Hwy 36 Conditions? Sand? Gravel? Firewood?

[TourOnTwo]

Got the bug today to ride Hwy 36 on April 23/24 (sooner the better). But am wondering if anyone has ridden recently and can comment on its condition: gravel, sand, snow, cows, or deer?

Any comments are welcome. Today we rode from Santa Rosa up Hwy 1 to Hwy 128, just enough to wet my whistle for Hwy 36!

Thanks.
Ned

[DaleC]

Originally Posted by TourOnTwo

Got the bug today to ride Hwy 36 on April 23/24 (sooner the better). But am wondering if anyone has ridden recently and can comment on its condition: gravel, sand, snow, cows, or deer?

Any comments are welcome. Today we rode from Santa Rosa up Hwy 1 to Hwy 128, just enough to wet my whistle for Hwy 36!

Thanks.
Ned

Ned - I haven't been on Hwy 36 this year, but have traveled it quite few times during all periods of the year and you should be okay at this point. The western half of Hwy 36 can get some pretty good altitude so would be the area, if any, that would have any potential sand or material on the road. I'd be inclined to feel you are not going to see anything if you don't find any snow on the sides of the roads or on the hills and mountains beside the road, more so in January, February and early March.

Deer are another story and you can see deer up there as there a lot of them, although you have a little better visability on Hwy 36 than some of the other roads in that region. Just keep alert and stay towards the center of the road so you don't have a deer run into you like I did (broadside) last July up on a narrow section of Hwy 3. Fortunately I was in my SUV and not my motorcycle, but they can come out of nowhere extremely fast.

Enjoy your ride!

DaleC



Hwy 36 Deer

[ekaphoto]

Deer- always

cows- sometimes

sand and gravel- not unless you go off road.

It did snow on the high passes Fri, but it was meltd on 299 between redding and eureka by noon Sat. 36 should be fine.

[deaconblues]

+1 on the deer. Something tells me that those nice grassy hillsides next to the road are prime 'lunch' spots for them... and with as little traffic as goes down that road, they'll graze really close to the pavement.

My Hwy 36 vid shows a doe and two young'uns on one of the downgrades. I slowed down the playback speed so you can catch a glimpse...

Not much for gravel, but there were some rocks in the road along the cliff and canyon sections. Keep in mind that springtime is when a lot of rocks fall from cliffs and road cuts, due to repeat freeze/thaw conditions (water gets into the cracks between the rocks and then expands when it freezes, pushing them apart... then the warm weather melts the ice and releases them.)

[pashnit]

Ned - I rode Hwy 36 (western half) 4 days ago on Thursday (April 7th), and other than snow at the Scott Mountain Summit, and occaisonal pouring rain, fog, wind, super slick roads, - it was just fine for me.

Headed up there again on April 30th.

[DaleC]

Originally Posted by pashnit

Ned - I rode Hwy 36 (western half) 4 days ago on Thursday (April 7th), and other than snow at the Scott Mountain Summit, and occaisonal pouring rain, fog, wind, super slick roads, - it was just fine for me.

Tim - you mean you don't have a ritual rain and fog dance you go through prior to each ride that prevents and eliminates such pesky problems as those?? Hmmm



DaleC

[pashnit]

Actually, once we got south of Leggett, the rain finally stopped, the sky came out and it was blue skies all the way back into the Bay Area. I kept wondering to myself why cancel the ride - look at this weather! When I hit Cordelia Junction, the wind was so strong and so cold, I called my wife to tell her I was okay and headed home but couldn't talk b/c it was warmer on the bike. Next day, Friday more rain rolled on through plus snow at 4000 ft at my old house.