once i returned to Crescent City, i took Howland Hill Rd. through Jedediah Smith State Park and the area called stout grove. like Fern Canyon, only passenger cars (and motorcycles) are permitted on this route. a narrow, winding gravel road twists through the old growth, often passing between two trees spaced no wider than a few feet...
here, a narrow bridge crosses a tiny creek...the giant stump dwarfs the KLR...
the stout grove trailhead is at the eastern end of howland hill road, and leads to a lollipop route through the old growth...
the trees are huge... beyond words...
dwarfed...
the gravel road eventually emerged from the forest and back into civilization and paved highways on the other side of an old covered bridge, like a kind of gate...
the rest of the day was spent making my way up the coast and back into Oregon. the weather was spectacular, and i took many pictures using photostitch...
unfortunately my decision to head back into California to fern canyon meant i had to cover lots of ground in the last couple days to get home on time, and i was running out of daylight to get to Gold Beach, so i had to keep moving.
it was good to be back in Oregon, i could almost feel it when i crossed the border. and after nearly 200 miles and 10 hours in the saddle i was ready for a soft bed and many beers. i found this ancient motel in Gold Beach called the Oregon Trail Lodge at the north end of town, at the top of the hill overlooking the Rogue River bridge. one of the few remaining old-school motels thats not a shithole, it was exactly what i always look for. privately owned and operated, a real person at the desk, regular keys, and a building so old it doesnt have that cookie-cutter motel room layout. sure, my room smelled like an ashtray rinsed out with listerine, but i had a real door; solid wood with a little window covered by a thin curtain on a rusty curtain rod. i had a real bed with real blankets, not those scratchy rugs and canvas sheets that usually pass for bedding at the franchises. my room even had its own private patio in front and the walls were stained pine or cedar, it was perfect...
tomorrow, into the hills on Jerry's Flat Rd. for my last off-road route of the tour...
