Day 3: Jamestown to Alpine Lake Campground
Mileage: 223 miles
Sarah: This was another great day of riding. We headed up north passing through the gold rush town of Columbia. We headed east on the 88. We took a lunch break at Cook’s Station. The restaurant was quaint, food was good, and the staff was very nice. We continued to the 89 to the 4 which was probably the most amazing road throughout the trip. It was very isolated, windy, and through beautiful wilderness and running water. Oncoming traffic was a little scary at times as there is no center lane and cars like to use the entire road (Chris almost got hit by a jeep full of kids flying around a switchback) but, except for that, the ride was excellent. We found a great camping spot at East Alpine Lake Campground which was near a large body of water. The Campground consisted of 2 campgrounds, one being hidden and further away from the water, secluded and nearly unoccupied. We set up camp and headed 2-up to Bear Valley. Luckily, Chris was able to get gas before they closed at 5:30pm. As they closed shop another motorcyclist pulled up worried that he wouldn’t make it to the next station near White Pines. Luckily, we ran in to him again at the next gas station as we picked up some groceries for the evening.
The eastern part of the 4 is newly paved and a beautiful smooth ride. We cooked dinner and went to sleep excited to head back down the 4 in the morning.
