Yet another Highway 36 trip report.

I'll try to keep it short.

I finally did Hwy 36 for the first time this past Saturday. I left the east
bay, rode up I5 to Red Bluff, across to Fortuna via 36, and down 101 back
home. Around 13 hours and 650 miles, all told.

Thoughts on 36? Yeah, everybody should try this road at least once.

Heading west out of Red Bluff was interesting. I've heard the term
rollercoaster used, and I have to agree that it fits. Parts of that
road were crazy. Initially I was riding a bit agressively, until
the point where I came over a rise in the road, only to find a sharp
right hand turn at the base. Yikes! I decided to play the vanishing
point game after that...

Probably the biggest thing that sticks out in my mind was the sheer
variety I saw that day. Highway 36 seems to have sections that pretty
much represent the span of CA motorcycling. I'm a bit at a loss to
explain it all, but it felt like this road gave me a taste of all
the different motorcycle road types/experiences that we enjoy in this
state. From mountain twisties, to "high speed" desert sections, to
slow crusing through the redwoods. It was all there. And I guess to cap
the experiences off, at one end of 36 you have the awesome majesty of
the Pacific Ocean, while at the other the amazing boredrom of I5.

Fuel was a bit of a concern for me going in. My F4i doesn't have a big
tank, and I seem to average 40mpg in most situations. It's around 140
miles from Red Bluff to Fortuna, and I definitely didn't want to
get stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Turns out that this really wasn't an issue. Fuel was available in
Platina(sp?) on the east side, and on the western side I noticed
"Patriot" gas stations in a couple of the small towns. I filled
up in Red Bluff before heading out and topped off the first chance
I got, which was Platina. Interestingly enough, I needed less than
a gallon of gas for the top off, despite my trip odo saying that I had
travelled 47 odd miles. I guess an F4i can get 50 mpg, if the rider
is concentrating on being smooth, rather than fast.

Anyways, I had a lot of fun and I plan on going back to do it again!

-- Michael