Fire Ride

[gregory]

Since it was going to be in the 90's, I thought I would take a little trip to check out some of the places hit by fires this year. Got a somewhat early 8 am start and headed out of Redding on 299. I know that everyone loves 36, but 299 is just as fun with lots of high speed sweepers and tight twisty's thrown in to boot.

Whiskytown Lake, one of the reasons we can stand the summer heat here.

Little bit of 299

I had yet to ride 96 North of Willow Creek, and I was solo and did more riding than shooting, so there are not many shots prior to the fire ones. 96 is a great road, and I had a great time riding it. Except when the dogs got overly friendly and ran out to greet me on two different occasions. Oh, and the squirrel, well, he didn't make it......

I did see this dude,

Who, I think was trying to catch up with this guy

Instead of taking 96 all the way into Yreka, I bailed off on Scott's River road, where the Happy Camp Complex fires had left this

Crews were out felling the trees that needed to be taken out for safety

While I was taking pictures of what was left of this home, one of the locals came by to make sure I wasn't looting (guess they had some issues with that). She told me that the house had belonged to the town Historian and that all the records were gone. The remains of the house are past the line of trucks.

Even if the local hadn't come by, I was not going to disturb the site, as they had already posted these, so I was pretty sure the owner was trying to salvage what they could.

The local lady told me that the owner had owned the truck (said it was a 1950) since new, and that the town was looking for ways to try to get it back into working order.

Apparently, the owner raised chickens, and all the coops were destroyed, but as luck would have it, the outhouse mostly survived

I continued on Scott's River road toward Yreka, and I have no doubt that under different circumstances, it would have been a more enjoyable ride, but with all the fire equipment that had been through the area, there was gravel on just about every corner. As I got further away from where the fire was, it slowly got better and I was able to pick up the pace a bit.

I also stopped in Weed,

where they had a fast moving, devastating fire destroy a huge chunk of the town, but was unable to get to any of the areas as the cops had the area blocked off for debris removal. I did meet a couple of riders who were out and about and I chatted with them for a bit. They had some pretty cool bikes.

1991 CBR 1000

And a 1986 FJ1200 that the guy told me he had bought it about 2 months ago from the original owner and it was just getting ready to turn 9k on the clock.

We had a good chat for awhile, and then it was time to slab it home where the temp for October was a balmy 96 degrees.

In hind site, I wish I had gotten a shot of the FJ, and FJR together.

Greg

 

[Bugnatr]

Nice report Greg. I heard Abner Weed picked that location for his lumber mill and town because of the dry winds through that area to dry his wood.So sad the town lost over 150 homes in one afternoon due to those winds and fire.

96 is a blast!

 

[steveoreno]

A friend of mine's daughter is going to college in Weed and was at softball practice when the fires hit. She lost everything in the fire but her softball clothes.

 

[Cav47]

I believe I rode right through those areas this summer. Very sad for those that lost so much. The beauty of the area has some risks that just can't be avoided.

When I was on alder point road, I thought everything was so dry looking. Since I had never been to this part of California before, I was shocked at how most of the hills looked "golden".

I only remember a few towns out that way, but was Zenia and/or Ruth affected also?? I rode through both of those towns after dark and was scared out of my mind. I thought I recall seeing a Yeti souvenir shop too.

Thanks for the report.

 

[dcarver]

Nice, Thank You Greg!

Went through the same area a couple of years ago.. and a fire was burning then too.

 

[gregory]

Nice report Greg. I heard Abner Weed picked that location for his lumber mill and town because of the dry winds through that area to dry his wood.So sad the town lost over 150 homes in one afternoon due to those winds and fire.96 is a blast!

I was talking to a lady at the Weed Mercantile Mall, which seemed to be the central hub for relief efforts for the community, if they had figured out how the fire started yet. And while they had not figured out the source, she did tell me that the fire followed the path that Abner used to dry his lumber.

A friend of mine's daughter is going to college in Weed and was at softball practice when the fires hit. She lost everything in the fire but her softball clothes.

The same lady told me that the dorm was wiped out, and that the students were using the facilities at the Mercantile Mall to use the computers for papers, research ect. She was telling me some amazing stories of generosity for such a small town. Lots of efforts underway to raise funds to rebuild.

I believe I rode right through those areas this summer. Very sad for those that lost so much. The beauty of the area has some risks that just can't be avoided. When I was on alder point road, I thought everything was so dry looking. Since I had never been to this part of California before, I was shocked at how most of the hills looked "golden". I only remember a few towns out that way, but was Zenia and/or Ruth affected also?? I rode through both of those towns after dark and was scared out of my mind. I thought I recall seeing a Yeti souvenir shop too. Thanks for the report.

Cav47 the Happy Camp complex was North of the area your thinking about, so those Yetis are still ok. And you are correct, most this State is still very "golden" and ripe for fires to pop up just about anywhere