Greetings from Weed, CA

Six days into my solo journey to Seattle, and it's hot hot hot! 103 degrees right now in Weed, elevation 3466 feet. A brief synopsis of the ride so far:

Day 1 - San Francisco (actually Pittsburg, CA, after taking the BART train out of town) to Sacramento: 74 miles, including a tour of downtown. A very flat ride beginning with a wonderful tailwind to Antioch, then a ride over the Antioch Bridge despite signs posted that bicycles were prohibited. There was no alternative, and a good shoulder on the bridge; nobody stopped me, and poeple I talked to afterward (including Steve Rubenstein, who suggested it) were surprised by the signs. It was a great way to go. After reaching the town of Rio Vista, I had a wonderful ride north within the Sacramento River delta. For a long stretch the road ran atop a levee, offering great views of the surrounding farmland.


Sacramento Valley farm, viewed from the levee road

Day 2 - Sacramento to Colusa: 69 miles through the Sacramento Valley with a few peaks of the river along the way. Again a flat ride with headwinds through incredibly fertile fields growing a tremendous variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. I was able to identify, in no particular order, tomatoes, wanuts, plums, watermelons, cucumbers, sunflowers, safflower, rice, corn, and alfalfa. The day grew very hot, though, approaching 100 degrees, and I was told the next several days would be even hotter in the valley. I camped at the state part in Colusa, swam in the Sacramento River, and went to the local 7:00 p.m. showing of Hancock, enjoying the air conditioning and finding thwe movie entertaining.


Squash field


Sunflowers


Plum tomatoes that didn't reach market


Day 3 - Colusa to Forest Ranch: 67 miles. The first 45 miles was more of the same - riding in the Sacramento Valley north as far as Chico. All the same fruits and vegetables plus a nearly ripe field of squash and some lovely almond groves, the trees planted in perfect rows.


Walnut grove

There were even more rice fields today, attracting lots of herons and adding humidity to the air; I could feel the moisture on my skin as I rode past them.


Rice field (with heron in distance)

Reaching Chico, though I had a problem. It was noon and already 100 degrees, and I had to start climbing into the mountains with no clear destination: the campgrounds seemed too far. Chico was the first town with triple-digit elevation, and the first town, Forest Ranch, which had only a general store, was 15 miles away, and 2,000 feet in elevation. The climb there was brutal; the road had no shade, and by the time I reached there, I was thoroughly exhausted. I bought food for dinner and the next day's breakfast, but with no choice but to press on, after a long break I kept going. In the end I only made it six more miles, climbing another 1,000 feet. Reaching a fire station, I begged for mercy, and after checking up the chain of command, the firefighters obliged, allowing me to shower and pitch a tent on the premises.

Day 4 - Forest Ranch to Childs Meadow - 44 miles. An easier day, although with more tough climbing, rising from 3,000 to nearly 5,000 feet with no services en route (all campgrounds closed due to fires in the area and the one store I expected to be open also closed) and the temperature topping out in the high-80s. I'd camped at Childs Meadow four years ago. It's a lovely spot, and I couldn't go farther. There are very few services in this area of mountains, and to continue I would have had to ride another 35 miles through Lassen Park, which for me was impossible (see day 5).

Day 5 - Childs Meadow to McArthur Burney State Park - 82 miles. Riding through Lassen Volcanic National Park meant a climb of 3,500 feet from Childs Meadow, as the road summit was at 8,500. It was a beautiful climb, though, with views of Mt. Lassen that are much more impressive riding south to north (I'd gone the other way in '04). From there I descended to 3,000 feet, so it was downhill nearly all the rest of the day, but once again I was in tough heat, the temperature about 100.


Climbing Mt. Lassen


Atop Mt. Lassen - just me and my bicycle


Day 6 - Hot and hilly through deep pine forest (as it has been all the way since Forest Ranch) and with views of Mt. Shasta looming ahead. The good news is I'm heading north. Hopefully Oregon will be cooler!