NorCal 2008 - please vote

[JohnCh]

Following up my earlier thread about a short tour of Northern California, I’ve been researching possible routes on Pashnit.com using the following criteria:
• 4 days of touring
• Great roads and scenery – must include Hwy 36 and Oroville/Quincy Hwy, which are reputedly the top roads in NorCal.
• No gravel or poor pavement
• Reasonable daily legs
• Overnights in areas with hotels and food
• Start and end points that are close to I-5 to ease the arrival and return legs and that are within a hard day’s drive from both Seattle and San Diego.

I’ve discovered that this sounds easier than it is ;) I have two options that I would like to put up for a vote. I am leaning towards Route A due to the shorter days, but want to get the opinions of those interested in attending. As for dates, we had talked about Labor Day weekend, but I propose we do the following weekend to avoid traffic and make it easier to get hotel accommodations. But again, I want to hear from participants. Please note: the actual distances provided below differ slightly from the Google maps. I am using different software for primary route planning and the different algorithms used mean slight deviations in mileage.


Route A (http://tinyurl.com/5esj8a) 952 miles

Pro: all legs less than 250 miles which makes it easier in case someone breaks down, or we want to make a lot of stops to take in the scenery. It includes Alderwood road which sounds nice (although it may have a few short stretches of gravel – still trying to confirm current condition) and all of Hwy 299 which is another highly regarded road. It also includes Hwy 70, which is known for its scenery (and CHP, so we need to take it easy here).

Con: Misses out on Hwy 96 to Happy Camp, which is a highly regarded road on Pashnit.

Day1: Chico to Lake Almanor – 250 miles
Day 2: Lake Almanor to Weaverville – 216 miles
Day 3: Weaverville to Fort Bragg – 238 miles
Day 4: Fort Bragg to Red Bluff – 248 miles


Route B (http://tinyurl.com/46xlf6) 1116 miles

Pro: Includes Hwy 20, which was a hit on PNW2007 and Hwy 96. Because Day 2 begins in Oroville, it is much easier for someone to join up then and participate for just 3 days.

Con: Daily legs are on the long side. Misses out on much of hwy 299. Happy Camp is not the greatest place to overnight.

Day 1: Chico to Oroville - 275 miles
Day 2: Oroville to Hydesville/Fortuna - 299 miles
Day 3: Hydesville/Fortuna to Happy Camp - 296 miles
Day 4: Happy Camp to Red Bluff – 246

The miles to join/depart tour from the two most distant points I expect folks will travel from are:

Seattle to Chico = 663 miles
San Diego to Chico = 591 miles

Red Bluff to Seattle = 623 miles
Red Bluff to San Diego = 634 miles

Please use the buttons above to vote, but also weigh in here with your opinion. If anyone is familiar with any part of the route, then please let us know the positives and negatives.

Thanks,
John

[johnh]

Hi John, Do you have any google map url's for the route options?

I will say the strech of CA-1 between Legett and the Coast can be a lot of fun!

Thanks for working on this!

[JohnCh]

The google map routes are hyperlinked into the route option titles (e.g. Route A (http://tinyurl.com/5esj8a) 952 miles) ;)

[slomove]

Well, maybe a tad of preference for route A. But I would do either one....I think both options cover great roads and on PNW2007 we have done only a small part of them.

I am not sure if the stretch between Alderpoint Road and the 101 is actually paved? At least on Google Maps it is just a gray line, i.e. smaller than the infamous Mattole Road which was really hard on the cars. Maybe we could do the Mina Rd instead but I have no idea about the condition of that road.

[johnh]

The google map routes are hyperlinked into the route option titles (e.g. Route A (http://tinyurl.com/5esj8a) 952 miles) ;)

Doh! Thanks!

[haiku88]

Route A looks great to me and FWIW if it is chosen I'd be heading south the last day as Ft. Bragg is close to home. Hwy. 20 from Ft. Bragg to Willits is a smooth and windy road, but it has a good bit of traffic and passing can be difficult ( I commuted that route for a year). A good alternative might be Branscomb road (runs from north of Ft. Bragg on 1 to Laytonville on 101), much less traffic and the pavement was good last time I drove it....though that was awhile ago so I'd be willing to check it out in advance if needed. Also, the stretch of 101 from Willits to Laytonville is nothing special anyway, mostly divided 4 lane highway. Ft. Bragg is a good overnight stop, plenty of restaurants, hotels, etc...
Found some info on Branscomb rd. at http://www.lateralg.org/roads/northwest/3.htm

[johnh]

I am not sure if the stretch between Alderpoint Road and the 101 is actually paved?

Here's a snippet from a guidebook published in 2004:

Bell Springs Road (http://books.google.com/books?id=rpR9pzCR__gC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=%22bell+springs+road%22&source=web&ots=XORSpv9rHY&sig=5hxsaK1YPv1e5ELfMCh3MGWatjQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result)

Might be ok just not at typical se7en speeds...

[soareyes]

Might be ok just not at typical se7en speeds...

More like Lexus speeds? :d

[pierats]

Stan, Having you drive the Lexus was nice, but I hope you are in a se7en this time! :D

[slomove]

Here's a snippet from a guidebook published in 2004:

Bell Springs Road (http://books.google.com/books?id=rpR9pzCR__gC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=%22bell+springs+road%22&source=web&ots=XORSpv9rHY&sig=5hxsaK1YPv1e5ELfMCh3MGWatjQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result)

Might be ok just not at typical se7en speeds...

"It is a well-maintained dirt-and-gravel road"....:ack:

[JohnCh]

I was wondering about Bell Springs Rd and still had that on my to investigate list. The good thing is that we can simply double back on 101 until we hit Aldrerwood and avoid it altogether. According to Pashnit, Alderwood is “…two lane the whole way, with a decent surface and gorgeous scenery. There was a very short section or 2 of gravel, maybe 100 yards.” If we don’t want to do that road either, then we can stay on 101 all the way back to Hwy 36, or cross over to Hwy 1 at Branscomb Rd, although I’d rather keep backtracking to a minimum.

The other area I need to delve into a bit more is the stretch from Hwy 36 to Hwy 44 just east of I-5. If that proves to have some questionable asphalt, we can accommodate.

Does the rest of the route sound okay to everyone? If so, then I’d like to get a head count and start working on accommodations for the weekend after Labor Day. Does running the tour from Thursday to Sunday with travel days on Wednesday and Monday work, or do people prefer to keep their vacation days in the same week and go Wednesday through Saturday?

-John

[mtrevelyan]

Hi Guys,

I would like to go, but this is two weeks after I get back from Europe. Due to exchange rates I expect to be poorer than I would like to be. I thought this trip was being planned in conjunction with the NASA Thunderhill event in the beginning of October.

Cheers,
Michael Trevelyan

[slomove]

Does running the tour from Thursday to Sunday with travel days on Wednesday and Monday work, or do people prefer to keep their vacation days in the same week and go Wednesday through Saturday?


Traveling Wednesday to Monday will mean to take 4 days off. Then I can just as well take 5 days off for a full week and have flexibility on both weekends (packing, etc.). For that matter I think keeping the trip within one week may have an advantage.

I am pretty sure I will be solo. School starts end of August and there is no way Rosie can come along (not that she would not like to...). But that means if anybody needs a ride there is a spare seat.

Gert

[JohnCh]

Traveling Wednesday to Monday will mean to take 4 days off. Then I can just as well take 5 days off for a full week and have flexibility on both weekends (packing, etc.). For that matter I think keeping the trip within one week may have an advantage.

How does everyone else feel about this? Should we turn this into 5 days of touring? Pack on Sat, travel to the starting point on Sun, tour Mon-Fri, drive home Sat, and take Sun to unwind before returning to the daily grind that paid for the tour? My vacation time provides me with some flexibility so I'm fine either way, but an extra day of toruing is always welcome :)

-John

[johnh]

Should we turn this into 5 days of touring?


Personally I'd like to see some touring over a weekend since it's unlikely that I could score a whole week off. I'm closer to the area so could drive and meet for a couple of days. :7drive:

---john.

[JohnCh]

Okay, so that is one preference for a five day tour Mon-Fri and one for a shorter tour that occurs over the weekend. So far seven people have voted for Route A on the weekend of 9/6, so there are some others out there who haven’t weighed in on the point Gert brought up. What do you folks want to do? If we extend to five days and tour from Tue-Sat (or six days and go from Mon-Sat), it would enable people to just join for a couple of days around the weekend, and others to get in another day or two of touring. Do people want to turn this into a longer tour? I’m fine with that, but if that is the preference, then I need to come up with new route options fast.

-John

[slomove]

Maybe I should clarify that I mentioned the 5-day-during-the-week option just as a discussion point. It would make some sense to me but I am not really opposed to going over the weekend plus some days before and after if others have trouble doing a full week.

Gert

[JohnCh]

Understood. I'm just trying to get the other people who voted to chime in ;) If the group is actually open to a longer tour, then I certainly don't want to ignore that possibility. My hope is to lock this down soon so we can get the rest of the planning under way.

-John

[soareyes]

My main preference would be to end the tour at least two days before a Monday so I have time to get home before starting work. That way I can do one long 600 mile day and still have a day to recover, or break it into two days getting home. I don't have a trailer so I'll be driving the Seven.

I'm lucky in that I can take the whole week off so I'm up for any length tour you decide.

[JohnCh]

Based on feedback here and via e-mail, I propose we stick to the original plan of Route A and partially cover the weekend of 9/6. Available vacation time is tougher for some, so having the tour occur in part on the weekend is preferred. If some people want to take a longer tour, there is no reason they can’t start a little early and plan a route that overnights them in Chico on Tuesday. I know this isn’t optimal for everyone, but I am trying to accommodate disparate requests from folks. If anyone was planning to attend, but won’t now because of this, then please PM me. (Stan - I am in the same boat as you regarding distance & trailer, so I may take Monday off from work to recover)

Schedule
Leg 1 (Wed 9/3): Chico to Lake Almanor
Leg 2 (Thu 9/4): Lake Almanor to Weaverville
Leg 3 (Fri 9/5): Weaverville to Fort Bragg
Leg 4 (Sat 9/6): Fort Bragg to Red Bluff

Please note that the actual route may be tweaked a bit based on road conditions, but I don’t’ expect any major deviations. Once I get a sense of the actual number of attendees, I’ll start contacting hotels to figure out that part and perhaps even get a group rate.

If you are okay with the schedule above, and want to attend then please reply to this thread using the format below:

Certainty: 50% = If you want to go, but can’t commit yet, then write 50%. If you are planning on attending barring some unforeseen circumstances, then write 90%+.
Legs attending: Identify the legs from the schedule above you plan to tour with the group.
Hotels needed: Identify the cities on the tour where will you need a hotel room. (locals may not need a hotel room the night before their first leg, or the night of their last leg)
Pre-tour: Use the options from the Certainty question to indicate if you are interested in starting the tour a day or two early.

Okay, I’ll start:
Certainty: 90%+
Legs attending: 1-4
Hotels needed: Chico through Red Bluff
Pre-tour: 50%

Thanks,
John

[slomove]

Certainty: 90%+
Legs attending: 1-4 (but I would return to Chico where my trailer is stored)
Hotels needed: Chico through Ft. Bragg (not sure if to stay in Chico the last day or further south)
Pre-tour: 0%

[haiku88]

90% certain, vacation already scheduled

plan to do 1st 3 legs and head home from Ft. Bragg

need a room for Chico, Lake Almanor, and Weaverville

50% interested in pre tour, do already have the time off so it is a possibility



Bill

[soareyes]

Here's mine:

Certainty: 90%+
Legs attending: 1-4
Hotels needed: Chico through Red Bluff
Pre-tour: 0%

[psz.]

Registering interest. I might be able to get the time off work.

Certainty: 50%
Legs attending: 1-4
Hotels needed: Chico through Red Bluff
Pre-tour: 0%

[JohnCh]

Here is a brief update on planning.

Route change
It looks like Alderpoint Road is currently in poor condition in several places, so this means that we will need to backtrack on 101 from Legget to Hwy 36. The other alternative is to forego that whole section of the route, but given the scenery and road, I vote to keep it. Another change occurs on day two. The original plan called for us to leave Lake Almanor (we’ll actually stay in Chester) head East on 36, then hop on 44 going North-West before dropping South through Mount Lassen and then heading North West towards 299 and Weaverville. That section of 36 and 44 looks pretty tame, so I am proposing that we leave Chester and go North through Lassen and then taking 299 West. This shortens the day by quite a bit (down to 200 miles), which in turn allows people to take a side trip down Hayfork Pass right before we hit Weaverville. It’s reportedly a fun road and begins just a few miles outside of Weaverville.

http://qa7fkg.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pFeiOzlejZF8wRp45PEfQM5lAaaP3Sd8iP9mrRDjy_1i5BP4 k9rn5MfQiaF-vc40TQ4GGB4yZ4xQ/route-final.jpg

Hotels
Because we are planning this tour just a few months in advance, some hotels are not willing to hold a block of rooms for any length of time. Consequently if you are attending, you will need to reserve some of your rooms by 7/1. The group rate discount is inconsequential at most hotels, but we are getting some group perks. E.g. the hotel in Chico has offered to send someone out to the parking lot to check on the cars every hour, and the hotel in Fort Bragg is reserving their rooms with carports for us. If you don’t make your reservation by the specified date, then you are on your own with regard to accommodations. Price points are similar to PNW2007. I will e-mail a spreadsheet with specifics to those who have expressed interest in attending (if I don’t have your e-mail address, then I will send you a PM requesting it.)

Gas stations
I am mapping out gas stations along the route. I plan to call some of the key stations to confirm they are open for business and carry premium fuel, but it looks like we are in pretty good shape. My goal is minimize our exposure to little hole-in-the-wall stations where there is a higher likelihood of obtaining bad gas, and limit stretches between gas stops to no more than 130 miles. If anyone attending needs more frequent stops, then please let me know.

High Points
We start and end the tour with the best roads of the tour. Oroville-Quincy Hwy on Day 1 and Hwy 36 on Day 4 are reportedly two of the best roads in Northern California. Good pavement, great twisties, light traffic, and scenic. We should be very tired those evenings ;) Days 2 & 3 also feature some great roads, but also some beautiful scenery. We'll go through Mount Lassen on Day 2 and the Redwood forest on Day 3. It is shaping up to be 4 days of fun!

-John

[slomove]

Sounds GOOD :thumbs:

If the short day is deemed too short we could use Platina Road (http://hiwayjournals.blogspot.com/2007/09/view-from-platina-road.html) and Wildwood Road and then up to Weaverville (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=redding&daddr=40.385259,-122.830582+to:Weaverville,+Trinity,+California,+Un ited+States&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&via=1&sll=40.545113,-122.768784&sspn=0.358983,0.86792&ie=UTF8&ll=40.519541,-122.78595&spn=0.35912,0.86792&z=11).

On the other hand, Whiskeytown is quite nice (if a little touristy and busy) and the second half of 299 looks great.

Too many choices......

Gert

P.S.: Took my engine to the machine shop today and had them talk me into a complete refresh, boring, valve lapping, new pistons, crank grinding, new bearing shells.....I only hope this is a reliable and fast machine shop :skep:

[johnh]

I am proposing that we leave Chester and go North through Lassen and then taking 299 West. This shortens the day by quite a bit (down to 200 miles), which in turn allows people to take a side trip down Hayfork Pass right before we hit Weaverville. It’s reportedly a fun road and begins just a few miles outside of Weaverville.


As you drive up 89, keep going past 299 about six miles and stop at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. Neat waterfall a short hike down from the parking area. Here's a picture of the falls (http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/ambient/?ptp_photo_id=461093).

Still trying to see if I can get the time off...

---john.

[JohnCh]

Great suggestion John! We'll add that to the route. I'll include you in the distribution list for the hotel information list I send out later today -- I hope you get the time off. Right now, I have the following folks on the DL. If you are considering attending, but don't see your name below, then send me a PM.

johnh
slomove
hudson
pierats
soareyes
haiku88
psz. (I need your e-mail address)


-John

[banjo29]

Ok, I'm committed now, time off scheduled with work and all hotel reservations made. I'd better make sure the Ultralite is ready!

Certainty: 90%+

Legs attending: 4 pre-tour, 1-3

Hotels booked:
Ft. Bragg - Quality Inn & Suites 9/1-9/5 (Family will stay there for duration, I will stay 9/1 and 9/5)
Chico - Hotel Diamond 9/2
Chester - Best Western Rose Quartz Inn 9/3
Weaverville - 49er Old Country Inn 9/4

Pre-tour: 90%+ Ft. Bragg to Chico on 9/2 <-- would love to have company, this may be the first long run for my car.


My plan is to leave on Sunday 08/31 hauling the Ultralite (in Trailer) and family down from Seattle, cutting over to the Oregon coast when I hit Portland, and stay Sunday night in Coos Bay. Then continue Monday down the coast to Ft. Bragg, setting the family up to stay there, probably at Quality Inn & Suites (only one of two with pool and Internet), where I would stay Monday night. Tuesday in the Ultralite doing what would essentially be leg 4 by myself, Ft. Bragg to Chico, stying there Tuesday night and starting the tour with you all on Wed, then bailing on the last leg and heading back north on Saturday.


Sounds like fun!

[pierats]

Certainty: 90%+

Legs attending: 1-3

Hotels booked:

Chico - Hotel Diamond 9/2
Chester - Best Western Rose Quartz Inn 9/3
Weaverville - 49er Old Country Inn 9/4
Ft. Bragg - Quality Inn & Suites 9/5

Looking forward to a great tour! :7drive:

[JohnCh]

We currently have eight cars confirmed with two more on the fence. Looks like we may also have a BBQ planned for the end of day 1 :) More to follow.

-John

[JohnCh]

Yesterday I sent out an important e-mail to all NorCal 2008 participants. Please PM me if you didn’t receive it.

Thanks,
John

[soareyes]

Looks like a good mix of cars (listed alphabetically so as not to show preference ;) ) :

3 Birkins
2 Caterhams
1 each Locost, Stalker, Ultralite, and Westfield

[johnh]

"It is a well-maintained dirt-and-gravel road"....:ack:

Sorry to resurrect a thread from two years ago. Yesterday I decided to drop in on a person I had only corresponded with on the 'net. I thought he lived in Garberville as that's where his mailing address is. Turns out he lives off 'Bell Springs Road'. The name sounded vaguely familiar and then I recalled that BSR was considered as part of one of the California trips. As the guidebook says 'a dirt and gravel road'. Some of it might qualify as 'well maintained' but there were a lot of washboard sections, rocky sections, a few choice potholes, etc. I only drove the 11 miles up from the south and my friend claimed that was the 'better part'. In any event, the views were gorgeous and I was very happy that I wasn't in the Caterham...