Jump to content

Trinity Alps Figure-8


Kevin R

Recommended Posts

The Trinity Alps region of northern California has been calling to me for some time and finally in 2021 I am in a position to do something about it! I had nibbled the edges previously on routes 36 and 299 but this time I wanted the whole enchilada. The twist on this trip, though, is that it was going to be two-up on my ’19 Tracer 900GT. It had been a while since I did an overnighter with my wife and, in fact, it would be her first multiday ride on the new bike. I roughed out a three day itinerary for Memorial Day weekend and a check of the weather forecast showed that it would be heating up as the weekend progressed. No two ways about it, we were going to be hitting some hot stuff on Saturday and Sunday before getting relief on the coast for [parts of] the ride back down on Monday.

First stop was Trinity Center where we stayed with an old COG friend. It was great reminiscing about the old days when we rode Concours back in the 90s and 00s. To get there it’s not easy finding an interesting route without really going out of your way. Even with some highway droning, one thing I knew was that the day was going to end with the eastern half of route 36 and a nice chunk of route 3 – two primo roads in that area. In the morning before we left I decided to toss in another diversion out of Fairfield on Suisun Valley Rd to pick up route 121 and 128 around the bottom of Lake Berryessa. It was a terrific last minute decision because the twisty ride through the hills and vineyards of southeastern Napa County was tranquil and a great way to escape the interstate.

After that was another diversion onto route 16 north through Rumsey to intersect with route 20 back over to I-5. Outside of Capay the unmistakable shape and color of lavender fields in bloom caught my eye as we sailed along, precipitating a u-turn to investigate. We had the unexpected surprise of seeing the Capay Valley Lavender Memorial Day Festival in full swing. They were serving up really good lavender ice cream which hit the spot as the day was starting to heat up. Seeing those fields of lavender blooming certainly brought back memories of another great [non-moto] trip not long ago to Provence and visiting the lavender fields there.

2060562807_sm-20210529_121640_CapayValleyLavender.jpg.7fe821508cfd3d47c02cdb202b712093.jpg

Shades of purple and the sweet smell of lavender at Capay Valley Lavender with my best friend and wife (yes, they are one and the same!)

After this stop it was an easy cruise up through Rumsey and the ensuing hill country, connecting with 20 back down to I-5 and a 75mile drone up to Red Bluff, 100deg heat...and route 36. 🙂 Unfortunately the heat stuck with us for a good hour before we gained some altitude. But if you’re gonna suffer, there is no better place to do it than on 36 which is a premier motorcycling road. Those 65 miles led to another scenic and twisty 70mi on route 3 to Trinity Center. As someone recently said on this forum, route 3 is an underrated road – probably due to its proximity to 36. But my memory of it from some years ago, which was confirmed on this ride, was that it is really delightful as it alternates between super twisty sections as it winds up and over mountains, interspersed with easy, visually pleasing transits across the valleys below.

405786862_sm-20210529_203140_TrinityCenter.jpg.5a577e650e0403ee6a94be3095f2024c.jpg

This portion of Trinity Lake at Trinity Center is normally under water but like a lot of lakes in CA this year is pretty low

1287998387_route_SJ-TrinityCtrcr.thumb.jpg.6cadf833ce4dd4f55d444f2e288be921.jpg

Day 1 route from San Jose to Trinity Center

For the trip's main course on Sunday I mapped out a figure-8 through the Trinity Alps area beginning with a quick jaunt on route 3 up to Callahan to pick up Cecilville Rd. This is another super duper stretch of road all the way up and over a summit at around 6000ft where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses and back down to the tiny village of Cecilville.

1828862475_sm-20210530_103736_CecilvilleRdsummit.thumb.jpg.9ff63cbb95259fc17a0f0788e6dc5a06.jpg

Summit on Cecilville Rd - beautiful mountain scenery and crisp, clean air

sm-20210530_104734_IMG_9494.jpg.16e1aba1e1df1ce2b857a5c841b1cff8.jpg

Tracer saddlebag as art?

Leaving Cecilville, the road becomes one lane for the next 18mi to Forks of Salmon and then another 10mi on Salmon River Rd before it becomes a two laner again heading into Somes Bar. Some have referred to the one lane sections here as “the racetrack”. I certainly wouldn’t endorse excessive speed here since it is one lane wide with many blind corners, hundred foot cliffside dropoffs, and the occasional oncoming vehicle. That said, the road surface is surprisingly good and the flowy nature of the road, coupled with its narrowness, is conducive to getting into a nice rhythm – not unlike riding on a track. Even riding two up it was a whole basket of fun!

sm-20210530_120731_IMG_9506a.jpg.437f42a1eb12fb70ce9e977314e6b54d.jpg

Racetrack or goat path? You decide!

From Somes Bar, the next leg of the figure-8 took us north on route 96. After the goat paths of Cecilville Rd and Salmon River Rd, this one was tame although scenic and remote with little traffic. The pavement was definitely past its prime in many places but the road had a nice collection of sweepers and river views along the Klamath River all the same. After looping over the top of the figure-8 past Happy Camp, the next section was Scott River Rd out of Hamburg. This is another out of the way route paralleling the Scott River, also with sections of one lane road high on cliffsides above the river. Coming into Fort Jones, we were rewarded with a brief view of majestic Mt Shasta followed by a relaxing, scenic traverse of the Scott Valley as we rejoined route 3. The smell of fresh cut hay filled our noses, adding to the sensory experience.

In Etna we picked up Sawyer’s Bar Rd and the first 15mi up and over the Etna Summit were on a sweet, twisty two laner. The views at the 6000ft summit looking south towards the Trinity Alps were inspiring. The presence of snow on the mountain tops was an added refresher as the temps for most of the day had been in the mid 90s.

sm-20210530_162659_IMG_9517mod.jpg.aeaba0ecb2d247fd314531bb32d432a0.jpg

Etna Summit on Sawyer's Bar Rd - what's not to like?

After that the road necked down to the familiar well-paved, twisty goat path like we had been on earlier in the day. After passing through the little village of Sawyer's Bar

proper, we eventually rejoined Salmon River Rd to keep the party going.

1135594915_sm-20210530_174325mod_SalmonRiverRd.jpg.6cc750f8877bff1dacd13868f806c998.jpg

Taking a break along Salmon River Rd, part deux

1955512859_sm-20210530_174520mod_SalmonRiverRd.jpg.7cc66252523dae66a2953153dced334e.jpg

Salmon River Rd and its namesake a couple hundred feet below

Arriving in Somes Bar for the second time on the day, we turned south this time on route 96 to complete the last leg of the figure-8. This stretch of 96 possessed slightly better pavement but was still past its prime. Still, it had good lines and was quite entertaining with the surface improving the farther south we went. By now my passenger was getting pretty tired but she was the perfect traveling companion on the day. We had ridden some really challenging roads filled with things she is not particularly fond of (like those unprotected hundred foot drop offs that we seemingly were hanging out and over while leaning through the curves) but her sense of balance and body positioning were spot on all day. We made a great team!

298500424_sm-20210530_163036_SawyersBarRd-EtnaSummit.jpg.77bfd2ab9b943998df7fe7a2ce75eec4.jpg

Etna Summit

Rolling into Fortuna that evening we were greeted by the sight of about a dozen big adventure bikes – Beemers, Triumphs, KTMs - parked out in front of the hotel. It was nice to be in the company of others who had ridden the same areas we had that day.

1969611681_route_TrinityCtr-Fortunacr.thumb.jpg.90dab7f1f64eb10c41f068607b38869d.jpg

The Figure-8

The final day of the trip on Monday began with a jaunt over to the Lost Coast, another area I’d wanted to visit for a long time. There is no particularly good motorcycling road here (as in corner carving) but instead the treat is an overload of visually stunning scenery. Mattole Rd out of Ferndale brought us to Cape Mendocino, the westernmost point in California, and its accompanying black sand beach which was extraordinary.

583862424_sm-20210531_092244_CapeMendocino-LostCoast.thumb.jpg.6e8d33f247bc3101ed425b1f7c3aaf9a.jpg

In the hills near Cape Mendocino

Compared to the previous two days, the weather was much more accommodating, in the 60s and 70s (near the coast anyway), the grass was green, and the air was fresh with the perfume of numerous purple lupine-like flowers in bloom everywhere.

1318446355_sm-20210531_093810mod_CapeMendocino-LostCoast.jpg.5fa168605fa32bff43a5f95734154ba1.jpg

I don't blame the moon for staying up late to gaze down upon this pristine countryside

sm-20210531_094340_IMG_9542.jpg.bde307cf5a5f254dd1e60dc61ec6b9c3.jpg

Heading down to the beach at Cape Mendocino. That big rock is Sugarloaf Island, just offshore.

The going was pretty slow due to the incredibly poor road surface. It was probably really nice about 75yrs ago when[ever] it was last paved! But this is part of the appeal of the place. The Lost Coast encompasses the largest undeveloped stretch of Pacific coastline left in the US and Cape Mendocino is also the meeting place of 3 major earthquake faults.

1856287308_sm-20210531_100537mod2_CapeMendocino-LostCoast.jpg.4b2c54596da9daf95321f26708ede363.jpg

Near the beach along Mattole Rd

We counted ourselves lucky to be there with sunny skies in the morning (thanks to the high pressure system that brought the heat wave, no doubt) and I suspect it is usually overcast with a thick marine layer.

1694875656_sm-20210531_101357mod_CapeMendocino-LostCoast.jpg.7c55a346bc4646767bce575e5a9fc7ad.jpg

Adios black sand beach - and back to civilization

We hated to turn away from the shore, even though we knew it would be only temporary, but needed to press on towards home. Heading away from the water, the temperature increased rapidly back up into the 90s. We continued to enjoy the scenery on Mattole Rd as it passed up and down through hill and dale, all the while dodging massive potholes and broken pavement. After passing through Petrolia and Honeydew we picked up Wilder Ridge Rd towards Ettersburg.

Throughout the morning we had traversed dirt sections where the county evidently had given up on fixing the pavement. Typically these sections were just a couple hundred feet long and as we left Honeydew I knew there was a slightly longer section with a s-curve in it. We passed that short 1/4mi section and continued on. But then we hit another section that switch-backed up a very steep grade for about a mile or so. I was thankful that we didn’t have to go down that part, loaded two-up as we were, and was beginning to question whether the road was really going to be paved beyond, but it was. We bounced along and eventually made it onto Ettersburg Rd, through Briceland, and onto 101 south.

From there it was a quick shot down through a couple redwood groves to South Leggett and the Hwy1 turnoff for the Pacific coast once again where the temperature was a cool 60deg. – sweet relief!

95494508_sm-20210531_134243mod_MendocinoCoast.jpg.1df85ebe453f23fc45b492104462d577.jpg

The perfect lunch stop on the Mendocino coastline

After a couple of hours traveling south on the PCH, we had to turn back inland to make tracks for the Bay Area. Route 128 from Navarro Point (south of Albion) to Cloverdale is a very good motorcycling road. Its 50mi or so starts out running along the Navarro River through a nice redwood forest before getting into some hilly countryside. The curves and pavement were sublime, although if it were 20deg cooler it would have been better! Away from the coast the temperature quickly rose into the 90s as we negotiated Memorial Day traffic also reluctantly leaving the coast. We ultimately rode in 105deg heat for a good hour or so as we approached Cloverdale and then south on 101 before an unexpected break near Santa Rosa. Usually this area is just as hot but somehow was only in the 80s as we passed through on Monday.

After that was an ice cream break in Novato before approaching the SF Bay and cooler temps for the remainder of the ride home to SJ.

route_Fortuna-SJcr.thumb.jpg.73d101c865b3216dbf3b9124efe5e345.jpg

Day 3 Lost Coast and Mendocino coastline (my personal fave on the PCH)

The nearly 1100 miles covered in the three days were, with the exception of a couple hundred boring interstate miles, a most excellent motorcycling weekend. We traveled to some remote areas, had very little traffic to worry about, the scenery was stunning, and the riding unequaled. My wife, after not doing an overnighter on the bike in a long time, did a wonderful job as passenger (even if her eyes were closed on many sections of the goat paths we rode through the Trinity Alps!) and was a welcome travel companion. The Tracer 900GT, while not exactly the most accommodating two-up machine, worked very well for us with our slight builds. Now we’re searching for our next great ride – Mt St Helens, anyone?

  • Thumbsup 4
  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a terrific ride! You hit on some of my favorite roads. You were fortunate in catching Mattole Rd in its sunny splendor. I've tried several times, but it's been fogged in every time. One time it was so bad I turned around and returned to Ferndale bc I couldn't see 10 feet in front of me, and my I couldn't wipe my visor quickly enough. 

One thing to note on this comment:   "We ultimately rode in 105deg heat for a good hour or so as we approached Cloverdale and then south on 101 before an unexpected break near Santa Rosa. Usually this area is just as hot but somehow was only in the 80s as we passed through on Monday."

What you experienced there was the microclimate that makes Sonoma County the viticulture diverse region that it is. The hills between Petaluma/Rohnert Park and the ocean are very low, much lower than the surrounding area, creating a conduit for cool ocean air to come inland (it's called the Petaluma Gap). The cool air goes as far north as Santa Rosa, but stops between SR and Windsor usually. This is why it can be 100 degrees in Cloverdale/Healdsburg/Windsor, and then the air temp plunges as you enter into the cool ocean air that flowed northward from the Petaluma Gap. This is why the central region of Sonoma can produce those complex white wines, while the northern region, just a handful of miles out, produces the bold reds it's known for. 

Back to Santa Rosa - granted, these past few years it has seen a more triple digit days than it historically has (a typical summer day has low 50's overnight until the fog clears mid morning, shoots up to 80 or so, until mid afternoon when the cool air rushes back in, cooling it down back to the 50's by the evening), but by and large it's a very pleasant climate. 

(is it obvious I worked in the tourism industry there for a while? LOL) 

’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09.  Bold = current

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, maximo said:

What a terrific ride! You hit on some of my favorite roads. You were fortunate in catching Mattole Rd in its sunny splendor. I've tried several times, but it's been fogged in every time. One time it was so bad I turned around and returned to Ferndale bc I couldn't see 10 feet in front of me, and my I couldn't wipe my visor quickly enough. 

One thing to note on this comment:   "We ultimately rode in 105deg heat for a good hour or so as we approached Cloverdale and then south on 101 before an unexpected break near Santa Rosa. Usually this area is just as hot but somehow was only in the 80s as we passed through on Monday."

What you experienced there was the microclimate that makes Sonoma County the viticulture diverse region that it is. The hills between Petaluma/Rohnert Park and the ocean are very low, much lower than the surrounding area, creating a conduit for cool ocean air to come inland (it's called the Petaluma Gap). The cool air goes as far north as Santa Rosa, but stops between SR and Windsor usually. This is why it can be 100 degrees in Cloverdale/Healdsburg/Windsor, and then the air temp plunges as you enter into the cool ocean air that flowed northward from the Petaluma Gap. This is why the central region of Sonoma can produce those complex white wines, while the northern region, just a handful of miles out, produces the bold reds it's known for. 

Back to Santa Rosa - granted, these past few years it has seen a more triple digit days than it historically has (a typical summer day has low 50's overnight until the fog clears mid morning, shoots up to 80 or so, until mid afternoon when the cool air rushes back in, cooling it down back to the 50's by the evening), but by and large it's a very pleasant climate. 

(is it obvious I worked in the tourism industry there for a while? LOL) 

Re Mattole Rd - thanks for confirming our good fortune! Your experience is kinda like me with Glacier National Park. I've ridden there twice over the years and still have not seen it. The first time it was so foggy that I could barely see the road on Going to the Sun. The next time there had been a freak late season snow storm that closed all the roads. Someday...

Re SR microclimate: I see. The funny thing about going through SR on Monday was once we went south of it the temp shot back up above 90 through Novato before finally coming down when we got near the Richmond bridge.

Also, back up at Cape Mendocino, while down near the beach the temperature was low 60s but there was one stretch there where came around a bend/hill in the road and the temperature shot up to mid 70s within, like 1/4mile. We seriously considered stopping and doing a little sunbathing on the beach at that point. It was back down to low 60s again literally about 1 mile later, though.

But this is why riding a motorcycle is so much more fun than traveling by cage!

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Supporting Member

Great ride, looks like it was a lot of fun!

  • Thumbsup 1

2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts:  Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonderful three day wander for you both.  And I give you lots of credit for staying AGAT despite the heat.  Not an easy think to do.

Next????

Edited by nhchris
1968 Triumph Bonneville 650
1971 Norton Commando Roadster
2002 Harley 1200 Sportster
2003 Honda ST 1300
2016 FJ 09
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, nhchris said:

Wonderful three day wander for you both.  And I give you lots of credit for staying AGAT despite the heat.  Not an easy think to do.

Thanks, and, yep, it was toasty. But having been on the ground a couple times in my four decade riding career and sustaining only minor injury (broken collar bone once), I have seen the benefits of safety gear. Especially when I'm out sport touring. Although I must admit that if it's hot and I'm just running down to the corner store, I may shirk that responsibility. I guess that makes me human.  😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×