On Labor Day the wife & I are leaving Nebraska and heading northwest. We are thinking that we will go up through Idaho across Lolo pass and then head west or southwest to the coast and see the redwoods in California then maybe Hwy 50 on the way back east. I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on interesting places or roads that we might want to see. The wife wants to go to Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe but as usual we really have no set route and just see where the road takes us each day so if anyone has any suggestions or favorites it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

 

Northern Cal and the Redwoods are one of my favorite rides. A great ride is Hwy 1 between Leggett and Ft. Bragg. While it has some hairy turns and switchbacks the views are unforgettable. Be sure to stop in the old town of Mendocino, a neat little town that appears as a place time forgot.

 

We did that ride last year. Did Hwy 12 through Lolo. Then hit Hells Canyon, the WA version of "The Dragon" Hwy 129 was a really nice ride. We rode so many crooked roads going across Oregon, it almost got tiring. We also did Crater Lake and then headed to the coast and then south through the Redwoods. The big trees are amazing. We rode south through SF and then did Sequoia and Yosemite and came out in Tahoe on our way east. Stopped at Bonneville Salt Flats, and for my second visit, the flats were flooded again. Then Moab and CO. Nice riding.

 

I can’t speak for Idaho. But as a starting point from where the Snake and Columbia meet near Pasco WA.

Crater Lake.
Follow the Columbia River into Oregon. Then Hwy Dalles-California Hwy 97 through Bend, La Pine, towards Klamath. And Hwy 62 into Crater Lake

Crater Lake to CA. Redwoods. west Hwy 62 Rogue River.Hwy 199 Grants Pass. Crescent City CA. Redwoods Hwy 101.

California Pacific Coast Hwy.
Hwy 101 South Crescent City / Eureka / Fortuna / Leggett / Jedediah Redwoods State Park
Redwoods National and State Park
Hwy 1 Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay to Napa.
Hwy 101 Petaluma / Hwy 12 Sonoma / Napa
Napa Silverado Wine Trail runs along the eastern edge of Napa Valley and passes through Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and ends in Calistoga.

Napa to Lake Tahoe.
Hwy 12 to Interstate 80 Sacramento, Donner Pass, Truckee CA.
Hwy 89 south Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe North Shore to South Lake Tahoe Stateline Nevada Casinos.

Lake Tahoe to Yosemite.
Hwy 89 South Meyers CA to Hwy 88. Hwy 88 Carson Pass to Jackson CA
California Gold Discovery Hwy 49 Angels Camp to Groveland CA
https://www.historichwy49.com/mainmap.html
Hwy 120 to Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows over Tioga Pass to Lee Vining Hwy 395

From there are many options depending where you are headed.
Suggestion.
Across Nevada to Utah National Parks.
St. George UT to Springdale entrance Zion 5 National Parks:
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Moab Arches National Park.
Canyonlands National Park.
Hwy 191 Monticello UT.

Colorado.
Hwy 491 Dolores CO. Hwy 160 Durango CO.
Million$Hwy 550 to Ouray to Montrose CO.
Hwy 50 Gunnison CO. Monarch Pass. Poncha Springs.
Hwy 285 Buena Vista. Hwy 24 Leadville.
Hwy 91 Interstate 70 Copper Mountain to Denver.


Or you can do like Rocky. Plan ahead to the next Coffee Shop.

 

When you’re on the west end of the Lolo pass road head towards Lewiston… Then south to enterprise and Joseph… Stay in Joseph… Then down through Hells Canyon…

A map I did for someone else dot

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...9k&usp=sharing

 

Don’t drive into Idaho with a California license plate. Idaho is full of retired California Cops.
Idaho Cops will stop you, pull you off your bike, slam you to the ground. Cuff you put you in their trunk and haul you off to the boonies. They will use your bike for target practice.
Don’t go to Idaho if you live in California.

 

lol… 😂…we didn’t get taken to the train station. But, weirdest evening we ever spent was at the "Hearthstone Elegant Lodge”, Kamiah, ID.Its about the only hotel at the end of 12…going west, which is an awesome ride. I swear the owners used to run the Bates Motel. And the towns people were like a stepfird town, one of the only times I put my Glock on the nightstand.

 

Idaho… The only place I’ve ever had law-enforcement draw their side-arm on me and pointed it right up my chest and say… “Don’t move”… I didn’t move… After a few minutes they realized it was a bag of white paper and not dope… And said that going forward, I should always break my load down in the back of the trailer before I approach customs…

… I was hauling freight through the panhandle of Idaho during the times of Ruby Ridge… interesting times…

… Then there was the time I walked into a gunfight with nothing more than a pocket knife in my jeans…

… All of that was up in the panhandle…🤪🤪

 

LOL!! Well that explains all the stink eye when I drove through last fall in that bright radioactive green Toyota pickup with California plates.

 

Those are some great ideas! We will definitely hit as many of them as we can on this trip. We should be safe in Idaho with our Nebraska plates. lol
I do need to figure out what to do with my pistol in California, I believe I'm good to carry everywhere else.
Thanks for all the suggestions.