It was near a perfect night’s sleep. In bed early, the neighbors were courteously quiet, and and sound of the stream by the campsite, although low, made for great background noise.

I awoke with a decision to make. Hang a right out of camp and I get to ride one of my favorite roads in California – Hwy 36. Well, at least 120 miles of it. Of course that means slabbing it for hours on 5. Or, I can take 101 all the way down. Given that I haven’t been on 36 since Billy Bartles and I were through here back in ’11 – Hwy 36 won. Here’s why:

Still a little foggy

But burning off

Almost perfect road

the view

The road beckons

And it is tempting pick up the pace

In 120 miles I counted around 35 autos or trucks, 9 motorcycles and 6 deer. Most of the cars (including the two police suvs) were near Red Bluff. I think they depend on the deer to slow down the speeders. I only got one shot of a hoofed deputy after having dodged her crossing.

Check out the lightened area

Getting near Red Bluff

That was about as perfect of a morning ride as one can have driving east. Knowing I had a 1:30 PM client call, I stopped in Red Bluff and calculated where I’d need to be at 1:30 to have a cell signal, grabbed a coffee and hit I-5. Nothing to see here, so no pics, made my call, ate lunch and made it home around 4PM.

This was a delightful trip and it only whetted my appetite for another longer trip. We’ll see if I can fit one in this fall. Thanks to everyone involved for making this a great mini-vacation.

Today’s Mileage: 297

Mileage: 297

Final Count was 6 days and 1430 Miles

Final Count – 1430 Miles