Day 2, 5/19/2006: Eugene, OR to Fortuna, CA
529 miles
Click here for the route map.
or start with Day 1 here.

The next morning, I woke up at 8, fully intending to make an early start and get down to Fortuna quickly enough to meet all the other S-T.n folks. Alas, I am weak-willed, and when Colleen suggested we go out for a nice breakfast before I hit the road, I assented. After more delicious french toast piled with berries, I finished packing the bike, noticed rain moving in from the South, and switched my mesh pants for the textile ones. This was a great call, because the rain started in earnest as soon as I was clear of Eugene, and continued all day.

I followed I-5 south to Grants Pass, enjoying one of the few nice sections of interstate. I-5 in southern Oregon winds its way through the mountains, and involves some nice turns, beautiful scenery on both sides, and a speed limit that's much more satisfying than the 45 mph zones on 101. I made good time to Grants Pass, with only one sketchy moment where I kissed the outside white line with my tires on a turn. In the heavy rain, that line was slick as can be, and I felt my front tire slide to the side - only a fraction of an inch before it caught again, but a stern reminder of what happens to painted marks in the rain.

From Grants Pass, I caught Hwy 199 southbound. The easy way to Fortuna from Grants Pass involves taking 199 all the way out to the California coast at Crescent City, catching 101 there, and following 101 south, but I'd heard great things about the inland roads, and wanted to try something a little bit more creative. There's a very poorly-marked and -paved road that leads from O'Brien (on 199) to the little town of Happy Camp (on 96 in California), and I'd heard that this road was a real adventure. It leads up over the Scott Mountain summit, and my maps all said "CAUTION CLOSED IN WINTER," but I told myself that it was late May, and so I shouldn't have anything to worry about.

My climb up toward Scott Mountain was a slow one; I really didn't feel comfortable on this road above about 40 mph. The pavement was cracked and bumpy, the road surface was wet, and the turns were tight and uneven. All the same, the views were amazing; the road wound its way through northern California pine forests and had numerous overlooks into the surrounding valleys. As I started to climb the rain picked up, a heavy fog came and went and returned again, and the temperature started to drop. In addition, I saw only one car in my entire ascent. "What a wonderful lonely road," I thought to myself. "I wonder why nobody else is on it?"

As I ascended, more and more snow became apparent on the sides of the road, at first just in occasional patches but soon in a solid blanket all around. Small areas of ice on the road began to show up as well; I dropped my pace to a crawl and kept my eyes out for their telltale shimmer. Rounding a corner near the summit, I was surprised to see another group of riders in the road, wearing Aerostich suits and (surprise!) S-T.net stickers! I'd run into some other riders headed for the same meet, and the reason nobody else had been seen coming down this road was that the road was still closed due to the ice.

The other riders were two from Seattle (strange coincidence, that), Chris and Ariana, and another couple from Anaheim of all places, out for a day ride from Fortuna; Robert and Trina. They had dropped their bike in an unexpected ice patch, and though (thankfully!) nobody was hurt, there was some oil leakage, some fairing scrapes, and a missing brake caliper bolt. Before heading down, Robert and Chris tried to jury-rig a brake repair; I missed the details, as I was taking this opportunity to berate myself for not packing my heated vest or any other cold-weather gear.

Roadside caliper repair:

Zoë in the snow:

Chris and Ariana:

We started down the mountain in a tight group; Chris leading and me bringing up the rear, in case something went greviously wrong with BMW-K's bike. During the descent we passed the road-clearing crew, who had just about reached the summit; the road was slated to be officially opened later that day. There were a few patches of ice and a lot of debris on the road surface, but we took care to avoid them all and arrived in Happy Camp for a much-needed break. Robert went off to find some oil to replace what he'd lost, and the rest of us stretched a bit, had a snack, and got ready for the last bit of the ride.

Vital repairs to the fairing rash on Robert's bike:

The crew, heading down Hwy 96 toward Fortuna:

From Happy Camp, we followed Hwy 96 south to its junction with Hwy 299, and 299 carried us west to the 101. There had been plenty of rain over the last few days, and the roads were quite wet; between that and the less-than-enjoyable conditions on the road to Happy Camp, we took it relatively slow (the speed limit! oh, horrors!) on the rest of our run to the coast. Both roads are greatly enjoyable on a motorcycle; 96 twists along the path of the Trinity river, while 299 is comprised more of long sweepers and a lot of elevation change. Someday, when the road's dry, I look forward to riding these roads at a slightly more aggressive pace, but an enjoyable time was had by all.

There's not much to say about the section of Hwy 101 that carried us into Fortuna, but we eventually arrived, to find a warm welcome prepared for us. Most of the other S-T.netters had already arrived, and the Eel River Brewery was in full swing. I filled my empty belly with one of the largest burgers I'd ever seen and chatted with some interesting riders from all over the coast.

a warm welcome to Fortuna:

The day had been a tiring one, though, and I was very ready to crawl into bed within an hour or so. Dr. Gil and the lovely Beck-zuki, another pair of S-T.netters, had kindly offered me crash space on their floor, along with Colleen and Doug, so I followed the Dual GS Posse back to their place where I was made to feel right at home and allowed to sample some amazingly good rye. Mmm, rye. Folks chatted for a little bit, and then it was time to break out the sleeping bag and get some rest. Lots of miles still awaited me.