The Left Coast
Washington (State!)
I-5, exit 128. B, MB, C. Wildlife, including seals, herons, and bald eagles in the spring. The brackish water of Chambers Bay is the center stage for all the excitement. The fish migrate from the saltwater to the freshwater and attract interesting predators. Across the street is a nice little path through the woods that is quite a workout; hiking, or biking. Look for parking off I-5, by all the chain restaurants on Sprague avenue. Take 74th street to Custer rd SW, go west on Steilacoom blvd, all the way down the hill to the city of Steilacoom, take the first through street on the right and take a right on Lafayette which will turn into Chambers Creek road. Follow road until it runs along a little bay and continue until just before the bridge.
B, MB. Washington: exit 136. Swan Creek Mountain Bike Park. 3.55 Miles from Loves. Go south on Pacific Highway (west of the truck stop) for a little over a mile. Turn left on Portland Avenue and climb for approximately a mile and three quarters. Turn left on 44th and at Roosevelt take the street behind the school (not in front of). Slip through the gate and head south east. This is a mountain bike park thoughtfully designed as such. If you find sport in bombing downhill and plowing into hikers from blind corners you’ll be disappointed, otherwise this is the mountain biking equivalent of teenage boys discovering the power of dreaming. Down Karl. The park has the type of signs you’d find on a ski slope – green circle, blue squares, black diamonds, and yellow moons. (The park is small enough to mix and match trails – I rode most of the trails within an hour.)
I-82, exit 36. B. Park at the Gearjammer. Yakima Greenway. Not many truck stops are this close, within walking distance, to shopping and restaurants. But what’s a nice restaurant if your hair isn’t sweaty and plastered to your head? So, go out the Gearjammer the way you came in, go under the freeway and the Yakima Greenway is straight ahead. It’s paved, follows the river and is pretty flat. In the summer months volunteers patrol the path dispensing cold drinking water. Delicious. By the time you get back you should be ready to plop into a naugahyde booth, bath in the air conditioning, and order some food.
I-82, exit 80. D. Park at the Shell (Horse Heaven Hills Travel Plaza). Across street to the west is an excellent café/restaurant with a forgettable name. Maybe I’ll remember to jot it down next time. Family run, a lot of stuff made from scratch. UPDATE: I don't think their in business anymore.
H. Washington: exit 47. Granite Mountain Lakes? (Should have written it down while it was fresh Karl!) Park on the shoulder and tromp through the grass to the left and onto the road. Follow west until you hit the trailhead. Nice little hobbit-like trail through the forest. It is a deceptively quick climb in elevation which rapidly becomes apparent through copious amounts of perspiration. I only did an hour’s worth roundtrip, so I didn’t go the distance and see what attractions might have lain in wait.
I-90, exit 54. B, H. Park in the immediate dirt lot. Pacific Crest Trail. Follow the dirt road back to the trailhead for the gentler hike, or go down under the freeway and up the road to the other trailhead for a more rigorous hike. I did the latter. There is a lake to aim for with the former, and the later is more forested. The Forest Service ladies said there isn’t really any single-track to speak of, but there are logging roads and the paved roads offer plenty of scenery. They had a story about a spectacular mud slide that took out a chair-lift and some house(s?).
B, MB. Washington: exits 106 & 109. Manashtash Ridge. Park at Loves, or Flying J (look to be the same distance). From Loves exit lot as if returning to I-90 eastbound. Turn left on Thorp Highway, left on Hansen, and left on Cove until the trailhead. (5.2 miles Pilot to trailhead). Sandbag it there – pace yourself: it’s over 2 masochistic miles straight up, all but the very beginning and last 100 yards or so virtually too steep to pedal. It’s more like mountain climbing, but with a bike instead of pitons. Pull out a notebook from the green ammo can and write something witty (like “SEMITOURIST.COM was here”) before going back down the way you came. On the way up you’ll probably be tempted to take the path off to the right amongst the big pines, but by then you’d almost be to the top. Anyway, that’s the downhill trail – backtrack to there after reaching the summit.
B, MB D, C. Washington: exit 286. Park at Flying J. Spokane, Washington home of Bloomsday one of the biggest foot races in the country (world for that matter) & Hoopfest, THE biggest 3 on 3 tournament in the world. Factoids, schmactoids. Do see the Spokane Falls in the spring if you can - lots of water moving quickly, powerfully. Dam! Unfortunately, yes. (I am a fan of energy, but am aware that fish need to be killed, air browned, or tortoises baked to get a charge out of life. Still, an unleashed Columbia would be one of the world's greatest wonders.) Anywhoo, the Centennial Trail connects Spokane & Courer d' Alene and roughly follows the Spokane River. Heading from the Flying J to Spokane, Sekani Mountain Bike Park is on the north side of the street. It packs the potential to split your noggin widely apart, so pick your trails accordingly. That said, whee!
B, MB. Washington: exit 136. Swan Creek Mountain Bike Park. 3.55 Miles from Loves. Go south on Pacific Highway (west of the truck stop) for a little over a mile. Turn left on Portland Avenue and climb for approximately a mile and three quarters. Turn left on 44th and at Roosevelt take the street behind the school (not in front of). Slip through the gate and head south east. This is a mountain bike park thoughtfully designed as such. If you find sport in bombing downhill and plowing into hikers from blind corners you’ll be disappointed, otherwise this is the mountain biking equivalent of teenage boys discovering the power of dreaming. Down Karl. The park has the type of signs you’d find on a ski slope – green circle, blue squares, black diamonds, and yellow moons. (The park is small enough to mix and match trails – I rode most of the trails within an hour.)
I-82, exit 36. B. Park at the Gearjammer. Yakima Greenway. Not many truck stops are this close, within walking distance, to shopping and restaurants. But what’s a nice restaurant if your hair isn’t sweaty and plastered to your head? So, go out the Gearjammer the way you came in, go under the freeway and the Yakima Greenway is straight ahead. It’s paved, follows the river and is pretty flat. In the summer months volunteers patrol the path dispensing cold drinking water. Delicious. By the time you get back you should be ready to plop into a naugahyde booth, bath in the air conditioning, and order some food.
I-82, exit 80. D. Park at the Shell (Horse Heaven Hills Travel Plaza). Across street to the west is an excellent café/restaurant with a forgettable name. Maybe I’ll remember to jot it down next time. Family run, a lot of stuff made from scratch. UPDATE: I don't think their in business anymore.
H. Washington: exit 47. Granite Mountain Lakes? (Should have written it down while it was fresh Karl!) Park on the shoulder and tromp through the grass to the left and onto the road. Follow west until you hit the trailhead. Nice little hobbit-like trail through the forest. It is a deceptively quick climb in elevation which rapidly becomes apparent through copious amounts of perspiration. I only did an hour’s worth roundtrip, so I didn’t go the distance and see what attractions might have lain in wait.
I-90, exit 54. B, H. Park in the immediate dirt lot. Pacific Crest Trail. Follow the dirt road back to the trailhead for the gentler hike, or go down under the freeway and up the road to the other trailhead for a more rigorous hike. I did the latter. There is a lake to aim for with the former, and the later is more forested. The Forest Service ladies said there isn’t really any single-track to speak of, but there are logging roads and the paved roads offer plenty of scenery. They had a story about a spectacular mud slide that took out a chair-lift and some house(s?).
B, MB. Washington: exits 106 & 109. Manashtash Ridge. Park at Loves, or Flying J (look to be the same distance). From Loves exit lot as if returning to I-90 eastbound. Turn left on Thorp Highway, left on Hansen, and left on Cove until the trailhead. (5.2 miles Pilot to trailhead). Sandbag it there – pace yourself: it’s over 2 masochistic miles straight up, all but the very beginning and last 100 yards or so virtually too steep to pedal. It’s more like mountain climbing, but with a bike instead of pitons. Pull out a notebook from the green ammo can and write something witty (like “SEMITOURIST.COM was here”) before going back down the way you came. On the way up you’ll probably be tempted to take the path off to the right amongst the big pines, but by then you’d almost be to the top. Anyway, that’s the downhill trail – backtrack to there after reaching the summit.
B, MB D, C. Washington: exit 286. Park at Flying J. Spokane, Washington home of Bloomsday one of the biggest foot races in the country (world for that matter) & Hoopfest, THE biggest 3 on 3 tournament in the world. Factoids, schmactoids. Do see the Spokane Falls in the spring if you can - lots of water moving quickly, powerfully. Dam! Unfortunately, yes. (I am a fan of energy, but am aware that fish need to be killed, air browned, or tortoises baked to get a charge out of life. Still, an unleashed Columbia would be one of the world's greatest wonders.) Anywhoo, the Centennial Trail connects Spokane & Courer d' Alene and roughly follows the Spokane River. Heading from the Flying J to Spokane, Sekani Mountain Bike Park is on the north side of the street. It packs the potential to split your noggin widely apart, so pick your trails accordingly. That said, whee!
Oregon
B. I-5 exit 174. Cottage Grove. Chevron and McDonalds both are supposed to have parking. I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. Find a truck and park by it (or
find one and park as far away as possible, either way). The Row River National Recreation Trail is 15.6 miles of smooth, flat asphalt. There’s covered bridges along with the usual Oregon colors you see when the rain finally stops and the sun comes out.
Towards the end of the trail there is suppose to be a mountain bike trail. That’s kinda pushing the amount of time I allot for traveling to a destination.
B. I-5 exit 119. Roseburg. Park at Loves. Go through the light (highway 99) and continue until you go under I-5. Hooked to the underbelly of southbound I-5 is the Roseburg Trail (or whatever the locals have named it). The trail makes use of existing roads and nonexistent signs. But, it’s a pretty straight shot. First disappearing act is at the fair. Follow the road through the fairgrounds, and take the residential dead end street going north. The trail picks up again and you’re peachy until you get to the stoplight
and high school. Skirt around the western flanks of the school and the trail picks up under I-5 again. Take a right and follow the river away from the freeway noises.
B, H. I-5 exit 45. Rogue River State Park. Park at the rest area. Coming in you’ll cross the bike path. Nice little 3 mile or so path along the river and through the woods that takes you into downtown Rogue River. Quaint little town, with a few appealing looking eateries. Another time. Also, there are some hiking trails along the river, off limits to bikes. Blackberry bushes border the path, but I’d be wary of popping them down your gullet: the eastern side (field side) of the path warns of sewage dispersal. (Explains the brief truck parking lot smell. Really, it’s brief, quickly forgotten and the trail is one of the prettier ones.) UPDATE: Across the street (ok, interstate) is the trailhead to Mountain of the Rogue mountain bike trail. Carved out of the hillside just a year ago (spring of'15) it is a masterfully planned trail in that it doles out little carrots of descent after each little push uphill. It's not a technical ride, except for some token placements on the trail down, but rather a nice one for bombing down. Plenty of wildlife - I heard them scurrying, although some rustled, and some of the bush displacement noises could have belonged to animals larger than squirrels. I kept moving. More menacing were the mosquitoes which are drawn to co2, so try not to breathe. Also, down the road near the California/Oregon border I picked up a tick from ankle high cheat grass. Also, the hill is covered in poison oak ("leaves of three, best not pee," um, 'cause you might be a girl, or, nevermind). So stay away or you will die!
Meanwhile in the Klamath Basin, plans are in the works to obliterate cheap power, specifically, the Governor is set to demolish four dams along the Klamath river. Yay for the salmon! (Not being facetious.) To compensate for the lost energy production a massive solar farm will be built that will produce enough electricity to power up to 2,000 homes (Medford: pop 78,500 +/-). Yay for complete disregard for economic ramifications!
B, MB, D? I-5. Oregon: exits 24, & 33. Medford/Central Point/Ashland, Oregon. Park at Petro, or Pilot. Find the trail just over the curb behind Pilot’s fuel island, or the northeast corner on the auto side (at Petro cross the freeway, and river and there it is on either side). Nice little trail that every once in awhile escapes the droning hum of the interstate. I suspect good eats lurk near the trail. Hope to find out in the near future. UPDATE: The Bear Creek Trail extends from Central Point all the way to Ashland, about 16 miles if straightened out. In the summer, Ashland attracts hordes of tourists who like to pretend they understand English. This phenomenon can be linked to Ashland’s hosting of this country’s first Shakespeare Festival. Maybe I’ll attend someday, but frankly it’s all English to me. But, just past the Theatre in the Round lies the torturous road going up to the White Rabbit mountain biking trails. Mercifully, there’s not a lot of climbing on the trail itself. So, if you got the time and energy to spare here’s how to get there: from Petro jump onto the Bear Creek trail until it ends in Ashland on Helman street. Take Helman to Main and follow into town. Turn At the town’s epicenter onto Pioneer and gawk at the Theatre. Turn onto Fork street and follow it although it looks like it becomes an alley. Fork will dump you onto Glenview drive. Follow Glenview until you find Ashland Loop road. Stay on Ashland Loop as it becomes gravel and stay on it until you’ve shed 3 or 4 gallons of sweat. You should arrive at the trailhead before hallucinations get to be severe (assuming you’re in shape, hydrated, and the ambient temperature is below 100°). If you come across a mirage that looks like a parking area, that’s the trailhead. Avoid Alice in Wonderland (or BTI off of it) unless you have superb brakes, and are ready to leave. . UPDATE: 5 miles to Jacksonville and Britt Woods from Withram "truck stop" a relic on life support (restaurant & bar with regulars) from another era. Weathered Manzanita trees, twisted, smooth, red enchant this trail.
MB, B, H. Oregon I-84 exit 97 eastbound, 104 westbound. Park at Pilot (4.7 miles east) or on the shoulder by the park. Deschutes River Recreation Area. Can’t much closer than this. I’m stoked about this discovery. My big horn sheep photos come from just around the bend, and park wildlife signage depict enormously horned sheep. The trail was breathtaking (the
clouds of gnats were thicker and more pervasive than the drizzle that day, so I had to keep my mouth shut). Anyway, once I got off the gravel trail and onto the single track the gnats mercifully disappeared. The path is not especially challenging, but it is a nice ride with great scenery, and there is that potential for wildlife.
MB. I-84, exit 188. Park at Pilot. I stole this (and a few others) from Singletracks an indispensible resource for finding mountain-biking trails throughout the US. Otherwise, I never would have guessed that Echo, Oregon is home to one of the more enjoyable trails around. This incredible trail features sagebrush as if they were thoughtfully placed gates in an Olympic slalom event. It’s fast, fun, curvy and gives you an appreciation for the northwest desert that you might otherwise be hard-pressed to acknowledge. So, head west (right) out of the parking lot towards Echo. Turn right onto Main street and go through downtown Echo, over the Umatilla River, two irrigation ditches, and up a very slight hill. Then turn left onto Snow road (gravel) and take another left when you get to the windmill. Follow road to the bottom of the hill. Trail obvious on the right. Suggestion: stay upwind of the gravel trucks – a few of the drivers are rednecks and courtesy (not to mention safety) are not considerations. Thanks to most of the truckers who were courteous/safety-conscious.
X, H. Oregon. I-84 Exit 230? Park at the rest area. Behind the northbound Deadman’s Pass rest area is a dirt service road that climbs up the hill to the cell towers. The road also continues straight, but that takes you onto restricted Umatilla Reservation land. So, go up. Take a camera just in case: I saw a few deer, and many of their friends’ tracks in the snow. The maintenance guy at the rest area says he recently saw the paw-print of a black bear. Anyway, the area is pretty, and the snow is often fresh. But, best of all you can ski down coming back (as opposed to the usual glorified walking of cross-country).
US-95
D. Oregon: exit 909 Highway 95 West, Jordan Valley. Rock House Coffee. This is a damn fine place to enjoy a cup of coffee. Their porch is just the place to recuperate from the mind numbing deserts of Nevada and Oregon.
US-97
H. Oregon: exit Peter Skene Ogden Scenic Viewpoint (between Redmond & Madras). The signs warn you to keep your kids on a leash and your dogs in the car. Good advice. The cliff is sheer and doesn’t bottom out for 300 feet. The wall is secure enough, but it stops just beyond the train trestle - the cliff doesn’t. Throw in some sagebrush for camouflage and a chipmunk, or two to instigate the chase and, goodbye Fido. Gorgeous area. Watch your step. UPDATE: MB, H. Smith Rock State Park is just down the road from Terrebonne, which in turn is just down the road from PSOSVP (see above). All told, under six miles to the park. This is another photogenic gem (or, big slab of rock). Rock climbers, therefore, are drawn to the sheer cliffs like upwardly mobile lemmings. There is a trail entrance just past the pumpkin farm, or further down the road there is a far gentler trail. To get there from PSOSVP: go south on US-97 into Terrebonne and follow the signs to Smith Rock State Park. (Or if you can find a nook, or cranny in Terrebonne to park, that’d save a few miles of pedaling.)
MB. Oregon: exit Bend. Bendonites are under contractual obligation to be seen staying active year-round. They believe this bolsters the community’s utopian image and draws more tourists. So of course Bend is bike friendly. But it is not truck friendly. I suspect town folk haven’t completely come to grips with the Wal-Mart; a truck-stop would cause cerebral hemorrhaging. Anyway, on the north end just as you come into town there is a Target on Robol lane. Seven and a half miles from there you’ll find the trailhead to Phil’s Trail, in the Deschutes National Forest. There is a trail system and the Forest Service map in the parking lot shows the area nicely. Phil’s Trail is the most well known and the one I took. It’s so gentle I only dismounted once, and that was ‘cause of snow, not terrain. Get into a rhythm going back down and slalom through the trees. So, to get there: Franklin avenue takes you to the center of Bend. Follow Franklin to Riverside and cross the bridge on Tumalo. It turns into Galveston (doesn’t look much like Galveston). Follow Galveston until it turns into Skyliners road. Two and a half miles down the road will be the entrance to the trailhead – it’s marked with a brown bike sign.
MB. Oregon: exit Chemult. Park at the Pilot. Walt Haring Snow Park. Ski in the winter and bike in the summer. O.K., I haven’t gotten around to trying cross-country skiing yet, but when/if I do, this might be the place. As far as biking goes, just head down the road, or down the alley. Mosquitoes are at the top of the food chain there so be sure to lather up with plenty of deet.UPDATE: Chemult, Oregon is the Vail, Colorado of all truck-stops (baffles me how Vail has resisted a mega truck-stop up to this point – surely they must know how easily trucking could transform their image?). Anyway, just walking across the parking lot in the winter requires many of the same moves used in cross-country skiing. Why not try out those moves on white snow? Take the road in the northwest corner of the parking lot, cut north just before the treeline (there’s probably a path) and at the end of that path is a junction….aw screw it; just head due north and you’ll run into the snow park road. You can follow the highway and be certain of finding the road, or you can do like I did and poke around on snowmobile paths, and cut across virgin snow until you hit the road (I asked a guy plowing snow, whom* I’m pretty sure was Toby Keith, and he confirmed my suspicions – just cut across the field). Anyway, I explored the skipark parking lot, but followed the road north looking for a shortcut back to town. I turn south on a groomed trail innocently named Play Time, or Play Something, but after a few miles I retraced my route – until I saw a sign that said, Chemult, Services 2 Miles. It seemed longer than just following the road to the highway, but who wants to ski along the highway. So, I finally found a hill – up; no news there. Until that moment I firmly believed cross-country skiing was uphill – both ways. But, this trail truly had a downhill. An icy downhill. It was Chemultuous! (I’m sorry, but this word said, “contrive what you have to, but I must get out!”) Anyway, I found my way back (no, I didn’t follow the Yellow Snow Road). Sled dog races are held the third weekend in January, but I was there the first week.* I use who & whom interchangeably – can’t be bothered enough to understand the rule. I usually use who indiscriminately, but in this instance Word suggested whom, and I figured, ah what the hell.
MB. Oregon: exit Klamath Falls. Park at Molly’s. Nice, scenic little place. Lake, mountain views. Just keep your mouth shut, or else: or else swallow some bugs. Noseeums, or gnats? (Double negative?) Whatever they are, avoid the occasional cloud. So, go south on 97 about three miles to main. Go west (right) on main, up the hill left on rogers a block, right on cypress and the park is just past armour.
US-101
D. Oregon: exit 279 N. US-101, DePoe Bay. Tidal Raves. 11:00am – 9:00pm. 541-765-2995. Imagine scrambling out of your yacht after having been dashed against the rocks. Now look around. Other than the flotsam of yacht wreckage, that’s what the view is like at Tidal Raves. The food is spectacular as well. But sadly, no valet parking; you have to park on the street. That stretch of highway boasts the world’s smallest harbor (DePoe Bay) and the world’s shortest river (umm…Lincoln City maybe, who took these notes!).
Northern California
MB, D. California: exit 736 (or better yet, 737 northbound). Enter from south of the city so you can park on the east side of the street (I usually park just north of the Thai restaurant). Ride through the city, past the park and the high school and Gateway Trails trailhead is 9/10ths of a mile past the high school. Nice curvy, banked single-track gently winding higher and higher up the hill. (I haven't had the opportunity to explore further than what an hour and a half roundtrip will allow. Someday. Soon, I hope.) The City of Mt. Shasta, population less than my eight fingers and two opposable thumbs, boasts TWO Thai restaurants. Haven't tried either yet, just tossing factoids about. Seven Suns on the other hand (ignore the fact I used both hands in the previous sentence) has damn fine coffee according to my wife. (Internet reviews claim the Thai restaurants are good too.) Mount Shasta can yield photographic keepers, but from the trail it's a little like sitting in the front row at an IMAX movie.
I-5, exit 726. H, B. Park on the shoulder, plenty of room. Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. To the west of I-5 is the Pacific Crest Trail, to the east paved, turning to dirt roads into the hills. Both beautiful. The PCT (as forest service rangers inelegantly refer to it) runs from the Canadian border in Washington to the Mexican border in California. Obviously, you commit to hiking the whole thing or not at all. (Fine, do it your way, I don’t give a …) Anyway, this segment of the trail leads to a picnic area complete with a telescope for the picture-postcard views of Mount Shasta and Castle Crags. (While I was there an impromptu tutorial broke out on how to couple an inexpensive point & shoot camera with a telescope to produce zoom-lens photos. “Just put the lens up to the eyepiece; it really works.”) The uphill hike took me about an hour at a very brisk pace. No big tragedy if you don’t have the time, or energy, to get to the top; it’s pretty much the same view you see for miles as you approach Shasta.
H, B. California: exit 724 (I think. Left my notes in the truck). Park at the Chevron (I think. See previous). Always kinda suspected you could park up there comfortably; you can. As opposed to the previous exit, Castle Crags State Park allows bikes. Take the main trail if you know what’s good for you – Bob’s Hat (or something like that; again, original excuse covers this) is straight up with virtually no rest, or switchbacks even until the top. I like unending pain as much as the next guy, but…Oh, speaking of unspeakable (ha, don’t mention it) pain, the park folk advise against sneaking up on cougars. (’11 was a wet winter, so slather up with the DEET.) Update: Main trail peters out, disappears, you'd need an Indian scout and hound dogs to find it. So, Bob's Hat it is, or take the paved road up and proceed from there. Or, ask the ranger for directions at the park entrance.
I-5. C, H, B. exit 595. Northbound, park on extra-wide shoulder just before refuge entrance. Southbound, park on entrance shoulder. The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is the largest in a complex of gated communities in the Sacramento valley. It has every amenity a travel-weary bird could want (with the exception of cultivated rice, which is just a few flaps away). If it sounds a bit too perfect, it is: it’s all manmade. Because it was 90% man-destroyed: blame the farmers and sushi-eaters if you must, but birds really love the rice fields (no harm no fowl, unless it’s hunting season.) Anyway, it’s a nice re-creation and many animals live there (300 some species). During my brief tour I encountered a pair of deer, and what I thought were another pair of very small deer, but then they raised up on their haunches, so obviously SNWR is also home to the elusive jackelope (the picture didn’t turn out). If those pair of rabbits (if that’s what they were) had attacked President Carter, there would be no Habitat for Humanity.
I-80
B, C. exit 81. Park at Valero (West Sacramento). California State Capital, etc., etc… And you thought that trucking would never allow you the opportunity to take your florescent pink, skin-tight, Lycra® Tour d’ France riding outfit out of the closet. Wrong! Sacramento is the fancy-pants (and shirt) capital of the bicycling nation. In fact, Sacramentans (Sacramented? Nah, that’s not nice) seem pretty comfortable in their own skin (tights). Just remember to keep right; they are fierce peddlers. For film buffs the state capital is just a few blocks further east. The Terminator was filmed there, or something like that. I don’t have any fine dining recommendations other than to follow a politician (which might lead you to a whorehouse, which might inadvertently expose the congressman, which most likely would sully the reputation of the whorehouse, so nix that suggestion). Anyway, to get there: Head East, save my life I’m going down for the last time…Dum, de Dum, Dum, woman with a sweet love’s better than a white line…wooaaaaaaaaaaah!!! So, like I was saying, go east on West Capital Avenue. Cross the bridge and the bike path follows the river; or, go straight (ha, no pun inferred) to get to the capital.
I-80, exit 174. H. Exit 174 rest area (or close to it – Donner Pass Summit in any case). Pacific Crest Trail at Donner Pass. A spectacular place to work up an appetite. Seriously though, this is not the place to tell your beloved that they look good enough to eat. On the eastbound side take the ½ mile Glacier Peak Loop which will connect you with the Pacific Crest Trail. Westbound, the Pacific Crest Trail is behind the rest area building. Today I was surprised to learn that the rest area was open (after a number of days of heavy snow). I passed it last year during a storm and it was closed. But today was sunny, clear as a bell. So, I threw on my snow gear and proceeded to expend the energy I saved from not chaining up. This is a spectacular time of the year to tromp around. It would have been even better to be one of the cross-country skiers that passed me. Someday I will stow some skis on the truck.
US 101. D, C, B. California: park at Pilot exit 326b southbound, 326c northbound. Salinas & Monterey. All over Salinas strapping homeless men can be seen paying homage to Steinbeck by heroically avoiding gainful employment. Together with the agriculture, the packing houses, and the trucks fighting for parking they help to preserve the Steinbeckian ambiance.
Walk a few blocks north (under the freeway) on Sanborn to east Alisal street, take bus from there to Monterey. Fine dining seems to be concentrated in the few blocks between your disembarkment at the Monterey Bus Plaza and Fisherman’s Wharf. Look (but not too hard ‘cause they’re everywhere) for Adventures by the Sea if you feel like tooling around in kayaks or bicycles (including tandems). Look for guides cleaning fish on the pier and I bet you’ll find a harbor seal (I saw one in such a location and also 3 or 4 playing near the beach).
US-395
MB. California: exit Susanville. Susanville Ranch Park. So I was racing the sun down the hill, feeling in the flow, enjoying an aha! insight about the similarities between skiing and biking, when a large rock abruptly reminded me of the differences. Got a few souvenirs from that one, maybe some keepers – time will tell. Anyway, the embrace started to get awkward, so I pushed myself off the rock, got back on the bike and continued down the hill. On the straightaway I got a head of stream going and turned the corner onto the last bit of trail and nearly slammed broadside into a deer. We both startled and he bolted 25 yards up the hill before gaining his composure and staring at me. Hell of an outing not to have strapped on the faux-pro. Park on the street by McDonalds, or at the brake check area at the top of the hill. From McDonalds, go east on Main street then turn right on Roop road for two or three blocks and look for trailhead. Alternately, from brake check area head downhill (watch for cars, you’ll be on the highway) 2 miles and turn left on Roop road (may need to overshoot Roop & double back so as not to cause injury to self).
California 158
MB. Park at the brake-check pullout on the eastbound side at the summit. Plenty of space. Pacheo State Park is very popular amongst the bovine crowd. Gigantic rolling hills, ancient knarled oak trees. Bucolic. Nice double track (unused dirt road) with challenging slalom courses featuring organic obstacles. Good place to pair a workout with bombing madly downhill (then repeat). I visited in the winter, but I would bet if you timed it right in the spring the hills would be alive with the sound of wildflowers, especially California Poppies. Beautiful, bucolic, botanical, and alliterative.
Southern California
I-5, exit 176b. MB. Park at Pilot (if possible – parking’s pretty competitive being it’s the last truck stop before LA. There is some street parking too). Castaic Lake State Recreation Area. Go north out of Pilot on Castaic road, right on Lake Hughes road, left on Ridge Route road, and right on Castaic Lake drive. Go thru the park’s main gate, turn left and stay on the left hand road. Just past the maintenance/dump area is the path and about 50 yards on the right is the single-track trail.
I-10
I-10, exit 61. MB. Park at one of the truck stops. Jurupa Hills Regional Park. Go south on Cherry street, left on Live Oak Avenue. Behind the city park is the regional park. Trail is off to the right (sw). This approach is pretty steep and I do a lot more hiking & pushing than I’d like to admit. Another, mellower approach is to turn left (east) on Jurupa and enter at the park there on Sierra (& Jurupa). I haven’t explored that way much, but somehow it connects and you end up at the park on Live Oak. (I’ll work on better directions next time I’m there.) Minor Update: When you reach the dirt road heading east, go up it just shy of the paved road and the trail will resume and loop back around the mountain.
C, D, B, H. exit 61, or 57. Pick a truck stop. Los Angeles via Metrolinktrain. $22.00 for a roundtrip ticket from Fontana to downtown LA. Ticket includes bus transfers on LA Metro buses; I jumped on the 733 which is an express to Santa Monica, the pier, and the beach. The trainride ends at Union Station, which is suppose to be the last of the great trainstations. Built in 1939, Union Station is a popular movie set; in fact, they were filming a music video when I arrived. Across the street billiantly feathered Aztec dancers leaped about for us tourists. So, I felt obliged to snap off a few shots. After capturing the local color, I stolled down Olvera street, between the oldest buildings in LA, and settled in at La Golondrina restaurant. I took the waiter’s recommendation and avoided the temptation of a stereotypical choice. Stuffed, I staggered to the bus end of Union Station and hopped on the bus. It was late, the sun was going down, and I thought, I bet nobody’s ever taken setting sun shots from Santa Monica. So, I found a place in line and took my share of cliched sunset pics. I rode my bike to the train station, but the 82 (Omnitrans) goes there too. By bike to Fontana station is about 4 miles. To the Rancho Cucamonga station it’s a little over 1.5 miles from TA (I haven’t figured out by bus yet). Update: The credit card reader at the Metrolink dispenser wouldn’t take my card. A lady who had ridden the bus with me said that it didn’t take her’s either yesterday. “You have to use cash,” she said. So I dug out my cash and again selected round trip when she said, “No, no, no,” in her New Jersey filtered Nigerian accent. “Buy the weekend pass for ten dollars.” So, having gained $12.00 to apply
towards beer I thanked her profusely. “On most Saturday mornings, a man comes down here and sells his ticket that he used Friday night. Sometimes you can get it for seven or eight dollars.”
