Rich,
I just looked at the Fortuna area on the Gazetteer. HOLY CRAP! 36 goes on forever! :yahoo:
Looks like my kinda place. :clapping:
If it were me, I'd probably spend 2 nights in Fortuna. There's a reason we NorCal riders go over there for a 3 day weekend pretty much every year. Stay at either the Comfort Inn or the Super 8 across the parking lot (stumbling distance) from the Eel River Brewery.
Hwy 1 north to Fortuna is just terrific, and you won't find a more sublime set of rhythmic twisties on good pavement anywhere than Hwy 1 between where it turns inland from the coast and where it hits 101 at Leggett. Just above Garberville, detour off 101 to ride Avenue of the Giants (a quarter to half mile east of 101 and paralleling it). Destination Fortuna with food at the Eel River Brewery, sleep across the parking lot.
While there's more than one way to bag these roads, and a lot more good roads up there, the following is one idea about bagging the essentials in two days.
First morning go north on 101 from Fortuna lodgings to 299 east to Willow Creek. Then north on 96 along the Klamath River to just above Yreka. Then south out of Yreka on 3 to 299 west. 299 west to 101 south and back to Fortuna for more rest, food, alcoholic beverages.
Next morning, 36 east all the way to 89. (I'd reroute this to send you east on 44/299 (from Redding or Red Bluff to hit 89 above Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park so that you can ride 89 south through the Park IF it's open all the way through by that time of year. Really worth seeing and riding, but they get a lot of snow at the top, so it might be worth a telephone call to the ranger station there.) South on 89 to Graeagle, where you take Gold Lakes Road to 49 at Bassetts. West and south on 49 to Nevada City and 174 south to Bugnater's in Peardale, or continue on 174 to 80 west to Auburn where you're also welcome to stay here (couch in condo available and garage space).
Those are a couple substantial days of riding, and there are ways to reroute or shorten them if you like. But IMHO, those are the "essential" roads in the Eureka - Fortuna - Red Bluff area PLUS the very killer route on 49 from Graeagle to Nevada City.
If you want to ride around Lake Tahoe, you're going to be here at the ideal time -- before the kids are out of school and the tourists pack the roads. From Auburn, I'd be happy to reprise the "Back Way Ride" -- up what remains of old Hwy 40 most of the way to Truckee, lunch on the Lake, circle it and back to Auburn -- a fun, less long day with some really good riding and classic camera opportunities. Next day could start a serious 2 or 3 day education in our favorite passes and routes over, across and up and down the Sierras before spitting you back out in Sacramento.
