Usal Beach, TWT, Kettenpom, Hyampom ...

two wheel tramp was going on a scouting mission
for the Weaverville Rally, and let me invite
myself along ...

Naps would be missed and mucho
miles covered, but TWT promised I'd see some
roads and places I'd not seen before that were
worth seeing ...

two wheel tramp was right ... :ridearty

But first, I had to get there ... :ride

I've adopted treachery in my old age ...
Leave a day sooner, or leave earlier in the morning ...
to try to keep up with TWT, I decided I'd have
to leave a day sooner ... arty

In! this is on my list for July. My friend and I want to ride up to Oregon and do some of the BCDR routes. Usal beach is on list of places to stop by.

I'd thought about trying to camp at Cow Mountain, but
they were having an enduro race this weekend, so I
decided to try Usal Beach ...

TwoWheelsRule said:

In! this is on my list for July. My friend and I want to ride up to Oregon and do some of the BCDR routes. Usal beach is on list of places to stop by.

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Oooo, Oregon BCDR routes ... :drool

Have fun! I think I read that you all
will be doing the Applegate Trail through NV?
I need to get back up to the Back Rock Desert,
I got locked out of the canyon in a few years ago due to
birds nesting, I think ... :ride

Usal Beach is a beautiful spot, I've only been on weekends and it was busy and noisy - I'll only go during the week. Hope you had a good experience.

I'm the one doing the Applegate this June with a friend - starting out in Magalia - Sparks - Gerlach - Cedarville - north to Crater Lake. Then heading to Coos Bay, about 1/2 of it dirt!

oobus said:

Usal Beach is a beautiful spot, I've only been on weekends and it was busy and noisy - I'll only go during the week. Hope you had a good experience.

I'm the one doing the Applegate this June with a friend - starting out in Magalia - Sparks - Gerlach - Cedarville - north to Crater Lake. Then heading to Coos Bay, about 1/2 of it dirt!

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Hey oobus,

That's right, it was you I was thinking of reading about
going to Applegate ...

You are right, I'm sure, about Usal on a weekday ...
I was there on Thursday night and the campsite
I choose still had hot embers ... I camped in the trees
on the close side of the river, and felt like I had the
place to myself ... arty

Envy both you guys your Oregon trips! :ride

I love cedarville! It's a darling town. Stop at the littlw red store by the gas station.

... campsite ...



... "winter" gate at Usal Road still locked ...



... famous Usal causeway survived the winter in good shape ... :thumbup



... met the neighbors ... there were three of these huge,
relatively tame, bull elk hanging out ...
I got within 20' of this one, walking on my way to the beach ...



... super beautiful creatures ...



... the road to the beach ...



... sunset ...



... obligatory campfire pic ... easiest campfire ever,
the previous campers had left a load of dry firewood
and hot coals ... didn't even need a match ... :laughing

Great stuff! Subscribed for more.

I was camping at Cow and could probably have hooked you up. There were only four of us at Red Mountain campground.

Cabrito said:

Great stuff! Subscribed for more.

I was camping at Cow and could probably have hooked you up. There were only four of us at Red Mountain campground.

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Hey Cabrito! :ride

Next time for sure ... maybe when you all are there in June for the
Baja/Cow Mtn event ... arty

Where is your avitar pic from? Looks cool ... :thumbup

... another pic of the views into Usal Beach ...

Usal is north of Ft. Bragg, a left hand turn off Hwy 1,
south of Leggitt and Hwy 101 ... I was going to
post the obligatory Google Maps map, but it was
particularly useless ... perhaps some indication
that someone thinks Usal Beach is overused that
all the locked fireroads appear but Usal Road does
not until you zoom way in, and then it isn't labeled ... :|

Anyway, it's well-maintained rental-car-friendly dirt,
and spectacular views and wildlife ... pretty easy ride
from Lower Hight if you leave this time of year around
3 pm ...



... Loaded KLR ...





... and a couple of views from Hwy 1 north of Ft. Bragg ...





... and watching the day arrive from the beach the next morning ...
a beautiful day ... :ride

Back to the Ft. Bragg Starbucks to meet up with two wheel tramp,
who was prompt to the minute, having already ridden
about 150 miles via Hwy 101, Hwy 128 and Comptche ... :thumbup

Besides meeting up with people 1/2 way through a day's ride, I have
a couple of other tricks:

1) always go to rallies where you know the
organizers pre-ride;

2) always try to ride with someone who is constantly making an effort to
ride with lots of different motorcycle people; and

3) alway try to ride with someone who can count on the fingers of two hands
how many days they expect their brand-new rear tire to last ... :laughing

We were soon on our way to Branscomb Road,
which I'd never ridden ... arty

I was too busy trying to keep up to take any pics of Branscomb ...
fun to be riding a new-to-me road immediately ... :teeth



We were soon riding old dirt Sheetiron routes to Dos Rios,
to test out TWT's new rear DOT knobbie-slick ... :cool



... the Trinity Six-Fifty looking good ... I hear it actually gets
washed ...



... and on to another old Sheetiron dirt route, new-to-me Poonkinney Road,
dropping us down into Covelo and then on to new-to-me Mina Road ...



... climbing up from the North Fork of the Eel River,
I guess, on Mina Road ...



Time for my afternoon nap, but only a moment to grab a pic ... :afm199



... and the end of Mina ... TWT waited for me so I could grab another pic
at the end of 18 miles of cool dirt ...



... view of the Trinity Six-Fifty's rear "dirt" tire ... :thumbup



... but the road-goodness just kept on coming ...



... soon enough we were in Kettenpom, gassing up and talking
to the nice store-clerk about Kettenpom's June-teenth party,
which of course TWT has been to before ...

... and on to killer burgers at Mad River after an amazing
stretch of paved Van Duzen Road ... which I guess
was also new-to-me ...



... having missed my afternoon nap, and feeling the profound
sleep-inducing effects of my superb Mad River cheese burger
and fries and miles and miles of beautiful new-to-me roads, I was
ready to drop the KLR and fall asleep on the side of the road ...
just then, TWT pulled up to a campground at Ruth Lake--as
dark was falling--and suggested camping ... made me so happy I shed a
tear or two ... arty



... pic tells the story ... needless to say,
we had the place to ourselves ... less said here
about that the better, perhaps ... :teeth



... happy bikes ...



... happy campsite ...



... happy campfire ... :ride

:applause

Even though I was there I want more, now!!! :laughing

(I better start my report :toothless)

Good stuff! I've been around there a few times but missed all the good roads. Need to fix that.

Of all the places I've been riding so far in CA, this area is the one I liked the most. Are you guys going to share any tracks? I'd like to get lost there sometime soon.

Mario said:

Of all the places I've been riding so far in CA, this area is the one I liked the most. Are you guys going to share any tracks? I'd like to get lost there sometime soon.

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Mario i have tracks. I'm heading that way again in a few weeks.

two wheel tramp said:

Mario i have tracks. I'm heading that way again in a few weeks.

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Let me know if you guys are looking for extra riders to carry fuel and take more pictures :teeth

Mario, it would be my pleasure. Just make sure to wait for me at turns. :laughing

TwoWheelsRule said:

In! this is on my list for July. My friend and I want to ride up to Oregon and do some of the BCDR routes. Usal beach is on list of places to stop by.

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I did the Buckhorn BackCountry Byway a few years ago. Don't know if that's on your route but it should be.