Looking for rides in Red Bluff, CA area (June 25-27th)

"roger beniot" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My wife and I will be driving down to Red Bluff (California) this
weekend (June 25th - 27th) and we would like do a few rides (road
bikes only) in the morning (say 50 to 70 miles each day).

Does anyone have an recommendations for routes, know of a good shop in
the area, or a good book for the Northern California area.

I've never really spent any time there, so I'm pretty clueless on the
terrain or road conditions.

Thanks,
Roger

Well, Lassen Volcanic National Park is close by. I rode through there last
weekend, and it was stunningly beautiful. You can drive east on Hwy 36 and:
1) start in Mineral (which will involve about 5 miles of somewhat dicey
riding on 36 with little to no shoulder), 2) park at the Hwy 89 turnoff to
Lassen park, or 3) drive on into the southern entrance and park at the
Chalet. Mineral is at around 5000 feet, and the Chalet is around 6500. The
summit pass is around 8500. Climbing up from the south side is incredibly
beautiful, with snowbanks on both sides of the road in some areas, and
you'll pass by two still frozen lakes. You'll also get occasional wisps of
sulfur smell from all the geothermal activity. The park entrance fee is $5
per bike, unless you have national park season passes.

Another nice ride would be to drive to the town of Payne's Creek (on Hwy 36,
east of Red Bluff). Park at the little store, then head out on Plum Creek
Rd. It climbs up the ridge and eventually runs into Little Giant Mill Rd.,
which runs into Hwy 36. Lots of nice wildflowers along the upper stretches
of this route, and virtually no traffic the whole way. You can either
retrace your route, or make a left on Hwy 36 and follow it back to Payne's
Creek (it's mostly downhill). This route is probably around 40 miles or so,
but includes quite a bit of climbing.

If you want a flatter ride, you can take Old Hwy 99 south from Red Bluff
(not the "new" Hwy 99, which is narrow with high speed traffic). It's about
10 miles to Proberta, and about 12 miles from there to Corning.

Note: daily temps in the valley have been high recently (it's 99 F at 4:30
pm here in Redding). So, if you do the flatter valley ride, do it early.

~_-*
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