Oct. R/T Shasta part 3

Road Trippin’

with Steve McCarthy

OK, so we got to Dunsmuir and poked around at some great sights along the way. Now we need to get on with the next two days of our NoCal backroads trek. From Dunsmuir, we’ll be trotting across more pine covered forests towards the coast. For us SoCal folks, all those pine trees give us a whole new perspective on the Golden State. I mean yeah, we have trees here. At least a few are left from the various rounds of fires, but up there, they have TREES! 

This is a Forest, and yes indeedy do, it rains here. A LOT! That’s a hint to be prepared. Especially if you drive an open car. Expect rain even in the summer. In the winter, it snows, and since we’re talking some really minor backroads, you can’t drive them in the winter, there’s no one up there to keep them open for! 

That should give you pause. If not enough people use these roads to bother to plow them in the winter, do many people use those roads the rest of the year? That would be NO! So, a bit of extra care in your driving and extra care in your preparing the Auld Crate are in order. And cell phone service? What’s that? I also hope you packed a picnic lunch because there may not be many places that actually sell food here. Unless you brought your fishing pole. 

So, after wandering around such great places as Big Bar and Burnt Ranch, you will reach the next night’s lodgings in Eureka. This is a neat town. It started life as a seaport for the logging industry and still performs that function today. Check out the Fort Humboldt State Historic Park & Logging Museum 3431 Fort Avenue. It’s got great exhibits and plenty of old equipment. It’s amazing to think of guys cutting down redwood trees as big around as your house with giant handsaws and axes! 

The next treat is dinner! Actually, what I said about lunch? Forget it. Don’t eat all day. You’ll need the appetite. The Samoa Cook House, is across the bridge (head north on 101 from the motel and look for Hwy 225 to Samoa--Ya can’t miss it!) in the tiny town of Samoa. Constant readers will remember a while back when I held a poll on best roads, one of the questions was about favorite places to eat. The Cookhouse was on several lists. This was an actual cook house for miners and has stuck to it’s basic format of Fill the Hungry Bellies of Hard Working People. It is also worth looking at the museum on the premises. Eureka is also a neat town to explore, so walk off dinner by strolling the streets. Find the Carson Mansion at 143 M St. This place is spectacular!

So, still sated from dinner, it’s time to head back to St. Helena. The rest of the trip should be familiar. It parallels Hwy 101 and takes you through the Avenue of the Giants. This side trip is not to be missed. Neither are the funky tourist places along the way. Trees of Mystery, Confusion Hill, the Drive Through Tree, all of it is worth the stop. Experience how simple being a tourist used to be. Set aside your jaded 21^st Century outlook, suspend disbelief and just enjoy. I recommend going back to St. Helena for the night. It will allow you time to poke around more, as well as hit some of the great wineries in the area. 

North on Dunsmuir Ave toward Scarlet Way 1.6 mi

Continue onto Mott Rd 1.5 mi

Mott Rd turns slightly right and becomes S Old Stage Rd 17.4 mi

Continue onto Stewart Springs Rd 0.4 mi

Left to stay on Stewart Springs Rd 4.7 mi

Right toward Forest Route 42N17 12.0 mi

Continue onto I P Rd 9.4 mi

Left at CA-3 S

This road may be seasonally closed  48.6 mi

Right at CA-299 W/Main St  

follow CA-299 W 87.1 mi

Left at Blue Lake Blvd/Davis St/Elgar Rd 0.5 mi

Take the 1st right onto Hartman Ave 0.1 mi

Continue onto G St 0.1 mi

Left at 1st Ave 299 ft

 1st right onto H St 0.1 mi

Continue onto Hatchery Rd 0.9 mi

Right at West End Rd 7.2 mi

At the traffic circle,

 take the 1st exit onto Spear Ave 0.3 mi

Left at Alliance Rd 1.3 mi

Continue onto K St 0.5 mi

Right at CA-255 S/Samoa Blvd

 follow CA-255 S 6.3 mi

Left to stay on CA-255 S 2.0 mi

Turn right at 4th St 1.1 mi

Left at Commercial St 0.1 mi

Slight right at W 6th St 217 ft

Right at Broadway St 164 ft

Continue onto W 5th St

Destination will be on the left 407 ft

203 mi – about 5 hours 5 mins

 Best Western Humboldt Bay Inn

 232 West 5th Street Eureka, CA 95501

East on W 5th St toward Commercial St 1.1 mi

Right at Myrtle Ave stay on Myrtle Ave 4.6 mi

Right at Freshwater Rd 3.2 mi

Continue onto Pacific Lumber Camp Rd 0.2 mi

Left to stay on Pacific Lumber Camp Rd 0.4 mi

Turn right 0.3 mi

Slight right 0.5 mi

Turn left 1.3 mi

Slight left 1.0 mi

Turn right 0.5 mi

Take the 1st right 0.5 mi

Slight left 1.8 mi

Turn left 1.4 mi

Left toward Palco Rd 12.2 mi

Left at Palco Rd 5.7 mi

Slight left at N Fisher Rd 0.4 mi

Take the 1st right to stay on N Fisher Rd 1.1 mi

Right at CA-36 W 4.1 mi

Left at US-101 S/Redwood Hwy 8.7 mi

Left at Shively Rd stay on Shively Rd 9.7 mi

Continue straight

 onto Pacific Lumber Company Rd 3.9 mi

Right at Larabee Ranch Rd 203 ft

Continue onto 

Holmes Flat Rd stay on Holmes Flat Rd 3.3 mi

Left at CA-254 S/Ave of the Giants 9.5 mi

Head southeast on CA-254 S 13.4 mi

Left at Hodges Rd 

continue on Hodges Rd. 3.2 mi

Right at Dyerville Loop R 12.1 mi

Slight left at Alderpoint Rd 1.0 mi

Right at Bell Springs Rd 27.5 mi

Left at US-101 S/Redwood Hwy 47.3 mi

Left at N State St 3.7 mi

Left at Moore St 0.2 mi

Left at Eastside Calpella Rd 0.8 mi

Take the 2nd right onto Rd 144 0.3 mi

Left at CA-20 E 18.4 mi

Right at CA-29 S 20.1 mi

Right at CA-175 E 19.7 mi

Left at CA-29 N/Calistoga St 

Continue to follow CA-29 N 0.6 mi

Right at Butts Canyon Rd/Co Rd

 follow Co Rd 101 9.4 mi

Continue onto Guenoc Rd 0.4 mi

Continue onto Butts Canyon Rd 4.8 mi

Continue onto Pope Valley Rd 3.7 mi

Right at Howell Mountain Rd 6.0 mi

Continue onto Deer Park Rd 4.7 mi

Left at Main St

Destination will be on the right 2.3 mi

El Bonita Motel 195 Main St St Helena, CA 94574