In Which I Find Great Beauty and Stunning Ugly.
I could not get out of Reno fast enough. The only good news on this morning is that the motel had flood lights on the whole parking lot to cut down on prostitution and dope dealing so I didn't have to wait until it was light to pack and go. I didn't.
Within 50 miles of Reno I'd gained enough elevation that I needed more clothing on me, an entirely good situation. I watched the sun come up at the junction of US 395 and State 70 (California) called Hallelujah Junction. I love name and the place. High desert and deserted, I knew I was on the right road.
I needed gas in Greenville, CA but had forgotten that last year's Dixie Fire had completely destroyed the place. I didn't take many fire destruction photos, but it was incredibly depressing. They are rebuilding the gas station and a bit of the town one year later, but not very much.
Can you imagine the helpless feeling of seeing that fire come toward you at 20 MPH? It must have seemed the whole world was dying.
My intent was to spend a little time in Lassen NP, particularly when it seemed the fire had stopped at the road. It didn't, and there is serious damage inside the park. It's just a shame. I ended up just mostly riding slowly through the park, I hardly stopped and took no further photos. Sigh. If I live long enough it will be good to see the regrowth, I'm sure it will happen. Sooner or later.
I was way low on gas when I cleared Lassen NP, and I had to buy from a place just outside the Park. $6.58 per gallon, my new personal highest price paid. Free popcorn, though.
There were no organized campgrounds near McCloud, CA when I needed to stop. I'd been rained on a couple of times and could see more rain on the way. I stopped at a really likely looking place to set up for the night and found this. I can not express how outraged I am at this trash dump in a really pretty area. Just incredibly shitty.
I walked half a mile or better to check out this campsite. Turning that motorcycle and trailer around on a Forest Service road is an adventure. This lovely site is actually part of an NFS timber sale and was a great place to camp.
And there it is, Home Sweet Home. The dirt was way too soft to park the motorcycle on, so big red isn't in the picture. Note the rainfly on the tent (I needed it, and it worked perfectly) and the folding camp table right of the tent. It's a Coleman brand and I really like it. This was the first time I actually used the table, as I'd been in campsites with picnic tables up until now.
I'll end this day with this flower. I don't know what it is, but it was fairly common here at this site. A little beauty after the fire desolation and the trash dump eased my soul.
Next time, we are headed for Crater Lake. As it turns out it also would be the start of the Covid Saga. I hope you will return for that! Thanks for stopping by and sharing some of your valuable time for my post.
All words and photographs in this post are mine. For better or worse.
Daily Travel Digest #1667.
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I love the map and the service. Thank you for that, too.
Wow, you really saw some stuff on your trip 😐 I like the camping spot you finally found, though! If only people would keep nature looking good like that.
That first place I stopped was just so discouraging. I have more pictures, the carnage was spread over a wide area. Sigh.
The second spot was nice. Well serviced by the road (decent gravel) and very level due to it's being the 'rally point' for a timber sale. The loggers HAVE to clean up after themselves or they won't get another contract. My only concern was that it was a low spot rather than high. I KNEW it was going to rain and didn't want to wake up in a lake :) It didn't rain that much and was not any sort of concern.
The sound of a gentle rain on a tent that doesn't leak is one of the most soothing sounds I know...
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That is quite the bummer about the trash on the one site. Looks like some people might have been staying there at one point, but why leave it a mess like that. That honestly depresses me more than the fire. Fires happen all the time due to lighting strikes and stuff. It's typically supposed to be a cleansing thing allowing for regrowth, but civilization creep now fuels fires with artificial accelerants making them hotter and faster and they consume more than they naturally should. I know you know all of that though. Just ranting :)
It looked a perfect place when I pulled in. Relatively level with really good road access-the way to a ski area was right there. I was really depressed after looking at all the fire damage and then this. I found the second place about 5 miles away. It worked out fine, but still. Why?
I did see a couple of hopeful signs for the wild fires. Several 'brush removal' projects AND some logging of the fire damaged wood. The forest service has finally decided that it's the right thing to do so a lot of that wood isn't lost completely.
Yeah, that is just a shame. People just don't seem to care. Just like the desert dumping area past your house and I am sure hundreds of areas deep in the woods of Michigan.
Yeah, I just don't get it. Not even a little bit, and it just makes me crazy.