We headed out under cloudy, misting skies. While Eureka is right on the coast, Chico is far inland in the Sacramento Valley. In order to get there, you have to cross the Coastal Mountain Range and the shortest route is CA 36. This road is truly the most fascinating road I have driven in the U.S. It is up, down, around and turns you every way but loose. You begin driving through through tunnel after tunnel of Redwoods heading east, up over the mountains, to Chico. We passed by Grizzly Campground, a campground so inviting, I nearly stopped and changed plans. It was in a magnificent setting nestled under the Redwood trees. However, we had a date with a dear friend in Chico, so we didn’t stop. As we left the Redwoods and proceeded into the mountains, the road became curvy with switchbacks and hairpin turns. (It’s the kind of road the Miata was made for!) Reaching the summit, we found ourselves looking at a very smoky sky which obscured the otherwise magnificent views. The smoke was from the McKinney and 6 Rivers fires that continue to burn out of control.
CA 36 Smoke from 6 Rivers fire
Platina, CA Population: 0
Also, upon reaching the summit we found ourselves looking at an incredibly different terrain, with different weather and vegetation. It was like being in a different world. Upon reaching the valley, it became as flat as you can imagine with few small trees, and dried grasses (with occasional patches of olive green). It got hotter and hotter as we proceeded south. The high temperature for Chico today was 103.
The route from Fortuna (where CA 36 begins) to Red Bluff is 142 miles and according to Google maps should take about 3 hours and 3 minutes. Well, the speed limit is 55 mph, but any fool traveling that road at that speed is truly suicidal. We finally reached Red Bluff 4 hours after we started. When we left Eureka, we had hoped to grab breakfast along the way. Unfortunately, there were no services (of any kind) along CA 36 so by the time we got to Red Bluff, we were starved.
As we traveled along, we were entertained with signs like Dry Creek, Salt Creek, Rattlesnake Gulch and a sign for Platina, Population 0. (We had seen a sign for Emblem WY many years ago that boasted a population of 10, but 0 is clearly a record.) We didn’t see any people but we did see a few structures. There was also a sign you don’t want to see when driving or riding in a Miata: pavement ends. Fortunately, it was only a short distance and was well graded by the road construction crew.
After a refreshment stop at Tremont Cafe in Red Bluff (their cinnamon rolls are huge and delicious), we continued on our way to Chico for a wonderful visit.
Platina, CA Population: 0
Sacramento Valley. It’s flat, hot and dry.