Day 1

• Wednesday, June 22
• Van Nuys, CA to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, CA
• 763 miles (Paul, Jeff & Eric)

Paul, Jeff and Eric depart from Eric’s house in LA and head for the Redwoods in Northern California. Once they reach Redding, they head West on Highway 299 through the Trinity Alps, a mountain range between I-5 and the Pacific Coast. Thanks to Tim, a very talented and dedicated rider, all these marvelous roads can be researched online at pashnit.com, a motorcyclist’s guide to great riding in California.

Paul, Jeff and I met in the Redwoods for our first motorcycle tour together back in 1999. Our memories of how magical it was to camp in the Redwoods means we take every chance we get to spend a night or two. During our 2004 ride through California, we spent a night at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park but the campground was not in the Redwoods like at Jedediah. It was nice but just not the same. The best of all, though, is the road between Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Crescent City. With continuous twisties, perfectly paved and banked through the redwood forest, it is an absolute treat and one of my very favorite roads. I will always fondly remember riding Pork Chop’s hopped up H-D Dyna Glide through the Redwoods and grinning the whole way.

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