We’ve had a great last couple of days exploring and riding. As we’ve got nearly 2 weeks of time to kill, we decided to come down the Washington and Oregon coastline, stopping in various places. We unloaded the bike a few times and explored the backroads and the likes…but the PNW weather isn’t always cooperative. It pretty much rained on us every time we rode. Meh.
But then we got back to CALIFORNIA! The sun has been shining and the temps have been magnificent! As much as I’m starting to dislike CA and it’s politics, it’s pretty damned hard to beat the motorcycle roads out here. I mean sure, there ARE great roads in other places…but nothing like we’ve got here in CA. At least not to the extent Cali has ’em.
I’ve done a little bit of riding in the Etna area before…but I hadn’t explored ALL the roads yet. This trip did not dissapoint.
On Weds, we boondocked somewhere along the eastern portion of highway 96. We got there in the afternoon, but still had plenty of time to unload the bike and ride 96, Scott Bar, and whatever that road is north of Seiad towards Oregon. :) All roads I’d previously not been on. And it was good.
Our camp for the night
Somewhere along Scott Bar road
1915 Bridge off Scott Bar
Our backyard for the night
Skip forward to Thursday…we went “all out.” Grabbed a nice spot at a local RV park in Etna, CA for two days so we can do some PROPER riding! :D
Home.
I’d done Sawyers Bar to Forks of Salmon and onto Somes Bar to 96 up through Happy Camp before… but I knew there were some treasures I’d not yet ridden here…and boy am I freggin stoked I did! Here’s a few pics…
Sawyers Bar Summit
Up near the Summit again. Photo credit to Brianna
On Thursday, we looped out of Etna to Sawyers Bar then down Cecilville Rd all the way back to 3 before taking a side route that paralleled hwy 3 back to Etna.
An actual WORKING pay phone!
A completely safe bridge
Non stop single lane fun!
There’s always time to stop and play in the snow.
Shortly after taking the pic of Brianna messing around in the snow, we came across a bear in the road. It was Brianna’s first time seeing one in the wild. It was also the first time I’d seen one in the wild since the Great Bear Debacle of 2011. Haha! I stopped long enough for Brianna to take a blurry picture. It’s on her phone though.
Today, Friday, we did more. The plan was to repeat Sawyers Bar to Forks of Salmon to Somes Bar then up 96 to Happy Camp…unfortunately, 5.5 miles from 96, Somes Bar is CLOSED. Proper closed. Normally, I can get around that kinda stuff…but the bridge was out and there were crews working on it. No way around.
No way around.
So we backtracked the way we came in, ate lunch, got gas, then went right back out to Forks of Salmon for more riding. Haha! The roads are too damn good!
Somes Bar…it’s pretty much death if you fuck it up.
That’s about it. We did about 80 miles on Weds, 110 miles of nearly all single lane goat trail yesterday, and another 180 miles of goat trails today. So good.
This was the vicinity of most of what we rode. Get out and ride! :D
Washington and Oregon coastline is simply amazing for riding. If someone wants to kill time, go to Sawyers Bar then down Cecilville Rd all the way back to 3 before taking a side route that paralleled highway 3 kms back to Etna.