Day 12 - Alturas, CA to Chemult, OR

Today we started a bit later than normal.  I ended up giving the bike and trailer a wash as it was looking so grimy.  After refueling, we headed west on CA 299 which is a wonderful motorcycle road.  It was about 90 miles to our first dam of the day which was located on the Pit River (Pit #3 dam).  We rode over a summit and down the other side through some interesting scenery.

Arriving at the dam from the south side we encountered a "road closed" sign.   Hmm, what's up with this?


So we decided to try it from the north side of the dam, and wahla, here's the Pit #3 dam and a few other shots.

We then continued our ride up CA89 (long and straight).  Kalifornia has this strange rule about vehicles towing trailers that the maximum speed limit is 55 mph.

Lunch was in McCloud, and Mr. Cow approved of a buffalo burger.

We're been safely doing well in excess of that in every other state, so it was a bit frustrating.  On the flip side, we got really good gas mileage.  And it gave some time to get a shot of Mt. Shasta from both directions:

We grabbed a little bite to eat near Rogue River before heading on to our next dam.

Arriving at the William L Jess Dam (originally named the Lost Creek Dam), it was impressive to be a the base of this large earthen fill structure.

Here's some history.

And there's a nearby fish rearing pond and another small dam.

We're now headed for the Crescent Dam via Crater Lake (we've not been there is a few years).  We arrive at the lake around 8:15pm and it's getting dusk.  The lodge is fully booked so we don't get to stay there.  We do enjoy a little snack before hitting the road for Chemult (the nearest town).  Leaving the lodge, it's pitch black and a little deer runs in front of us while we are walking to the bike.  Hmm, what will this portend?

Riding out the north entrance, we encounter a buck deer in velvet, but he stays off the roadway.  It was then a short hour ride to Chemult, OR where at10pm we snag a $42 room at the Budget Inn (clean and comfortable with WIFI). 

The plan today is to snag the remaining two dams.  However, one is just a few miles north of Chemult, while the last one is 200 miles to the west on the Pacific Ocean.  But I'm sure we can find some interesting roads to connect the two points.

Trip Statisitics:
Daily Mileage:  418
Game Spotted:  a few deer