I'm a morning person. Always have been. I am up at 4:30 daily for work (which is a little too early, admittedly). My brother is the opposite. Sharing a room as kids I had some responsibility for making sure he got up for school. 25 years later tearing his blankets away and tossing them on the floor still works, and I still enjoy it just as much
Rolling out of Chester was cool - high 40s - but not too bad. Soon following however we were in dense woods and the early sun had yet to break through, and we were barely holding 40 degrees. Fortunately as we gained elevation we gained access to sun.
Boiling mud and steam aren't effective hand warmers
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loginThe road had been cleared for travel only a week or two earlier, and the park was quite empty this "early" in the season.
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loginDespite all of the snow, the direct sun made it warmer traversing Mt. Lassen than leading up to it. Slower speeds and a few stops for photos likely helped too.
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loginSoon enough we descended into the vast openness of Northern California, where Mt. Shasta is forever a fixture on the horizon.
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loginLooking back towards Mt. Lassen after fueling bikes and bellies in Fall River Mills, which seemed like a good future overnight spot.
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loginNearing Lava Beds National Monument the terrain transitions from dense forest to high desert.
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loginThe lava in this region flowed through caves and simply spilled out, rather than exiting through volcanos and dramatic eruptions. The cave tours in the park are fascinating and the lava rocks from ancient flows visible in huge fields.
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loginRiding along Tule Lake there was an odd haze - it looked like smoke - right alongside the road. It was very strange, until all of a sudden the smoke materialized on my faceshield. The area was swarming with bugs so thick they clouded the air. It was a messy few miles. And due to my brother stopping to re-tie his boot just before an intersection, I did it 3 times trying to reconnect with him.
After burning some time looking for each other, and some confusion about the CA/OR border's location (not marked on our roads), we reconnected just south of Klamath Falls, OR. I'm sure we ate lunch...but I can't recall anything about it. Whether the weeks since the ride or the Moylan's Kilt Lifter currently inspiring this ride report is to blame I'm not sure...
Klamath Lake - looks like a place that would be windy...it wasn't
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loginOnly the western portion of Crater Lake's Rim Road was open - something about snow
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loginCrater Lake is beautiful when snow covered - glad to have seen it at this time of year.
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loginTwisty roads are the most fun, no doubt, but when there are miles to be covered it is hard to beat a straight, fast run through a forest. This one smelled strongly of...cedar I think.
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loginLost Creek Lake looked like a popular place to enjoy the outdoors.
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loginUpon arriving in Grants Pass there was still a lot of daylight, so we made some calls, found a destination and made our way back into California.
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loginThe Lodge's namesake creek
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loginWe arrived just before dark. Perfect timing. The place definitely has a cabin feel to it. I would definitely stay again, but I wouldn't take my wife there.
