Motorcycle Road Trip: Tahoe and a National Park No One Knows About

"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
08/10/2018 at 11:30 • Filed to: ADV Monster!

Yeah, that happened. In July . In California. Lassen Volcanic National Park. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll back up to the beginning of the day.

Before I get into this, I gotta say, there are some great driving roads along this and yesterday’s routes. Like the priest grade roads between groveland and Jamestown. Can’t tell because my maps are zoomed out too far? Let me fix that for you. ENHANCE!

If you really want to blow your mind, pull that up with a topographical layer.

Anyways... Finally feeling better and safe to ride again I was finally in my way to Tahoe, albeit not to camp now, just to check it out. But not before seeing this wonderful, wonderful sign shortly after setting out for the day!

Ok, now I’m in my way for real, I swear. Hmm, not much to tell actually. I guess there’s a lot more to CA than LA and the beach. Who knew? Well I made it to Tahoe in time for lunch, so I had a burger in the very crowded and touristy South Tahoe.

After that I headed north through Truckee, which I thought seemed like a cool little town, and beyond that into the hinterlands of California, if you can believe such a place exists. Up past lake Almanor, which was a pleasant surprise to see, having never heard of it and not expecting to see such a beautiful place.

Which brings me back to the beginning of my tale today. At a stop, planning out my route, I saw a national park I hadn’t heard of before, way off away from anything, Lassen Volcanic National Park. Well I thought that just sounded like bee’ s knees, so off I went!

Didn’t get there until maybe 5pm, so I couldn’t really stop too much unfortunately. There weren’t many people here compared to everywhere else I had been which made it even better. The whole place has steam and volcanically active areas so it’s really cool to see and absolutely worth a trip.

I didn’t even stop here as much as I would’ve liked, I just didn’t have the time, and there is way cooler stuff I didn’t get pics of. Behind that snowy photo there is a tall peak with a hiking trail leading to the top. No idea how far it is or how long it would take, but I want to do it. And because I’m a dumbass I didn’t take notes or pictures to try to remember.

By the time I was through there it was about time for food, which meant it was almost dark, which meant I had better find a place to camp for the night. I wanted something easy so that’s what I went for.

This was just north of Redding. Turns out actual campsites along the I-5 corridor are heavily trafficked and highly regulated (more so than anywhere else at least, but they are still campsites) so I couldn’t really secure a great one on a moment’s notice. Yeah, I could’ve gone the dispersed route on BLM land, but it was getting dark and I wanted easy because the next day was going to be a slog and I was tired.

Salt Creek I think this was called. It was not as cool as the pics make it look. It was kind of trashed and I could sometimes hear highway traffic. But it worked.

The next day was the last day. Just a boring jaunt up I-5 to home. I’d done this bit dozens of times. And didn’t need to go exploring because it’s all close enough to be explored on a weekend.

I hope you enjoyed all this as much as I did. If you missed any, there were a bunch, I lost count, go back and check them out. Search the AdvMonster tag or go back through my posts. Bedebedede that's all folks!

DISCUSSION (12)

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 11:34

If you ever get the chance, stop by and check out Vikingholm by Emerald bay. The tea house is on the small island you can see in your picture. It’s an amazing place if you dig just solid craftsmanship.

Also, the Amador county fair has an amazing antique engine exhibit.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 11:37

Awesome. I’ve not only been to Lassen, I’ve hiked to the top of Lassen Peak . =)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 11:40

Lassen is such an odd place, it’s in California yet there is nobody there compared to other parks. We used to go there for our summer camping trips about once a year, typically in late July. I’ve hiked lassen peak and it is not too bad at all. Just make sure you have a full gas tank, as we would do around 250 miles from Redding and return .

CaptDale - is secretly British > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 12:39

Lake Almanor is a beautiful place

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 13:42

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States

There are 10 more of them than there are states, not to mention the 129 national monuments that sometimes become national parks. It wouldn’t surprise me if many people were unaware of a handful of them.

It looks like you made a turn at Jackson, CA. I’m very familiar with that area because an ex’s aunt lived up there. Definitely some great driving roads up in that area, particularly up in the surrounding hills. If you passed through Pine Grove and didn’t stop at Munnerlyn’s Ice Creamery , you missed out.

My grandfather lived in CA his entire life with the exception of relatively brief periods in DC and Snoqualmie ( WA) , during WWII. He very rarely left the state (almost to the point of avoiding it) , claiming that you could see every environment worth visiting within the borders of California because they’re all represented som ehow within the state , from the ocean through high mountains and everything between. Ironically, he died on a very rare trip outside the state within hours of crossing the border and it was probably the first time he had left the state in at least a decade.

Did you go see the Donner Party memorial park when you were in Truckee? It’s in the exact spot where everything went down, which is kind of crazy.

How is I-5 boring up there? Beyond Redding it starts getting curvy and scenic, then you cross a mountain, then there’s descending into Medford, the section between there and Grant s Pass, and some decent scenery until you drop into the really crappy Willamette Valley around Eugene. I guess I was always driving straight up I-5 or 99 from SoCal when I did it, so it was easily the best part after that long, boring, slog through the Central Valley.

Sweet trip!

Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 14:37

TIL there is a north/south road that goes right along the Sierra Nevada r ange.

Awesome, this makes me pumped for my trip, 5 days and counting. :)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
08/10/2018 at 15:40

Yeah, nice road, nice views, but feels like an interstate.

You're going to have a blast! What are you doing to carry your gear? Are you bringing bear spray?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/10/2018 at 15:51

I’ll need to peruse that list later.

I did go through P ine Grove but haven’t heard of that ice creamery before! Damn it!

We often say the same about Oregon. The whole west coast is really amazing.

No Donner party stuff. Didn’t even think about it, but it would’ve been neat for sure.

True, up to Eugene I-5 is pretty good for an interstate, but I’ve done it so many times it lost its awe factor years ago.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/10/2018 at 15:52

I bet the view up there is amazing.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street.
08/10/2018 at 15:55

That does sound really neat

Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/10/2018 at 16:43

For gear, I’m doing a milk crate on the back rack for 2 gallons of extra fuel, sleeping bag, and hammock. Saddle bags to carry toolkit, camera (I hope), water, and anything else that will fit. then a large duffel bag on the passenger seat for anythi ng else. I actually have a huge amount of space on the SS Honda Supertanker

Bear spray, wasn’t planning on it, perhaps I should.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
08/10/2018 at 19:07

Definitely bring bear spray. Especially if you plan on camping anywhere in any forest. There are signs for bears all over the place in the parks. You probably won't see one, but it's cheap insurance.