Absolutely gorgeous ride, but National Forest roads are not to be trifled with.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 89.2
Elevation: +7980’/-9590’
General Direction: Navigate northwest out of the stayover onto Old Stage Road for the first 12.3 miles, begin the climb on Stewart Springs Road until it terminates and turn right onto NF Road 17 to finish it at mile 16.7, take the descent, then turn left onto CA 3 at mile 39.3, remain on this road until mile 87.0, then turn left into Weaverville, use local roads to navigate to southbound CA 299 and turn right into the stayover parking lot.
Points of Interest: Mt. Eddy Pass, Cascade Mountain Range (Mt. Eddy, Craggy Peak, Denny Point, etc.), Trinity Lake, Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Summit rest stops. are some of the best.
Did you know she’s not just a chef but an artist too? Hanna’s masterpiece is complete and we absolutely love it! Note Hanna’s cat Cubby making an appearance driving the van.
Tales of the Trail
The day began with a fun little descent down Old Stage Road through open fields with plenty of mountains overlooking from a distance as the sun rose. This teaser turned into one of the most challenging climbs of the summer - a diabolical 12.9 miles at 5.6% average grade. The road weaved through the trees and surrounding plant life and gave breathtaking views of the surrounding ranges the higher we climbed. Slowly but surely we made it to the top of the Mt. Eddy Pass in time for a much needed rest stop. As rough as this climb was, most would take it over the descent as the other side of the pass descended for 25 miles at a -3.5% average grade, complete with plenty of potholes hidden in shadow. Having to re-chain the bike mid-descent (Sam M) or getting stung by a bee at the top (JB) only adds to the fun. Groups made it safely through this genuinely bad downgrade in one piece and the left turn onto CA 3 with its much better pavement was quite welcoming. From here, we came across rolling hills ensheathed in forest and red clay, with S-curves abounding. Three groups had consolidated into two by this point; everyone pushed quite hard in gear and spirit through these final miles and, at long last, into the small town of Weaverville.
An accidental mega-group starts the day off.
Sam’s Club reapproaching Black Butte.
Adam, Ed, and JB starting the climb.
Sam R and Paul keep trucking as the mountain ridge appears on the right.
Finishing out the day with some winding descents.
Tonight, we are staying at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, a one-room style building with incredibly friendly folks who provided us with a much-enjoyed spaghetti dinner. We slept in pews or on the floor, looking forward to our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean the following day.
Jaylen taking care of business during the last stretch.
Sleeping on a church pew.
Cyclist’s Corner: Team Edition
From now until the end of the ride, this segment will be a single open answer or poll-style question that most or all of the team will answer. :)
Today’s Question: Team Ice Cream or Team Milkshake?
Ice Cream: Kathryn, Laurel, Edward, Nabeel, Jean, Olivia
Milkshake: Paul, Sam M, Patrick, Sam R, Adam, Jonathan Y, Hanna, Jonathan B
This way to the ocean.