Getting from Mt. Shasta to Eureka is harder than you'd think

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After stopping at the mountaineering store The Fifth Season in Mt. Shasta for some butane, I head off for my next destination- Redwood National Park. Sounds easy enough, as if you look at a map, it should be just a quick drive to the coast.

My first attempt is to take 17 (Stewart Springs Rd). Seems promising enough at first, but something seems amiss when I notice the large amount of debris on the road going up the mountain. Eventually, I get high enough in elevation and pass the snow line. Apparently this road hasn't been cleared. The snow is pretty deep, and even with 4WD it'd be foolish to try to continue down this path. (I actually tried to go a few hundred feet over this snow, and I didn't have much traction.) So I turn around back the way I came, back down the mountain.

The next attempt is basically the next road to the north that heads west. This one definitely is a better choice, as the road quality is much better. I continue on for about an hour, seeing maybe one other car, and eventually make a turn at the tiny town of Callahan. A california highway patrol car passes me and then does the immediate u-turn thing and flashes the lights. Hmm, I definitely wasn't committing any moving violations. After coming to the window he informs me that he noticed my seatbelt wasn't on. Good grief, 3000 miles of going well under the speed limit to avoid attention, and they finally found a way to get me. He goes to his car and starts walking back to my window with the unmistakable pink piece of paper. I say "so do don't think a warning would be sufficient?" He remarks that California has a zero tolerance policy on seatbelts. I show him my meticulous expense tabulation and explain how this $25 citation will undo a week of penny pinching and he says that sadly once he fills out that citation form he can't undo it (I perceived he would have if he could, after my persuasive petition 😊 )

Oh well, seatbelt fastened, I continue on. Eventually the road takes me over some snow covered mountains that rival the Sierras (Marble Range?) and further on the road turns into a single lane, poorly maintained slab of concrete winding through a river valley. By single lane I mean one lane for both directions. It's so bad in fact, I was sure I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Unfortunately, I can't confirm this, as I have no signal (not even voice) to use GPS. This single lane business continues on for the next three hours, as I wind through what's got to be the most isolated part of California I've ever seen. Beautiful scenery though. I passed through some truly tiny village where the schools were maybe the size of a typical mcdonald's (having the same attached playground as well. At one part the single lane road clung to the side of a cliff with about a 700 foot drop down into the river canyon below on the right side, with no guard rail. Needless to say, I drove very slowly through it.

Eventually, I did reach more civilized roads, which took me to the little seaside town of Eureka. It's too late to get to Redwood National Park, but it's only a 40 minute drive away, easy enough for tomorrow.

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Photos

Road snowed out
I can't continue this way, have to go back,

Marble Range, I think
Marble Range, I think

Endless single lane road
Endless single lane road

Cool isolated river valley
Cool isolated river valley. No cell reception though.

Mother and child
Cool isolated river valley

Backwoods gas station
I'm 80% sure this is the gas station. Thankfully, I had a full tank.

Backwoods Elementary School
Could be K-12 to be honest.

Treacherous road
Treacherous road. On the right side, there's a steep dropoff into the river.

Better roads, but the weather turns
Better roads, but the weather turns

Cloud forests
Cloud forests

Old town Eureka
Old town Eureka

Old town Eureka 2
Old town Eureka 2