CYCLING IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA-PLUMAS COUNTY TO THE PACIFIC

PLUMAS TO PACIFIC

A story of 3 cyclists crossing California via dirt and backroads simply because it is what they love to do.

I was fortunate enough to be part of the support team for a cycling trip going from Plumas County in eastern California to the west coast near Fort Bragg, almost due west.  I was able to do some photography and be there with my cyclist sweetheart Larry to watch him do an epic ride.

The Plumas to Pacific bike ride included John 59 (a cabinet maker), Larry 61 (drywall/framer) and  Kest 64 (a retired school principal). They went  260 miles in three days from Taylorsville, CA to the Pacific Ocean.  Due west in the middle of a hot July summer through high mountain passes on dirt and paved roads and through valleys where temperatures reached in the triple digits.

Larry's Domane

They took 6 bikes (3 road bikes for the paved areas and 3 mountain bikes for the dirt roads).    I drove sag as did Johns wife, Patty who drove their van so we had 2 vehicles, lots of water, food and ice.

While the men were hitting the pedals in our spare time Patty and I found plenty to do.  She was very good at finding little oasis ahead to park in and spend some nice quality time reading.  I was usually following up the rear playing with my new lens and trying to catch the guys along the scenic route.  

The first day was leaving Taylorsville going through Indian Valley up around Lake Almanor turning on Humbolt Road, a dirt road, that took them over the northern Sierra Nevada Mountain range and down through Jonesville where they switched to road bikes and on to highway 32.  Then long stretches of paved highway downhill that dropped into Chico, CA.

Chico was a good spot for Kest to stop and get his brakes adjusted on his mountain bike and for an ice cream break.  Then it was on to Orland to spend the night and cool off in the hotel pool after biking 111 miles, 23 miles of it dirt and an elevation gain of 5726'.

         

The next morning at sunrise the guys left Orland.  

     

The road twisted through a lot of farming country and low rolling hills.    We followed Newville Rd until we came to road #306 that ran for miles until turning on Alder Springs Rd which started an immediate climb.  About two thirds of the way up the road turned to dirt and a switch to mountain bikes for the next 30 miles.  At one point Alder Springs Road turns into Mendicino Pass Road or HWY 162.

It was a constant climb with very little leveling off running deep into the high mountains until finally hitting the top.

There were Alpine Meadows looking down upon the valley below. What a spectacle to look down and realize leg power had gotten them to this point. A good place to stop and get in some photos for everyone. 

The decent into Covolo was an 18 mile descent.  

John arriving in Covolo

After 30 miles of dusty dirt roads and 65 miles of pavement we came to Covolo.  What a welcome site.

We left Covolo at 6:15 Sunday morning.  It took half a day to reach the Pacific Ocean.  Traveling on pavement, then 10 miles of dirt on the Dios Rios Road then pavement again going through Laytonville and on to meet up with highway 1.

End of the road

The three arrived at the Pacific Ocean at Westport on Sunday afternoon after 260 miles.  60 miles of it on dirt roads with an elevation gain of 20,679'. 

Made it!

A big thanks to John for everything!  He put this ride together and put a lot of planning to painstakingly map the route out to avoid traffic.  He is a common site along the roads in our small Indian Valley area and can be seen hitting the pedals most days. 

What a great time was had.   I am sure that Patty would agree with me that being with our sweethearts during a special time was such enjoyment plus simply being in the outdoors made for a fantastic trip.  

The guys were all so dedicated at pushing their bodies to the limit in order to pursue a dream.  A dream that is something that they simply love doing.

Check it out! Other Cycling Images "Elaine's SmugMug Album"

Elaine's Portfolio
Elaine's Website


©2017  Elaine Taddei.  This story and images are copyright and all rights are reserved

Hiking Plumas County: Peters Creek Trail

This hike is located at one of the northernmost areas in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Plumas County, California. 

A local hiker told me about the Peters Creek Trail located in the North Arm part of the valley running along Peters Creek all the way.  This hike takes you up to an elevation of 5700' into the Plumas National Forest.  Larry estimated about a 15-20% grade climb pretty much all the way with a max of 30% that runs 3 1/2 miles one way.  A bit of a challenging hike that ended up being a 2324' elevation gain.

Toward the top.  Grand vistas.

 The river was running higher than usual because of the wet spring we had been having.  Larry's long legs spanned it fine, my  5'2" height made it a bit more challenging because of the slick rocks. 

 

Lucky S mine is an old ghost town that was deserted in the 50s.

Nice Steps.  Kudos to the trail builders!

Red Larkspur

Lupin was just starting to bloom

      

The trail disappeared on this mountain of rocks. 

But flags were tied along the route.

Near the top were patches of snow melting from a spring storm that had passed through the day before.

After a year of severe drought in California we were gifted with an extremely wet winter and spring.

Moss, lichens and green ferns were abundant along the trail.

At the top the trail ended on an old logging road near Taylor Lake.   

Recrossing the river at the bottom proved a lot more that we had anticipated because the water level had risen due to all the snow melting.  We ended up having to hike downstream and spanning some unstable logs making for quite an adventuresome ending to an adventurous hike.  We started out at 10:30 in the morning and got back to the car at 5:30.   It ended up taking us 4 1/2 hrs up and 2 1/2 back.  Another great day in the outdoors in Plumas County.

*For distance and elevation guide I used "Map My Ride" and Larry used his "Garmin".

* If interested in more photos in Plumas County check out my album on SmugMug - Plumas County

* About the Author: I run a food wagon Elaine's in Greenville and serve part time as a photographer.   Larry works 5 hours away building high rises in the San Francisco Bay area and is an avid cyclist.

©2016  Elaine Taddei.  This story and images are copyright and all rights are reserved

Shelburn Vermont and Shelburne Museum

  In June I made the trip to Vermont for my daughters wedding.  She was married at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.  One of Vermont's  jewels that includes a steamer side paddle wheel boat, hand carved circus figures and a collection of painting by popular artists such as Monet and Granadma Moses.

 The first thing I noticed was  how spread out everything was.  There were lush fields of deep green grass, red barns with tall silos.  Dotted along the roadways were farms with gift shops that made their own maple syrup, fresh cheeses and homemade sausage.  I was in food paradise!  

Looking out from my house rental along Lake Champlain.  All the rentals had kayaks and canoes. 
Nothing better in the morning than grabbing a cup of coffee and paddling out on the lake.

Morning light along Lake Champlain

Romantic evening setting and plenty of relaxation in a great place

_____________________________________

 Shelburne Museum
is built on 45 Acres and filled with Vermont History.

  The red barn was relocated to Shelburne Museum from Passumpsic by helicopter in 1985.

The Lighthouse was built and functional on Colchester Reef on Lake Champlain.  
In 1952 it was dismantled and reassembled on this site at Shelburne Museum

Rustic handwork at the Red Barn

The Ticonderoga is a 220 foot steamboat built in 1906 and relocated from Lake Champlain to Shelburne Museum in 1955.  

Luxury aboard the Ticonderoga.

Gilded ceiling aboard the Ticonderoga

Hand carved wooden giraffes, horses and many other animals are housed in the museum
plus a working carousel outdoors

Quiet walk along grounds at Shelburne Museum.

                                                            Hope you enjoyed.

Vermont.gov
Shelburne Museum

©2015  Elaine Taddei.  This story and images are copyright and all rights are reserved

India and The Taj Mahal

India is without a doubt one of the most interesting places I have been.  While my daughter was living there I was able to go visit several times and being a photographer I was in paradise.  Amazing architecture that was over 2000 years old.  Modern cars, auto rickshaws, carts pulled by camels or elephants all together on the roadways.  What an experience riding in an auto rickshaw in a motorized chaos along the Delhi streets with the drivers yelling back and fourth at each other with the wind blowing your hair into a gnarly mess.  An experience not to forget and would love to do again.

 The Taj Mahal in Agra should be #1 on anyone's list for a visit to India.  Great care is still taken of the beautiful mausoleum that is made completely of white marble and has 28 different varieties of semi precious stones embedded into it.  It was commissioned to be built in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of one of his three wives that had died giving birth to her 14th child.  The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build and used over 22,000 workers. 

Street vendor selling bananas in New Delhi

This alleyway shows the night time street life in New Delhi takes us to one of our favorite restaurants.  "The Big Chill".

 Fresh fish for sale at one of Delhi's many markets.

The markets were filled with stacks of rugs, scarves, carvings, materials, spices, live chickens and just about anything imaginable.  It is a shoppers dream.  In the city there are wonderful Spas where you can get massages, full facials and manicures fit for a queen.  Diversity is everywhere.

 Outside New Delhi were beautiful bright green fields of grass and small villages with amazing houses made of mud with cow dung patties in huge stacks drying in the sun.    

In small village near Bharatpur enjoying the
warmth from the morning sun.

©2015  Elaine Taddei.  This story and images are copyright and all rights are reserved