So, from Eureka, I went to Redding, CA.
Leaving Eureka, I went for the 299, which is in many way very similar to the 199, with a lot of twisties, and nice views on the small river flowing by the side.
Several road works too. At some point stopped at a Renner gas station, which only took a Renner card, and I thought I was about to run out of gas, but a friendly fellow started a conversation about the bike and then pointed me to a Chevron station a bit further down the road. Saved!
I can’t remember all the details – not hand notes taken at that point – but I reached Redding with the rain.
Stopped at a Starbucks, and looked for my options, opting to try couchsurfing. Sent a request to a guy that seemed to be hosting regularly, and put some deadline to 4pm, because I wanted to be able to mount my tent in the daylight, in case the couchsurfing request failed… which it did, obviously 🙂 Got a reply from the host, saying he couldn’t host me because he had had a big surgery and was still recovering. Nevermind, Thanked, and took the direction of the Mt. Lassen / Shingletown KOA, which I eventually reached a little before the office/store closed. Initially opted for a tent site, but after a quick chat about bears and other wild animals, I decided to pass on being the only camper in a corner of the camp close to the forest, and chose a cabin instead, double the price, unfortunately. Thing is, I’ve read so much horror stories about grizzlies and bears that I would prefer to make a possible encounter the latest possible in my life…
The cabin was a safe option, but with a strong negative side: there was no restroom in it – basic cabin – and I had to walk some 100 meters in the dark to get there, which I didn’t do when I needed to pee later in the night. I won’t describe which option I took, but I had to find one, so… we’ll pass that part of the story 😉 Other than that I slept well, despite the thought of the little black widow I had seen under the bunkbeds on the other side of the cabin (there was a queen bed and bunkbeds)
