Northern_Cal_2004_P15

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Day 4: The Long Slab Home 786 miles

All things must come to an end. For me, it was a long ride home to the southern tip of California. I had to be home Sunday to prepare for Monday morning work. There�s no rest for the weary. A couple of other riders decided to join me, Ken and his Guzzi V11 and Russ and his Triumph Sprint ST. Unfortunately, since I lived the furthest south, I had the longest ride by about 60 miles.

We got started as early as possible without riding in the dark, about 6:30AM. It was cold that morning in Fortuna with clouds covering the sky. We rode north to Eureka to pickup Highway 299, which Russ recommended for its smooth, fast sailing and beautiful views. Since it was Sunday morning, the roads were nearly empty. All the better to make good time.

Following the River

Highway 299 headed east towards Redding. As it does, it goes over the Six Rivers National Forest, which is chock full of mountains. The road however, remains relatively low because it follows the path of the Trinity River. Well, it doesn�t stay at sea level but neither does it reach the high mountain peaks. The road was very well paved, with big turn offs, and it began with big sweeping turns as it started its gradual climb up to elevation. Being so early in the morning, the temperatures were very, very cold. We had to stop to put on our winter gloves and other cold weather attire. After a while, it was just too cold to ride on an empty stomach so when I passed by the first restaurant with the words, �Breakfast� on it, I stopped for some hot coffee and food. I believe the town was called Willow Creek. As we walked into the restaurant, all the patrons turned towards us three riders dressed in weird space suits! It was like the scene from a Western movie when a stranger walks through the saloon doors. All the locals there definitely looked the part of country folks, with their camouflage pattern caps and jackets and such. They were however, friendly. One of them joked when he invited us to ride with him on his dirtbikes. Hah-hah. Friendly banter. We didn�t get beat up. Instead, we got great service and very good, home-cooked breakfast.

Below: It was cccccold on the 299 around 7AM! We had to stop and put on our winter gear!

After breakfast, we gassed up and met a couple of Sport-Touring.net members on their way home to Washington: Ole Rocket and VFRfan. We needed to make time so we got out of town and headed further into 299's sweepers and smooth 30 mph turns. After a while, I started riding into a pattern. I could keep the VFR�s gearbox in one gear and just ride the sweepers and turns at a constant speed. All the while I kept myself awake singing out loud. I really need an MP3 player!

When the Sun rose up above the mountains, it warmed us up enough to remove at least my winter gloves. As we rode further east, the 299 began hugging the Trinity River. It showed us some of its beautiful views of the fast flowing river to our right. We also began to encounter a lot of sportbikers heading west. A sign of twisty roads in the area. Sure enough somewhere passed Highway 3, which is a very twisty piece of tarmac, the 299 got a bit tight with 20 mph turns as it lost elevation quickly. Unfortunately, we got stuck behind a few slow movers. I quickly dispatched a few of them so I could enjoy the turns.

After the tight section of 299, it straightened out as we entered the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. The road straightened out and I used the opportunity to pass a few vehicles that were holding us back. We passed by one of the cleanest Lakes I have ever seen. It was a rather large one as well. I got a good look at it as the 299 ran along the length of the lake. It had sailboats and a few small craft on it. The surrounding shoreline around the lake was lush green pine trees with a lot of little coves all along the shore. It was beautiful with water so clear & blue, I swear I could see the bottom of it. Then, it seemed like it was so sudden, we arrived in the town of Redding, CA.

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