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Riding high on remote roadsSiskiyou County offers bicyclists just about everything except heavy traffic.By Tom Sellers -- Bee Staff Writer
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ETNA - At first glance, Siskiyou County's Scott Valley has about as much to
do with bicycling as the Tour de France does with cattle ranching.
Glance
again and ruminate on this: This area of far northwestern (heavy on the
western) California is a paradise for road and mountain pedalers of all
abilities. It's home to challenging road courses and century rides,
not-for-beginners single-track mountain biking and pleasant, easy routes that
allow riders to actually converse about the beauty through which they're
passing at a leisurely pace.
Those who
ride the area also love it for the stunning scenery and lack of traffic.
In
Etna, population about 700, former logger and longtime restaurateur Rusty
Coleman is concentrating on the latter. While he and his fledgling Mountain
Spirit Adventures guide service will gladly accommodate serious riders, the
affable Coleman, 57, is firm in the idea that bicycling can provide a good
bit of exercise but doesn't have to be grueling.
"There
are three 100-mile rides, easy rides and everything in between," said
Coleman of his guided offerings, which can also include a swim in the Scott
River or an icy dip in Shackleford Creek.
On a recent
Sunday, Coleman led a small group of locals and visitors on rides over Scott
Valley ranch roads. The afternoon included moving from one end of the
gorgeous valley to the other via the Mountain Spirit Adventures "sag
wagon," a large van complete with refreshments and bike-rack room for
10. Riding accounted for perhaps 15 miles of the journey.
Automobiles
were scarce. A few cattle and horses watched without concern as the riders
passed. Birds sang their songs of the ages. An air of history and heritage
was thick. And the snow-capped mountains, a large waterfall and a lazy river
provided a stunning backdrop.
And the
hills - at least on this ride - weren't too severe.
"It's
not the competitive-type riding," local rider Linda Koopman, 55 and a
message therapist, said of the day's itinerary. "There's camaraderie;
you can talk.
"I
like looking at the birds, the scenery. It's beautiful here."
Noted Al
Branson, another Etna pedaler: "It's not like hard-core biking. It's
(for) fun-seekers; take it all in and see it instead of ripping by it."
As Coleman
and the group traversed the area - no helmets here, although they are
required on more challenging rides - he pointed out landmarks near and far,
explained the etiquette of bicycling in open-range cattle country and told of
his desire to step outdoors from the bar-restaurant business.
"For
20 years, I've wanted to do outdoor recreation," Coleman said. "I
honestly think there's the potential to hire guides. If it creates jobs,
wonderful. If not, OK."
A Mountain
Spirit Adventures package also includes sag wagon lunches and dinners at
Coleman's Outback restaurant, plus what Coleman calls "semi-luxury
camping" - tents (provided along with mattresses, but bring your own
sleeping bag) on a hillside at the edge of town, surrounding a large,
semi-permanent canvas-and-wood yurt that's the campsite "living
room."
The view
from the yurt is breathtaking.
"If a
thunderstorm comes, there's nothing better than sitting in that yurt watching
Mother Nature go nuts," Coleman said.
Among those
who prefer more challenging rides, Mount Shasta resident Pete Eddy, 51, has
long known the joys of Siskiyou County's traffic-free pavement. The owner of
a building-supply business in Weed and an organizer of Pedali, a local
cycling club, describes himself as "one of those addicted
bicyclists" who rides 150 to 200 miles per week.
Which would
explain his Memorial Day weekend ride with about 20 other enthusiasts - a
100-miler, or century, that began and ended in Etna. In the typical way that
things are colorfully named in these parts, the ride is known as the
"Slammin' Salmon."
While Eddy's
agenda on bicycling is significantly more strenuous than Coleman's, his
appreciation for the opportunities sounds similar.
"There
are many components to good bicycle riding," Eddy said. "Scenery is
a big one. Another is varied terrain. (On the Slammin' Salmon), there was
10,000 feet of elevation change.
Other
factors are the "uncrowded roads and courteous drivers," he said.
"Last
year (in the Slammin' Salmon), we rode for nine or 10 hours and counted a
total of 20 cars."
This year,
the event was on Memorial Day Weekend, so there were more vehicles, about 60,
Eddy said - about three to four per hour.
"The
bike riding is incredible," he added. "There are so many high
mountain roads; there's flat riding in the valleys like in the Scott Valley
and the Shasta Valley ... anything you want."
One week
after Eddy's 100-miler came a favorite ride for John Phelan. That was
Sunday's Humbug Hurry-Up, based at Greenhorn Park in the county seat of
Yreka, a half-hour north of Etna, at the intersection of Highway 3 and
Interstate 5.
About 150
riders competed on 12-and 24-mile courses in the Hurry-Up, in a park that has
grown in popularity in the single-track set, said Phelan, owner of Badger
Mountain Bicycles in Yreka.
Like
Coleman and Eddy, Phelan also trumpets the lack of gasoline-powered vehicles,
and does it in a mathematical way: "There are about 45,000 people in
this county. And it's a big (6,287 square miles) county."
By
comparison, more than 1.3 million people - and their cars - inhabit
Sacramento's 966 square miles.
"The
single-track mountain biking here is untapped," Phelan said.
Phelan
organizes and leads group rides through his bike store.
Organized
and competitive rides are far from over this summer. Coming Aug. 1 is the
Summit Century and Sept. 11 the Siskiyou Century.
About the Writer
---------------------------
The Bee's Tom Sellers can be reached at (916) 321-1228 or tsellers@sacbee.com.
Keeping track of the cows
In these parts, bicycling is fast gaining in popularity, but
cattle are king.
And when a
group of one encounters the other in what often is open range, there's no
question who should get out of the way, says Rusty Coleman, a 40-year
resident of Siskiyou County and proprietor of Mountain Spirit Adventures
bicycling guide service.
During a
recent ride, Coleman explained that bicyclists who follow certain protocols
in open-range country can quite literally avoid being run over in a stampede.
It's a
brains-vs.-beef thing.
"Ranchers
need to move their cattle," he said. "You need to get out of the
way."
Just
standing aside doesn't work, Coleman noted. Cattle, which are accustomed to
horses and even motor vehicles, can easily be spooked by bicycles and the
bright, colorful garb worn by riders.
"If
you have to back-pedal a mile, do it. Then just sit down and let them
pass," Coleman said. "If they get spooked, it's, Katie, bar the
door."
- Tom Sellers
Cycling connections
A list of resources for people looking for a Siskiyou County
bicycling experience:
• Mountain
Spirit Adventures guide service, Etna: (530) 467-5444, www.sisqtel.net/~mtspiritad/
• Pedali
cycling club: www.mountainwheelers.org
• Badger
Mountain Bike Shop, Yreka: (530) 842-5420; bikefixer@hotmail.com (e-mail)
• House
of Ski & Board, Mount Shasta: (530) 926-2359; www.shastaski.com
• The
Fifth Season, Mount Shasta: (530) 926-3606, www.thefifthseason.com
• Mount
Shasta Summit Century, Aug. 1: www.shastahome.com/summit-century/
• The
Siskiyou Century, Sept. 11: www.siskiyoucentury.com
• Mount
Shasta Board & Ski Park: (530) 926-8610, www.skipark.com
• Siskiyou
County Visitors Bureau: (877) 747-5496, www.visitmountshasta.org
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