Lassen area dual sport ride reports

[motorrad]

The links presented here are the reports (pics) from the awesome Ray & Kimber planned enduro ride up in the Mt Lassen wilderness area. Fantastic time

Joe (joefromsf)
Kimber (kimber99)
Gary (Gary)
John (m0t0-ryder) and Tom (motorrad)

Ray (Lifeon2Wheels), his lovely wife Lori, Tom (Tomla), Benjamin, and Dale (GS-Ron) are stars in many of the photos posted by the riders with cameras. This was truely a group effort and all were key to making this ride/experience so much fun

[MyLife on TwoWheels]

This post has been a great resource Tom!!
Bumping it up so I don't have to dig it up every time I need to mine it for pics.

[dakariste]

Wow, very nice ride. I've never seen such a large group riding together out in the boonies! My kind of holiday, and very inspirational.

Three hand photography.

[motowriter]

Originally Posted by dakariste

Wow, very nice ride. I've never seen such a large group riding together out in the boonies! My kind of holiday, and very inspirational.

Paul, I'm really hoping we get out for a similar ride this spring. This was definitely among the most memorable rides I did in 2005 (and I did a LOT of rides with Pashnites last year). Ray and Kimber did a terrific job scouting out the trails a couple of weeks before we got together. Then it was 2 days and 2 nights in the forest, for the most part. Excellent good times with these good people. I hope you can join up for the next one. Maybe start the planning with Ray to get a new route together!

[dakariste]

I love scouting trails!

[MyLife on TwoWheels]

I don't have a gps...but I might be able to figure something out...

I was thinking doing it again in Sept., only maybe a couple weeks earlier, but the Spring's fine with me!
Looks like May is pretty booked up already, and April may be a bit too early, we'll have to keep an eye on the weather to see. Any suggestions?

[motorrad]

Originally Posted by MyLife on TwoWheels

I was thinking doing it again in Sept., only maybe a couple weeks earlier, but the Spring's fine with me!
Looks like May is pretty booked up already, and April may be a bit too early, we'll have to keep an eye on the weather to see. Any suggestions?

I thought the ride through Lassen N.P was an awesome wrap up to the trip. Would be cool if we planned it for when the roads clear up at higher elevation. I seem to recall they were still digging out around Memorial Day last year. Guess it depends on snowfall this Winter and Spring temps. Any time frame is good with me though that works best for all.

[MyLife on TwoWheels]

Originally Posted by motorrad

I thought the ride through Lassen N.P was an awesome wrap up to the trip. Would be cool if we planned it for when the roads clear up at higher elevation. I seem to recall they were still digging out around Memorial Day last year. Guess it depends on snowfall this Winter and Spring temps. Any time frame is good with me though that works best for all.

I don't think that Lassen opened up until the first week of July last summer.
I know that I got turned back by a blizzard trying to do 162 to Covelo last year in the second week of June.
We had some crazy weather last year.

[dakariste]

I just returned from the coast. It seems there is a ride for all seasons! I usually have several routes chosen and make the best of the weather and circumstances.
I was determined to make it to the coast this time so I took Hwy 20 over. I looked achingly at every 'off' but dutifully stuck to my course.

I experience one 30 minutes landslide delay between Willits and Ft. Bragg, but I made it to the coffee shop of my choice before the live music started.

On the way back I weighed my options. Usal Road to Chemise Mountain Road was a possibility. Crossing Hwy 36 like last week loomed. But, the weather was headed north and it was clearing from south to north. So, following my clues, the clouds and the showers I headed south to Mendocino for coffee.

It was sunny, so it took the Comptche Ukiah road over the mountains. What a pleasant ride. I chased the rain over the pass, the storm moving about 35 miles an hour so I pace myself in the lightest of mists and not in the heavier showers.







Lunch came soon enough in Ukiah where the clouds were just breaking as I leisurely ate lunch. A few mile zip up to the Hwy 20 crossing kept me in sunshine as I checked out the lake levels at Mendocino Lake (down due to releases) and Clear Lake (way up due to accumulation).
Rain clouds painted the mountains north so I did not take any of the cut off roads heading into them. I continued on 20 until it crossed 16. I've never gone down 16 towards Rumsey, so even this pavement trip had something new to offer. Cache Creek was raging and Bear Creek seemed barely swollen. If I had taken the road up into the hills at Upper Lake I would have confronted Bear Creek miles upstream on the way to Fouts Springs and Stonyford. I decided I was happy with my choice. Traffic was annoying at Cache Creek Casino, there must have been 8 cars on the road in front of me!
I took the first back road to Dunnigan that I saw. OK 5 miles with company wasn't so bad! The county road through the foothills was pleasant. Somehow I missed the dreaded 505 and I5 and zipped up the center of the valley. (99 to Moon Bend Road above Arbuckle and then 45 on the Sacramento River to Chico.
I returned to Chico at sunset, thinking that I am beginning to get the hang of this. It's not dark, I met no obstacles, and I saw new roads.
I ride about every weekend available until school is out. After that I am free to choose a ride anytime for a few months. I will post some possible routes to whet your appetites later. April, May and June may contain shorter loops and doubling back. June, July, and August may include 4wd roads that are steep and challenging.

There are loops that include Hwy 36 and forest roads south- how can you not be tantalized by the road to Rat Trap Gap? White Rock campground, Toomes Creek, and any thing close to the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel wilderness are pleasant destinations that descend down to Red Bluff or Corning.
There are loops that cross the southern portion of this area, Snow Mountain Wilderness from Stonyford, and Elk Creek, that use Covelo or Upper Lake for gas stops. Later in the summer there is gas at Lake Pilsbury.
On the eastern side there are a multitude of dirt roads that connect Chico to Lake Almanor, and around the east side of Lassen, or through the Ishi Wilderness to Mill Creek campground or Mineral.
Let me know a date no more than a few weeks in advance and I can provide a suggestion and a map!

[m0t0-ryder]

NIce ride report and pictures Paul.
I think I liked the first pic best.

I would suggest you put your ride reports and related pictures in their own Post.
That allows more accurate searchs and let's folks pick & view by location (when doing a search in the future, like when this one gets buried a few pages down).

Regards... John