Headin' for Them Thar Hills

[Tyler]

Been busy the past couple of months getting my house ready to sell so not a lot of riding time… house went on the market last weekend so I decided to get the hell outta Dodge and head for the hills… slabbed it across the Central Valley and met up with a friend who lives just outside of Valley Springs, Cyndy… she invited another friend of hers, who I had actually met a couple of years back on another ride (small world!)… Cyndy rides almost full time so is a plethora of local road knowledge so she took the lead and we were off to the races…

We rode along the Pardee Dam which was refreshingly full before taking a new to me road, Tonzi Rd… it’s a one lane road that in some places makes the term “goat road” an understatement… but some beautiful scenery along the way…

If only I had a rear-facing camera for this shot… as I heard the crunch of tires on beaten pavement… a fish & game warden came up behind me as I was assuming a deep squat to take the photo… I slowly turned around and he said, “You okay?” to which I replied, “Yes sir! Just taking a photo to show my friends the crazy road I’m riding today!” He smiled. And I then said, “No speeding tickets on this road!!” And he laughed.

He followed along behind me until I caught up to my riding companions and then gave us intel on the roads ahead and what to avoid to stay safe… cool dude…

Water crossing completed safely…

Lots of green, many ponds, and a few local bovine who watched us pass by…

 

[Tyler]

We had a lovely lunch in Sutter Creek and said our goodbyes as I headed to visit Doug/bugnatr and his lovely bride, Gayle, in Grass Valley… we had a great dinner and I, as always, had a heavenly sleep in what they now call “The Queen’s Room” cause that’s where I always stay… the next morning, Doug led me and friends Tom and Sachi on a merry romp in the Sierra foothills… it was a beautiful day and this was a solemn reminder to enjoy each day because we never know when it will be our last…

Temps were warming up so we shed some layers and continue on our way… lots of lupine in bloom…

As well as scotchbroom… evidently it’s not a welcome plant for many but I enjoyed the color and the sweet aroma as we headed for Bullards Dam…

The dam was the fullest I’ve seen it in quite awhile and was actually dumping water…

The boys ogled this pristine bike which was new to the rider and on its maiden journey with him…

 

[Tyler]

Dougie led us into Camptonville off of 49 for lunch… we all agreed it was one of the best meals we’d had on the road… small place, friendly people, and the food was exceptional… Doug vowed to set up a ride to eat soon…

Whimsical mermaid theme throughout the restaurant…

And pinwheels adored the street as well as in the trees…

And then we continued to climb in elevation toward Alleghany on some roads that were quite delicious… Dougie will have to chime in on the names here cause I was just following for a change…

And then we hit the mother lode of snow across the road… we considered seeing if we could maybe squeeze through but without knowing what was further up the road, we decided to turn around…

Pretty damn decent view of the snow capped mountains…

 

[Tyler]

And this road on the way into the bustling town of Forest City…

Okay when I said bustling, I was being facetious… didn’t see nary a soul when we were there and the town consisted of about seven buildings with at least three of those being pretty worn down…

The town museum was closed…

And I got a history lesson from Bugger about the mining operations and equipment that was still standing…

The boys doing some mansplaining on how they could fix the place up…

And with that, we continued back to 49 to find some roadwork happening on a section of 49 that had slid away…

We headed back to Bugger’s place to have dinner with Tom and Sachi as well as Robert and Terri… it was quite a feast…

And then the required shooting the breeze around the firepit…

The next morning Doug was heading to SF to pick up a new toy and I headed out to visit another friend of mine who lives in Shingle Springs… she has a ranch and several critters, horses and mini-burros and goats and recently added a new addition named Buckley, an abandoned 5-week old Scottish Highland cow… I got to get into the pen with him and give him some lovin’ since he was missing his mama… what a love bug he is!!

And then it was time to head back to reality along some of my favorite roads before hitting the slab and head for home…

Thanks to Cyndy for showing me some new roads and as always to Doug and Gayle for another lovely weekend and their hospitality… I always feel like I’m home there…

FIN

 

[escapefjrtist]

Wonderful pics and ride Tyler, thanks for sharing the trip with us!

--G

 

[puppychow]

You actually rode? Bug didn't make you spend 4 hours swapping out the center stand between the KTMs?

Too bad I missed coming out THAT weekend. Looks like I missed a great time..

 

[Tyler]

You actually rode? Bug didn't make you spend 4 hours swapping out the center stand between the KTMs?

Too bad I missed coming out THAT weekend. Looks like I missed a great time..

We missed you, Sam...

 

[Bugnatr]

Great pictures Tyler, we always enjoy your visits to out neck of the woods. You were close, but we were in downtown Forest City. Sierra City is just over the hill and a much larger community with at least 200 residents.

Sam, your help was much appreciated today and we did make to the same lunch spot in Camptonville. Next time more riding and less wrenching.

We're blessed to have such good friends.

 

[puppychow]

That was a great place for lunch. Pretty fuckintastic sammich!

Thanks for lunch Bugs!

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Great ride report and photos Tyler as always!

Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[FJRay]

As usual a great report Tyler. We are going through that area on the way to YFO .

Where are you headed when you sell the homestead. Hope you escape the city.

 

[Tyler]

As usual a great report Tyler. We are going through that area on the way to YFO . Where are you headed when you sell the homestead. Hope you escape the city.

May be up your way after YFO... are you heading home straight away or doing some other stuff?

Not sure yet... I'm currently residing in a friend's mother in law cottage behind her house and will settle here for a bit and catch my breath... house sold in about 3 days... now just waiting for the 30 days to elapse. Beyond that I'm thinking further north and out of the Sillycon Valley... maybe the wine country or possibly up to the foothills above Sacramento... not sure yet and don't need to make any decisions at the moment... I think I want to do some (more) traveling this year so not really looking to get tied down to a new house right away. B)

 

[FJRay]

As usual a great report Tyler. We are going through that area on the way to YFO . Where are you headed when you sell the homestead. Hope you escape the city.

May be up your way after YFO... are you heading home straight away or doing some other stuff?

Not sure yet... I'm currently residing in a friend's mother in law cottage behind her house and will settle here for a bit and catch my breath... house sold in about 3 days... now just waiting for the 30 days to elapse. Beyond that I'm thinking further north and out of the Sillycon Valley... maybe the wine country or possibly up to the foothills above Sacramento... not sure yet and don't need to make any decisions at the moment... I think I want to do some (more) traveling this year so not really looking to get tied down to a new house right away. B)

Haven't decided on a route home yet. Thought about a coastal route depending on weather but don't want to deal with traffic and cities. We can talk at YFO.

 

[Niehart]

Right back at you Bugnatr. We're blessed to have you two as friends.

We're blessed to have such good friends.