Highway 93 2024
  
 

Day 11

June 27

  
     
   
  I take advantage of the decent motel breakfast again since it is handy.  
   
  After my near crash in the construction zone on the way over, I figure I will go through the Lassen Volcanic National Park to avoid that section of road. It's about 30 miles longer but with at least 20 minutes of stopping at the other construction zones, time wise it is about a wash. And it is a very lovely ride up into the mountains.  
   
  It's not long to get to the entrance and I'm pretty early as I left the motel to try to avoid some of the heat today.  
   
  There's nobody at home but I see that National Park pass holders don't need to do anything. I have my 'old man' National Park pass on hand so I pass on through. At least there are some advantages like that for getting old.  
   
  It's a peaceful run up to the mountains past impressive pine trees like these.  
   
  And the shade they cast also is very nice after the heat of the past couple of days.  
   
  Then I come to the part where a serious fire has decimated the forest which always saddens me.  
   
  The views once I get up into altitudes are stunning as the clouds gently caress some of the mountain peaks in the distance.  
   
  But my brain just does not quite register the depth of the snow after all the heat I've been riding in. Snow on the ground this time of year is still amazing to me.  
   
  I found out at Russell they had opened Highway 89 through the park just a few days ago. And for that I am very thankful as this is some mighty pleasant riding.  
   
  I can only imagine how much snow they must get up here on a regular basis just judging by what is still on ground now.  
   
  The sign reminds me I'm at almost 9,000 feet and still climbing.  
   
  I know I will be wishing I had some of this cool air in few hours when I head back across the desert.  
   
  I pass by frozen Lake Helen and it boggles my mind to think that a lake this time of year could still be completely frozen over with snow laying on top of it.  
   
  As I start to descend back down I spy this rock that sort of looks like a golf ball teed up and ready to whack.  
   
  Having learned from the last time I was through here, I remind myself that those wet spots could be frozen and slick.  
   
  It's nice run down from the mountains but I can already feel the temps starting to rise.  
   
  But there are still magnificent views to enjoy even from these lower altitudes.  
   
 

I remember the last time I was through here, I whizzed right by this sight so I take time to stop. It reminds me of that old rhyme from Shakespeare's MacBeth -

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.

 

  
   
  And it sure lives up to its name as you can smell the sulphur a long time before you get here.  
   
  I get one more spectacular view before I exit the park but ...  
   
  I'm still riding through the serenity of the tall pines for a while.  
   
  I pass by the lovely Lake Almanor right by Chester, California.  
   
  But unfortunately my alternate route has not allowed me to escape all construction zones. But this one does not have a pilot car and is not as nasty and as long as the other two were.  
   
  Too soon to my liking, I complete my descent back down into the heat.  
   
  When I pass this cute little chapel it reminds me of my home church and the dear, sweet folks there who I know are praying for me.  
   
  The further I go, the drier and the hotter it gets. It's not unexpected though it is unwanted and the way I must go to get where I want to get.  
   
  It's time for a fuel stop for both me and BlueBelle as the heat is beginning to take its toll on this old hilllbilly.  
   
  Knowing there are not any good supper options in Ely, I get a sandwich for now and an extra sandwich for supper from Arby's while I'm here. Supper should get nice and toasty riding in a saddlebag all the way to the motel.  
   
  It's back across the salt flats and ...  
   
  the mountains that seem to eat up the road before me.  
   
  I'm back through Austin which is about 2/3rds of the way to Ely from Redding ...  
   
  and where I get to ride back through the cricket plague again.  
   
  It's just dry and hot and all I can do is just suck it up and keep rolling so at least I have some air moving.  
   
 

Passing through Eureka, I see their opera house which has an interesting history -

The Eureka Opera House was built on a site previously occupied by a hall belonging to Odd Fellows. The hall burned down in August 1879, and by the following year, the Eureka Opera House was constructed and finished to replace it. When motion pictures were first shown there beginning in 1915, the building was renamed the Eureka Theater. It was later closed as a movie house in 1958. During the mining boom era, the location served as a community center for the town's dwellers. However, as the fervor died down, the structure was neglected until 1993, when it underwent a renovation sponsored by the Commission for Cultural Affairs.

 

  
   
  I missed the 'Loneliest' sign that used to be in Austin but I see one here outside of Eureka.  
   
  And I have to say that Highway 50 certainly lives up to it's billing in this part of the country.  
   
  I notice these strange patterns on the mountain side as I am passing through. I cannot figure out the reason or the purpose so I guess it's just a mystery for another day.  
   
  When I finally arrive back in Ely, a sign tells me I have to check in up the street at the other Magnuson Hotel. A bit of a bother but I end up in the same room I was in a couple of days ago and it works fine.  
   
  My 'supper' plan works out nicely as the Arby's sandwich and fries are still very warm from riding in the saddlebag through the heat of the afternoon.  
   
  It's been a day of over 500 miles, a lot of it in the heat so I am glad to be in some air conditioning. I tend to a few things that need tending to then I tend right off to sleep.