Linda, Jim, Mary, and I, Mark, joined the Gourmet Bicycle Group for a tour of Plumas County from June 18-26. We arrived in Taylorsville on Saturday and set up camp at the County Park and Campground. Taylorsville sits at an elevation of 3500 ft. on the edge of Indian Valley, a beautiful alpine valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
We did three rides in the Taylorsville area. Sunday's Greeville-Indian Valley Loop was a pleasant 41 mile ride. On Monday, we rode to and around Lake Almanor. By the time we got back to Greenville, the temperature was in the low 90s. Road construction forced Linda, Jim, and me to take a detour back to camp, adding 15 hot miles to our route. Back in camp, Jim and I decided to make it a century and took a leisurely spin up to the Genesee Store and back. Tuesday was another scorcher for our ride up to Antelope Lake.
On Wednesday, we transferred to Graeagle and pitched our tents at the Movin' West RV Park. Thursday's ride took us to Portola, and across the large and very flat alpine valley to Loyalton. Encountering very strong headwinds on Hwy 49, we decided to retrace our route back to Portola where we stopped at the soda fountain to replenish our energy before heading back to camp. Jim somehow found the energy to ride another 30 miles solo to complete the century. On Friday, we took on Yuba Pass and the climb up to Gold Lakes - 4600 ft. of climbing in less than 50 miles, but with fairly easy 5-6% grades. Our effort was rewarded with a spectacular long and fast descent back to Graeagle. On Saturday, it was back to Portola and the climb up to Lake Davis.
This was my third trip to this part of Califonia. It reinforced my opinion that Plumas County offers some of the best cycling anywhere, with good roads, little traffic, and spectacular scenery. I look forward to returning.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment