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I don't even know where to begin with a report of today's ride---geez, what a SUPER day! It's
been tough to unwind from such an energizing day!
Awoke this morning refreshed from yesterday's battle with heat & traffic. Dusted the remaining
bits of vegetables off the bike and headed back for I-5 north. As I was leaving the motel I came
across this rather unusual critter caution sign:
(gotta love the bird poop on the last ducky, eh?)
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My plan to blast the heat then get a good night's sleep and awaken to cooler temps and no traffic
paid off... left Redding in cool weather, the smell of tall Ponderosa Pines, and a clear view of
an open road. The bike and I danced through gentle sweepers with the Sacramento River
flowing alongside for miles and miles. I kept looking for a safe place to pull over but
couldn't find such. I became so frustrated I rerouted my GPS to “avoid” the interstate and
take “minor” roads in hopes it would get me near the river. I took the next exit, crossed
a train track and in less than 60 seconds from I-5 I struck gold!
While I was on the bridge taking pictures a man walked by and commented on my bike then noticed
my AZ tag and quipped “oh, wow, you've come quite a ways.... are you headed back?” I paused
then said “heading towards Key West, FL by way of Washington and Maine.” The man looked at
me then turned towards one of the cabins and YELLED “Honey, get the kids and get over here, you
gotta hear this!!” Well, I met the whole crew and we all talked on the bridge, one kid asked
me “can it beat the batmobile?” Oh, my, the experiences to be had when you take the road less traveled!
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The couple told me while we were on the bridge that the area is called “Sweet Briar Camp.” Quaint
little cabins lined the crystal clear river. They also told me about a cool waterfall
nearby. Sweeeet! Off I went (yes, in full gear, including boots). The effort paid off:
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The same track going back to I-5 had a rather extended delay thanks to the, um, train:
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What agriculture is for central CA, recreation is to Northern CA (or just “NorCal” to us locals).... you
name the outdoor activity and it's probably in NorCal. I passed signs for a plethora of recreation
areas just off I-5. Not too long after leaving Sweet Briar I came around a right sweeper and glanced
up to see Mt.Shasta in all it's 14,162' glory. Yes, that's snow pictured:
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Today's sign award goes to “Shasta Sewage” for their advertisement “we stand behind our work.....
waaaaay behind it!"
Passed another sign today that declared I was at the “highest point on I-5, elevation 4,310' Siskiyou Summit.”
My quickly thrown together pre-ride planning included using one of my favorite guides, the National
Scenic Byways website. It showed 2 routes in Oregon that I really wanted to ride so I figured
after the I-5 blast I'd be ready for backroads and scenery so I loosely planned to do both the “Cow
Creek Tour Route” which is just north of Grants Pass, OR and then “Silver Falls Tour Route,” which
is east of Salem, OR.
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After taking the exit for the Cow Creek route I stopped for gas. For those of you who don't
know, Oregon (and New Jersey) does not allow for self-serve pumping of gasoline. An attendant
must pump the gas, or if you are on a motorcycle they must hand the nozzle to you. Well, if
you are in a rural area then you'd better be prepared to operate on rural time, which today
translated to “I'll be out there in a bit...gotta feed the dog.” After he got fed, so did my
motorcycle:
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Cow Creek was spectacular. Words fail me at the moment, I think the pictures say it all anyway:
Good thing I didn't have my fishing pole or I'd never make Blaine, much less Key West!!
If you'd like more information and specifics on Cow Creek click:
HERE
I've ridden a myriad of these Scenic Byways and Backroads and I'm always impressed. This
one was no different. Simply amazing 45 miles of beauty and spectacular riding. Yes,
in conditions like this (riding solo on an unfamiliar road in a very isolated area) I do downshift
my riding style a bit. I passed 2 cars (going the other way) the entire route. It was
45mi of sheer and utter blissful riding in superior weather conditions.
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Looped back onto I-5 after Cow Creek and headed towards the next byway, Silver Falls. As
I approached 10 miles south of Salem the air seemed very hazy and the further north I rode the
more the haze smelled and looked like smoke. It looked like multiple areas of intentional
burning of farmland from a distance. I later learned it's called “field burning.” If
I said the smoke burned my eyes you might think, especially after yesterday's report, that I
have sensitive eyes or something. So, how's a pic for proof: |
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Nuts, huh? There were areas just like this everywhere! It's grass seed fields. Just
before hitting Silver Falls Route I stopped and asked a guy who was waiting to redirect traffic
because of the lack of visibility about the smoke. He said “the Indians use to do this all
the time.... it doesn't pollute the air it actually revitalizes it.” Um, ah, well, for one,
Tonto didn't have a John Deere and two, I've never had my eyes burn from something that supposedly
revitalizes the air. He said “it's not really that bad.” Oh, so you're out here ready
to redirect traffic why again? Unfortunately, the air quality affected my Silver Falls run...
you're supposed to be able to see Mt Rainier and Mt. Hood. I consider myself lucky to have
been able to see the falls. The road itself was twisty and just a delight:
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Beautiful even with the smoke:
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If you'd like more information and specifics on Silver Falls Scenic Byway click: HERE
No regrets today, James!
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