OR

We went from Lava Lake to Crescent Lake today. The traffic today was very light, maybe a couple cars an hour. Nice relaxed cycling with only a little climbing. It did get hot today (90’s?), and we were tired at the end of the day. 

Upper Deschutes River below little Lava Lake

Cascade Lakes Highway near Davis Lake

Crescent Lake is another resort coupled with a Forest Service campground. We were too lazy to go two miles to the showers, so we sponged off in camp. We had a water front camp site and it was nice. The water is very clear in the lake. It is quiet up here at night, and the stars are bright.

Crescent Lake from our camp

7-23-2013 Crescent Lake to Lemolo Lake

Today we took a back-road route to Lemolo Lake today, Forest Service road #60 over Windigo Pass. The 60 road is mostly not paved, and is in poor condition. 

Leaving Crescent Lake that Morning

FS road 60 at the end of the pavement

The hot dry weather has made the road very sandy, like a beach. We had some thoughts about turning back after walking some stretches. We did persist, and we got better at beach cycling. The road is very rough at the top, and is pure four-wheel country. 

60 Road near Windigo Pass

The surface was harder, so we could ride over it easier. 

We made it!

The decent down was bad due to steep grade and a soft surface. We were very happy to get down to a paved road. 

The 60 road going down

We got to Lemolo Lake and ended up in a lodge room for the night. We were both beat up and tired after the ride on the 60 road. As a side note, we tried another back-country route to Lemolo Lake in 2007 using the 700 road. It was a disaster and we didn’t get to the resort till about ten at night. But that is another blog.

Mt. Thielsen over Lemolo Lake at Sunset

7-24-2013 Lemolo Lake to Union Creek

This was a hard day with some of the best scenery yet. It also had something else we have seen very little of, cloudy skies and even some drizzle! This worked in our favor since we climbed up and over Crater Lake. We have cycled up to the Rim village before, but this was the first time with fully loaded bikes. The cooler weather was nice, and we had no problems. 

Piece of cake!

Wizard Island in Crater Lake

Colors of Crater Lake

Crater Lake Rim Road

We stopped and took many pictures, and got concerned about the time. Our plan was to cycle down to Prospect, but we could not find lodging. We instead went to Union Creek, and again found a resort next to a Forest Service campground. Along with the beauty of Crater Lake, the decent to Union Creek along Rt 62 and the Rouge River was wonderful. Quiet road, large old growth trees, and the noisy Rouge River nearby. The river drops steeply and through a gorge near Union Creek. Very beautiful. 

Rouge River Chasm

Route 62 also drops at just the right grade to average about 28 miles per hour almost all the way. The 24 miles from Rim Village to Union Creek took about 70 minutes. Got to camp with time to eat dinner at Beckie’s restaurant, and have some world famous pie. The Forest Service camp sites are huge, and this campground was really nice in old growth fur and next to the Union Creek. We have had a full moon the last couple of nights, and that really is nice in the woods at night.