Sierra to Sea

Epic Ride 2026

We explore Hwy 49 to southern Oregon and the northern California Coast.

Sep 4, 2026 to Sep 13, 20261780 mi10 days

The Ride

Ten Days of History, Culture, and Ancient Redwoods

Epic Ride 2026 was ten days on the road with a bunch of great friends. The plan is always simple: ride some great roads, see places we haven’t seen before, have a bunch of new experiences, drink a few beers, and enjoy the camaraderie. We rode from the Sierra through Reno and up into Oregon, eventually hitting the coast before turning south for home. There were long days, cold mornings, incredible roads, questionable decisions, and plenty of stops that lasted longer than they were supposed to. After ten days, we were tired, dirty, ready to get home—and already knew we’d do it again.

The Route

Sierra, High Desert, Oregon & the Redwood Coast

Epic Ride 2026 covered a little bit of everything. We started in the Sierra foothills, riding Highway 49 and the Little Dragon before heading north through Auburn and Reno. From Reno the route crossed the high desert through Susanville and into Redding, then turned toward the mountains on Highway 3 through Weaverville and Etna before crossing into Oregon and reaching Ashland. Southern Oregon gave us mountain roads, Jacksonville, Medford and a 100-mile loop through the surrounding countryside before we headed west toward the coast. From there the ride turned south and followed the Pacific through some of the best scenery of the trip. We rode the Oregon coast into Brookings, crossed back into California and continued down Highway 101 through the redwoods. The final stretch included the Trees of Mystery, the drive-thru tree, Eureka, Fort Bragg and the Avenue of the Giants before turning inland for the ride home. The route went from tight mountain roads and high desert to cool coastal highways and ancient redwood forests. About the only thing it didn't have was a boring view.

Ride Journal

September 4, 2026

Nice easy ride up Hwy 49. Had a great time opening it up on the Little Dragon. Visited the Hideout Saloon, which is always a blast. Turned in before too late to catch up on some sleep.

September 5, 2026

Headed north to Reno today. Gonna meet Wayne along the way.

Met Wayne in Auburn. Got on the freeway. Rode into Reno. Hit a wreck that delayed us by 2 hours.

Still had a good time in Reno.

September 6, 2026

Excellent ride today. Amazing scenery around Susanville and then into Redding.

September 7, 2026

Nice cool ride up Hwy 3. Stopped in Weaverville and hit a cool dive bar and checked out a museum. Visited Etna Brewery which is the oldest brewery in the West?

Landed in Ashland. Total hippy town. Fun day.

September 8, 2026

Awesome day of riding! Jacksonville was an amazing little town. We ate there and rode a 100 mi loop around Medford. We relaxed a little and then went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. So fun. Great day overall.

September 9, 2026

Excellent ride through the mountains. Super hot day. When we hit the coast it cooled down a lot. Our room was literally on the water. Fantastic view.

Had killer seafood for dinner and drank and smoked while watching the sunset.

September 10, 2026

Rode down the coast. Visited the Prehistoric Forest, which was fun. Other than that, just beautiful coastal views.

September 11, 2026

Rode down 101 to Eureka. Stopped at the Trees of Mystery for some dumb fun. The canopy trail was really cool. We stopped for a photo at the drive-thru tree. Then we finished the day in Fort Bragg.

Had a killer dinner at North Coast Brewery. Ted got something in his eye on the road and had to go to the ER. But it all worked out well.