Enjoying the Freedom of the Open Road - 4th of July weekend Ride.

I decided to take the long way up to see my friends who live in a beautiful golf community in Lake Shastina. It was a fun ride with some drama on Bucks Lake Road discussed here.


Also, Doug (Bugnatr) posted a Bucks Lake ride report here - so I will start my ride report after the Bucks Lake portion.

Hwy 89 through Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park is still closed with a projected opening date of July 9th, so I rode around Lake Almanor on Hwy 147 to Westwood and took the Mooney Road short cut to Hwy 44.


After my tank slapper drama, I had some "psychological difficulties" taking my hands off the handlebars, so it took me a little while before I started taking pictures, it wasn't until I was on Hwy 44 nearing Hwy 89 junction when I started taking pictures again...


Mt. Lassen





Snow covered Mt. Shasta peeking over a fire ravaged landscape.





Probably started as something like this...fire season is upon us again in California.





Getting closer to Shasta - it captivates your eyes as this white dominating apparition in a sea of green.





Riding through the town of Mt. Shasta at the foot of a towering Volcano.





Hippie art.





Not sure what that is...but it looks like a volcano blowing its top and a mushroom cloud - hmm not very optimistic for hippies!





Take a picture of your motorcycle next to a volcano and hippie road graffiti - Check!





This is Bear Country - I had a deer encounter later on the trip home, wish there were more bears to feed on them!





Took a short ride up Ski Run Blvd before turning around...





Black Butte as seen from Ski Run Blvd.








On Big Springs Road heading towards the private community of Lake Shastina. They are in a Banana belt and get very little rainfall and are considered high desert country.





Lake Shastina - this is the fullest I have seen it in 3 years. Still has another 8-10 feet to go to be considered "FULL".





A different view of Mt. Shasta.





Take a picture of your bike, a volcano and a golf course in the same picture - Check!





Welcoming party at my friends' place - Puppies!





This unassuming fellow bit me - oh the joys of puppy training! Not sure who told him I also go by Puppychow!





We Barbie'd some Tri-Tip out on the deck.





That's quite the view while eating out on the deck!





Puppy training another puppy at the local park.








This was my reward!

It was a long ride home on Monday - but short on pictures, as these great motorcycling roads begged to be ridden without stops!


I headed towards Gazelle on Old Hwy 99 to catch Gazelle Callahan Road to Hwy 3.


Old Hwy 99 towards Gazelle.





Parting view (I thought) of Mt. Shasta from Gazelle Callahan Road.





An old barn on Gazelle Callahan Road.





A Castle (or so it looked like) on the hill.





Hwy 3 after it opens up towards Trinity Center after some very tight and technical twisties.





I rode through Weaverville and got on Hwy 299 East, then took the Hwy 3 exit heading south to Hayfork. My GPS kept up the tradition of trying to get me into trouble when it told me to take Wildwood Road off of Hwy 3 as a short cut to get to Hwy 36. So I did - this was a deserted road, however once past the settlement of Wildwood, I was greeted by this...





The rest of the road wasn't that great either, lots of debris on the road - it was a goat trail! This road was also where I had an encounter with a fawn who jumped out on the road and started running in front of me as I emergency braked. She was running looking back at me and my scrubbing off the speed seemed to disorient her as she lost her balance fell on her face and dragged across the road for a bit before getting up and disappearing back into the forest. Fracking rodents!


I made it to Hwy 36 and headed back East - Hwy 36 was a fun twisty roller coaster ride with up and downs - mucho fun! The only pics I took on Hwy 36 were past Red Bluff, where I got another peek at Mt. Shasta from this far south!





Mt. Lassen was also up ahead.





I continued on Hwy 36 to catch Hwy 32 into Chico - this road has real potential when it is not plugged up by a convoy of trucks hauling boats. I should have continued south past chester and caught Hwy 70 to Oroville instead of going through Chico to Oroville.


Once on Hwy 70, I exited south of Oroville and got on Oroville-Bangor Highway. Before I got on that road - I saw a sign which Bustanut Joker would find very appealing!





From Oroville-Bangor Hwy I caught Loma Rica road to Marysville Road to Hwy 20 and Hwy 49 into Auburn and then home to Folsom. About a 450 mile day ride back home! It is always good to be back home safe and sound!

Thanks for reading! :)