Cross Country Trip
Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:29 am
Southern Oregon and northern California are a biker's paradise. You're early enough that there shouldn't be a lot of tourists. I will just list a selection of fine roads in this area, but you'll have to do the route planning:
US-199 between Grants Pass, OR and Crescent City, CA
* There's also a road that runs from O'Brien, OR on US-199 to Happy Camp, CA on CA-96 that is really quite nice.
CA-96
CA-36
CA-3
Matolle Rd. from Ferndale, CA to Weott, CA on US-101 "The Lost Coast Road"
Even US-101 is nice through northern California, and you should try to take the parallel route called "The Avenue of the Giants", which runs through the redwood forest.
As you head south on US-101, absolutely you have to turn onto CA-1 at Leggett. This stretch down to Westport is better, longer and less travelled than "The Dragon" in North Carolina, IMHO.
CA-1 will take you all the way to SF, and it is gorgeous on a clear day, with great views of the rocky California coast, but it will take you all day to do so. If you want to cut over to US-101 and shave off some time, you will find that both CA-20 and CA-128 are great roads.
You will naturally be tempted to take I-80 from SF to Reno. If you have to make time, US-50 from Sacramento to Carson City, NV is nicer. Nicer still, but time consuming, is one of the smaller pass roads like CA-88 (Carson Pass) or CA-4 (Ebbetts Pass), that wind through the California gold country.
I live in Santa Cruz, about 80 miles south of SF. If you have time, perhaps we can get together.
US-199 between Grants Pass, OR and Crescent City, CA
* There's also a road that runs from O'Brien, OR on US-199 to Happy Camp, CA on CA-96 that is really quite nice.
CA-96
CA-36
CA-3
Matolle Rd. from Ferndale, CA to Weott, CA on US-101 "The Lost Coast Road"
Even US-101 is nice through northern California, and you should try to take the parallel route called "The Avenue of the Giants", which runs through the redwood forest.
As you head south on US-101, absolutely you have to turn onto CA-1 at Leggett. This stretch down to Westport is better, longer and less travelled than "The Dragon" in North Carolina, IMHO.
CA-1 will take you all the way to SF, and it is gorgeous on a clear day, with great views of the rocky California coast, but it will take you all day to do so. If you want to cut over to US-101 and shave off some time, you will find that both CA-20 and CA-128 are great roads.
You will naturally be tempted to take I-80 from SF to Reno. If you have to make time, US-50 from Sacramento to Carson City, NV is nicer. Nicer still, but time consuming, is one of the smaller pass roads like CA-88 (Carson Pass) or CA-4 (Ebbetts Pass), that wind through the California gold country.
I live in Santa Cruz, about 80 miles south of SF. If you have time, perhaps we can get together.