The Bizz -- Tues, 10/11/22

 

Boo, the temp was a very chilly 31° when we crawled out of bed around 7am.  I hadn't thought it would be quite this cold at Goumaz Campground (5200'), and we were grateful for our little catalytic propane heater that took the chill off our cozy Tergel.  We had to wait till the sun rose over the trees (8:30/ish) to warm the air and charge our solar panels.  By 10, the temp reached 50°, and we made ready to ride.  Before we could do anything, we had to remove that thick layer of dust from the bike cover and the bikes, a yucky job, but then we were ready to ride our first leg of the Bizz Johnson bike trail.

I was out early, dressed in layers, appreciating the peacefulness and beauty of the morning.  Tergel is just out of view in the center of the picture.  This whole area would be alive with color in springtime.  Now, the cracklin' dry leaves of Woolley Mules Ears (at left) remind me that autumn has arrived.

Apparently the c/g is closed for the season since no fee is charged. As we were leaving, we saw the ranger's truck pull in to this kiosk (which is not far from the vault toilet), but we didn't see him (or her) so couldn't get any information.  Never mind, let's go! 

Not long into the ride, we spotted this old shack just a few feet from the trail.  We got off the bikes to investigate, but there wasn't much to see ... just something to wonder about.  We were riding beneath lots of big pine trees, our pedaling cushioned by layers of pine needles, rendering us stealthy.  We liked this part of the trail.

For the first few miles, we rode along the Susan River Canyon to our left, sometimes high above, sometimes not, but always a really pretty sight.  We came upon this meadow to our right, but didn't see any critters roaming through it.

Next came a dirt road off the trail that led to an old corral, probably to herd cows.  Of course, we had to investigate, and then we continued on.

We passed signposts for Blair, Westwood Junction and Facht Junction.  Named for former Congressman Harold T. "Bizz" Johnson, the bike trail follows the old Fernley and Lassen Branch Line of the Southern Pacific railroad, which was built in 1913-1914. The BLM completed assembly of the trail in 1986 and now jointly manages it with the US Forest Service.

About halfway to Mason Station, we came upon the burn scar from (I'm assuming) that dreadful 2021 Dixie fire that seemed to have consumed half of NorCal.  The only good thing we could see is that the burned tree trunks are being used -- taken to logging operations and cut into boards. 

Still a lot of dead standing.

Made it to Mason Station, which is at 5260'.  Everything is powder dry!  During our entire ride, we encountered only two other people, riding in the other direction.  Wow.  Slow day on the trail.

Jimmy and I saw quite a few venerable Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines, obviously not here.  Who knows what these trees were! 

Rubber Rabbit brush is still blooming!

As we were putting the bike stuff away, a van pulled in.  A man came over to ask about camping and we told him what we knew, including the fact that really good water from the spigots could be had here.  He had his E-bike, too, and planned to ride to Susanville tomorrow, same as us.  He appeared to be about our age, a little younger, and based on his being talkative, I figured he must be lonely.  So now we had company in the c/g.  After he left to park his van, I went to the nearest spigot to fill our water bottles, and nada.  The ranger must have turned off the water this morning.  Oh well.  We had plenty.

Bee happy.

Hanging on a branch behind our rig.

We had a lovely day, not strenuous, dinner would be easy, and we had time to relax at the picnic table.  Plugged Jimmy's E battery in the dashboard "cigarette lighter" for an hour or so, but it didn't seem to charge, so we undid it.  Tomorrow we ride again.  Looking forward to riding in the other direction, about 25 miles again.