Adventure Tour on my R1 Near Donner

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So I had a great ride from San Jose up to Donner Pass near lake Tahoe and back. I went there to see the "Observed Trials Competition" dirt bike competition: (my event pictures) http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=213897
…and to ride the local roads near Tahoe. This photo-thread is of my day of "adventure-riding" on my R1.

The ride along hwy 80 was smooth sailing for motorcycles. The poor cagers were holding each other up and clogging the lanes, but they left plenty of room for bikes to safely pass without even "lane sharing." The road is so much easier on bike vs truck. Plus, it's summertime and those lanes are really wide when they're not covered in snow.

I arrived at the Trials competition around 10:00 AM and watched all the competitors at all the stations. It was a lot of hiking and a lot of time in the sun, but I still had energy and kept hydrated.

After hiking around all day to see those trials riders do their magic, I was excited to be on my own bike again touring the local back roads. I knew that there were some great roads out there and the sun was out, the weather was nice, I decided to ride around some more before heading home.

I decide to take the side roads along Hwy 80. I can take two roads that will put me right back on Hwy 80 going towards home. Soda Springs Rd & Forresthill rd will provide some rare sights to see without taking me too far from the highway home. What could go wrong?

 

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I've seen com3's photo threads where he rides off into the wilderness snapping pictures and wheelies all along the way. I thought, rather than tearing it up on the highways, wouldn't it be fun to do some exploring off the beaten path? I wanted to poke around some of the smaller roads and take some great scenic pictures with my pocket camera.

Well, I've ridden the local goat trails of San Jose & Santa Cruz. I've even ridden those "adventure" touring roads like Redwood retreat & Summit where they turn to dirt. Plus, now that I've seen Trials riding, I know that bikes can be ridden over anything. I spotted a great looking road on my map program & checked on the satellite maps to see how it looked.

Soda springs has some lodges and is off the main road from Donner snow park. It doesn't look too terribly twisty, but I expect some elevation changes.

The whole place looks like it's part of the national park system. So, I'm expecting it to be much like a trip up Mt. Hamilton. Piece of cake. Besides, this is part of the park system. There's probably gonna be bathrooms and ice-cream stands along the way to make my ride more comfy. I can't wait to stop at some of the scenic vistas to take pictures. The views are great everywhere around here.

Forresthill Rd looks to have some fun twisties. (Satellite view of Forresthill Rd)

 

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Hey, even if there's a little bit of dirt trail, that's okay. I've ridden dirt. Hey, if this guy can ride his BMW with street tires in Donner park to judge the Trials event, then I can ride over a mile or two of dirt trail to get to see some awesome views.

Besides, knobbies are for pussies!

 

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Soda Springs Connects right up to Forresthill Rd then it's back on Hwy 80 towards the bay. "Clearly Forresthill is going to be a piece of cake," I tell myself while looking at satellite photos. Look at that divided road with single & double yellow lines. It's probably just like Hwy 9 only less crowded. That will be a rewarding finale to this fun little adventure.

I set off from Donner Pass to Soda Springs Rd, a smoothly paved curvy road that after, several miles, takes you right to a nice vacation resort. I pulled right up to the lake and was greeted by three beautiful ladies in bikinis. Too bad for you, they were camera shy. I guess I shouldn't yell "Dayum!" with an open-mouth drool and expect to get a picture. The lake side was filled with vacationers soaking up the sun and launching inner tubes into the water. Here's a picture of the lake minus the pretty ladies (sorry).

 

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With bikini-clad women etched in my retina, I continued off on Soda Springs Rd without a care in the world. Funny, it only seemed like moments before I see the "avalanche" sign and the road turns to dirt for a little way. I wonder if this road is tougher than I think?

 

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Undeterred, and armed with mad "trials" skills learned just by watching, I head down the hill. The next sign up is another downer. It warns, "Stop! Turn Around!"

Bah! You buncha killjoys!! Besides, that sign is only for skiers. I press on. It can't be much further until the road becomes paved again. Still the part that read, "you are descending into the American River Gorge" makes it sound like no one will ever hear from me again. Should I be worried? Nah, I've played in the dirt on my XR100 dirtbike, I've even ridden a DRZ 400 Motard with street tires at Metcalf dirtbike park. What can a plain roadway throw at me that I haven't seen?

 

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Well, I'm surprised that the road goes on for several more miles of dirt and I take a quick break to snap a photo of the forest. The dirt road is so nice here, that I wonder if a heavy rain would wash away the dirt & reveal a paved road.

 

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A few more miles and turns up the road, trail becomes more bumpy and difficult. I'm pretty sure there's no pavement under this part of the trail.

 

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The dirt "trail" continues on and I pass countless trees and vistas, stopping to take pictures. The trail is getting a bit tougher, but nothing I can't handle as long as I'm careful.

 

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More time goes by…More trees, more vistas, more dirt! I can't get that last sign out of my head "turn around, go back, avalanche." I have to go so slow because of my street tires. Man, this trail is a lot longer than it looked on the map. I haven't seen any civilization for over an hour.

 

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Now, the trail is starting to fork off, but there are no signs telling me which way to go. Suddenly, the only sign of civilization is ahead, but it makes no sense at all. Somebody built a barricade to keep people from driving into a ditch and into the trees. Thoughtful, but I would've preferred street signs –or at least trail markers.

 

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What's this? I'm about to cross the American River?

 

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Hey, look, a bridge! That looks sturdy enough for actual travel. Hopefully civilization and pavement are not too much further.

 

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I've just crossed the American River. But, no civilization, still no road signs, and worst of all, no pavement! The trail becomes worse now. My back tire is frequently slipping on the dirt trail. I cross several dry creekbeds. Man, rocks are tough to go over! The bike shifts around unpredictably as it rolls over the rocks and moves them around.

 

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:cry I want knobbies!! I don't care if I said "knobbies are for pussies" I take it back!

 

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More forks in the road. Luckily there are these pink ribbons that seem to mark the "main" path (I hope!). Anyway, that's the smoothest trail, so I take it.

This path sends me up a steep hill climb. I manage to climb the dirt hill without spinning up the rear too much. Hey, nice view. I take another break. Where the heck is that paved road? It's been hours!

 

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This would be easy if I had a set of knobbies, but I'm on street tires going painfully slow just to keep the bike upright. More time goes by. All I see are trees. I'm losing track of time and distance. I'm getting tired and my water is running low. The altitude is taking its toll. My world is becoming nothing but trees...

 

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Trees…

 

[RGHD]

You really did into the back roads. Great pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[Nemo Brinker]

Damn, ballsy on them back roads!