Monday, June 6, 2011

June 2nd - 4th - Days 2,3,4


Day Two
Well I really couldn't have had a better first night!  The McCloud River Lodge was awesome.  Enjoyed the super cozy room, the jacuzzi, fireplace, and relaxation to the fullest!  Woke up to a rainy morning and got a tasty breakfast at White Mountain Cafe.  I biked through Shasta-Trinity National Forest and made a stop at Middle and Upper Falls about 8 miles down the road.  As soon as I started hiking to the first waterfall the sun came out and stayed out for the remainder of the day.  Felt great!  I spent the entire day biking down highway 89 which is very scenic but not the safest for biking, many trucks and often no shoulder.  I came across several deer and a bunch of baby turkeys, luckily my brakes work good!  About 40 miles down the road I made a stop at Lake Britton and then Burney Falls State Park.  Took a nice break and hiked down to the beautiful waterfall and then checked out the gift shop.  This was my third time at the park but I still love it as much as my first visit.  I biked another 10 miles down the road to the town of Burney.  The Burney Chamber of Commerce arranged dinner, breakfast, and a gift certificate at Safeway for me.  Thanks Burney!!!  After checking into my room that the Green Gables Motel donated to me I headed over to Gepetto's Pizza for dinner.  Thank you both so much!!  My room and dinner were both excellent!  Got to sleep nice and early, I needed the rest.

Make-A-Wish - this is what it's all about!

June 1st - 1st day of trip - Room 1

The McCloud River Lodge at night

Nice hot in room jacuzzi



Shoe tree


McCloud Middle Falls




Loving the sunshine, fresh air, and scenery!





McCloud Upper Falls


Nice quiet road - McCloud River Loop Road


Highest point of the trip so far








   
Lake Britton

Burney Falls State Park

Hike down to the base of the falls





Thanks for the room Green Gables!


Thanks for dinner Gepetto's!


Day Three
Today started out with sunshine but became a little chilly and overcast, still a pleasant day for bicycling.   My first stop after the continental breakfast at the Green Gables was Safeway of Burney.  Safeway was kind of to give me a $25 gift card!  I bought some snacks, batteries, cheese, a drink, as well as a few other items.  Thanks so much Safeway!  Next I stopped at McDonalds who gave me a $5 gift certificate and got an early lunch, thanks McDonalds!  Shortly into my ride I entered Lassen National Forest, another beautiful part of the country.  I came across several lava flows and tubes as well as several scenic campsites and picnic areas.  Further down the road I started to follow Hat Creek which was flowing pretty rapidly.  Stopped and checked out some of the falls and relaxed alongside the creek for a while.  Just outside of the town of Old Station I made a pit stop at Subway Cave.  Subway Cave is a 1/3 mile lava tube and resembles the shape of a New York City subway tunnel.  I'd like to thank Planet Bike for the awesome lights that help light up the cave for me!  After the cave I headed a couple miles up the road to Old Station where I checked into my cottage at the Hat Creek Resort and RV Park.  The owners were very kind and donated a cottage and dinner to me as well as plans to make a contribution to Make-A-Wish.  Everybody was very friendly and the cottage and dinner were both awesome!  Even the soap they provided was excellent.  I really enjoyed my stay and look forward to revisiting the area someday.  I had another wonderful unforgettable evening!


Thanks for the $25 gift card Burney Safeway!

Thanks for lunch Mcdonalds!







Hat Creek








Caving, Camping, and Hiking = Good times!






    Thanks for the cottage Hat Creek Resort!


Cozy Cottage


Thanks for the tri-tip, baked beans, and potato salad dinner Hat Creek Resort!


Day Four
After a wonderful night at the Hat Creek Resort I headed into Old Station for breakfast at JJ's Cafe which was very tasty!  I started my ride out with a big mountain climb on a chilly, rainy morning.  The rain held all day but was still pleasant for biking.  The scenery was beautiful as I rode through Lassen National Forest.  There were several beautiful lakes and the shoulder was nice and wide which always makes for a more enjoyable ride.  About 30 miles into the ride I hit hwy A21 which was 18 miles of downhill through the forest.  Awesome!  I had a momma black bear and her tiny cub run across the road maybe 50 feet in front of me, incredible sight!!!  This really made my day and put a huge smile on my face.  I was cautious but also very excited, unfortunately I did not get a picture as they ran off quickly when they saw me.  When I arrived in Westwood I met up with Susan and Terry Johnson at Buffalo Chips Pizza.  Susan interviewed me for two Feather Publishing newspapers and they bought me dinner.  Thanks so much Susan and Terry, you are both very kind people and I had a great time meeting with you!  I will post the newspaper articles on this blog sometime after June 15th when they are published.  After a delicious dinner at Buffalo Chips I had a nice downhill ride in the rain to Lake Almanor.  Big Springs Resort was very kind to donate me a cottage overlooking the lake!  Thank you so much!!  I had a nice, relaxing evening and got a good nights rest.

Words to live by - at least during this bike trip

Crossing paths with the P.C.T.


Mt. Lassen in the distance

Gaining Elevation



One of many lakes in Lassen National Forest


Still plenty of snow in the woods

Susan and me outside of Buffalo Chips

Thanks for the cottage Big Springs Resort!

Nice patio overlooking Lake Almanor




CONTEST NUMER ONE!!!
The first person to email me at kevincitta@gmail.com will receive the first postcard of my trip!  I will post the winner on the next blog update and check back often for more upcoming contests with all kinds of prizes!
                            

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