45 Days on a Gen3 Hayabusa - 2023 Pashnit Touring

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They even try to warn you

At Dinsmore

South Fork Mountain Summit

There's a road at this summit that heads north from Highway 36 called Horse Ridge Lookout Rd - it's 6.5 miles up the spine of the ridge, then the pavement just ends. I skipped that. Another time.

 

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Finally the sun...

Highway 36 wiggles through these mountains & up and over the ridges

 

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Highway 36 - 140 miles of non-stop twisties

It's as fun as it looks

When the sun is up... Same set of curves

 

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She's a sport-tourin' machine, all day riding, all day comfy

Views along Highway 36 - that flat valley out there at middle right is the tiny town of Hayfork.

Smoke is starting to roll in from the forest fires in Oregon.

 

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Quick stop at Wildwood which is the mid-point of the ride.

There used to be a restaurant-bar at Wildwood, we even would use this place as a lunch stop on these tours, the owner dreamed of turning his place into a biker bar destination. The below burned down and all that's there now is this coffee shack above in the same spot. You can even still see the foundation of the biker-bar in the above shot.

 

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The eastern section of Highway 36 is best described as 'swoopy'. Although 'road straightening' has taken out some of the crazy curves this road was known for, it's still got a few left.

 

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Highway 36 a few years back before road straightening. Use your imagination.

This shot is April 2006.

 

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Highway 36 a few years back before road straightening. Use your imagination.

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Yeeeahhhh, the elevation changes are as much fun as the curves.

 

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There was a new business that just opened up at the very start of Highway 36 outside Red Bluff known as the Dibble Creek Outpost. They just finished building this place.

Wow, actual fuel

Part of what makes this new business interesting is there is nothing along Highway 36, the 140-mile ride Red Bluff to the Pacific Coast.

No towns, few people, no traffic, no commercial development. There's nothing out here. So anything new is interesting. Hope these guys have enough business to survive. It's right outside Red Bluff at the start of this road. You start and end here if you need fuel.

 

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The highlight of riding NorCal's Highway 36 is getting your picture taken with this sign.

It used to say 140 miles, but the sign was moved 10 miles west and they put it here at a pullout.

 

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I've brought every bike I've owned here. Almost.

It's just called, 'The Sign', and everybody knows what that is along Highway 36.

It's a thing. Just something you have to do. Even if it only says 130 now.

There are a couple of signs like this around the United States.

I don't know if this one is thee longest, but it has be one of the longest.

 

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There's a second half to the Highway 36 story, but this road completely changes gears when it gets to the eastern portion of the state.

This map of Highway 36 below starts at the Pacific Coast, then on through the central part of the state and continues eastward to almost the Nevada border transiting the state.

Loonnggg straights headed out of the Central Valley and towards Mount Lassen, this is where the Southern Cascade range transforms into the northern edge of the Sierra Nevada Range. This region is all volcanic. One cone shaped peak after the other all the way to Canada. It starts with Mount Lassen. On to Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Mount St Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and onward north to Canada

Long straights

The central peak of Mount Lassen National Park in the distance

 

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This region around Mount Lassen is actually a grouping of 30 volcanic peaks across a large square area. Mount Lassen is considered the largest lava dome on earth and is the largest of the 30 peaks said to have formed 27,000 years ago.

This was Mount Lassen in 1915 seen from Red Bluff. Apocalyptic stuff.

Lassen Peak produced this dramatic eruption in 1915 visible for many miles as Mount Lassen can easily be seen from the Central Valley and even from Bay Area peaks like Mount Diablo & Mount Um on a clear day. The 1915 eruption spread ash as far as 200 miles to the east. It was the last eruption to occur in the Cascade Range until Mt. St. Helens in 1980.

I've brought many motorcycle tour groups to Mount Lassen over the last 20 years.

 

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Including a few months ago where we encountered piles of snow 15+ feet high. We got as far as the entrance that time.

 

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There's a road no one ever takes on the southern side of Mount Lassen that's super fun - Highway 172 has some single lane twisties that are pure delight.

This region is known for high mountain meadows between the peaks. Elevation here in these meadows is 5000 ft. They are impossibly green, even during dry times of the year.

Trying to recreate photos with successive Hayabusas. Same spot many years apart.

 

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NorCal's Highway 172

 

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Finding a quiet spot in the forest to take a break - not a soul around. No sound except the sound of the forest and the wind in the treetops.

 

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Single lane twisties, love it. Not many roads like this.