Road Trippin’
with
Steve McCarthy
Drive the the Center of the Earth, Day Two
Ok, we got to lovely Visalia, now it time to head for the hills. There are a huge number of options here. When we did the “Gold in Them Thar Hills” about five years ago, we went all the way up to Jackson in the heart of the Gold Country, and used Hwy. 49 for a lot of it. That on it’s own is a great drive, but there are also a bunch of side roads that make this whole area great Road Trip territory.
The one thing you have to keep in mind is time of year. Many of these secondary roads are closed in the winter. They don’t want to spend the money to plow them. That dough is better spent keeping the main roads in the southern Sierras open as much as possible. Most should be open by May, but it’s always a good idea to check first, especially after a wet winter. It’s also worth noting that even in the spring, a snow storm CAN hit. Keeping an eye on the weather is an important idea. In the summer, these mountains can also get surprisingly hot, and the hill climbing and heat can challenge an Auld Crate’s cooling system. Make sure your’s is up to snuff!
The key to this whole drive is located on a little back road called “Italian Bar Road.” I need to do some research on how it got it’s name. Was there a bar for Italians? Were Italians barred from crossing further south or north? Some kind of 19th century Pale? Who knows. Anyway, it’s on this road that you will find the exact geographical center of California. Now you know. Don’t all jump up and cheer at once, you’ll wake the kids.
The better part of this bit of esoterica is that just up the road, near a little mountain town called North Fork, is a great barbeque spot, called the Buckhorn Saloon & Restaurant
(32992 Road 222 North Fork, CA 93643-- http://www.buckhornsaloon.net ). This place is a classic mountain resort with lots of dead heads on the wall (and no, I don’t mean Jerry Garcia, I mean moose and deer, and such.). The menu has the usual suspects, and the burgers are big and juicy. It’s one of those classic bits of Mountain Americana that shouldn’t be missed.
From there, it’s more back country to Oakhurst, where you’ll find the least outrageous gas prices, then, by the usual indirect route, back to your digs in Visalia. It’s actually not that grueling day in the saddle, but the fresh mountain air and the scenery are spectacular. In April and May, there should be plenty of wildflowers and flowering trees to liven up the backdrop of evergreens. What more could you ask for?
DRIVE TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
DAY TWO!
Econo Lodge Sequoia Area
1400 S Mooney Blvd
Visalia, CA 93277
1. Head north on S Mooney Blvd toward W Tulare Ave 0.5 mi
2. Turn right onto W Noble Ave 184 ft
Merge onto CA-198 E/State Route 198 E
via the ramp on the left to State Route63 N 2.7 mi
4. Take exit 108 for Lovers Ln toward CA-216 0.3 mi
5. Turn left onto Rd 140/S Lovers Ln 1.0 mi
6. Turn right onto CA-216 E/E Houston Ave/Ivanhoe Dr
Continue to follow CA-216 E/Ivanhoe Dr 5.0 mi
7. Turn right onto CA-216 E/Ave 328/Millwood Dr
Continue to follow Millwood Dr 22.7 mi
8. Millwood Dr turns slightly right and becomes CA-245 N 10.4 mi
9. Sharp left onto Dunlap Rd 0.8 mi
10. Turn left to stay on Dunlap Rd 5.1 mi
11. Turn right to stay on Dunlap Rd 7.2 mi
12. Turn left onto CA-180 W/E Kings Canyon Rd 4.5 mi
13. Turn right onto N Elwood Rd 11.8 mi
14. Turn right onto N Piedra Rd 0.7 mi
15. Turn right onto E Trimmer Springs Rd 5.6 mi
16. Keep right at the fork
Continue to follow E Trimmer Springs Rd 8.1 mi
17. Turn left onto Maxon Rd 5.0 mi
18. Turn right onto Watts Valley Rd 3.2 mi
19. Continue onto Burrough Valley Rd 3.2 mi
20. Turn right to stay on Burrough Valley Rd 1.1 mi
21. Turn right onto Tollhouse Rd 1.2 mi
22. Continue onto Lodge Rd 6.6 mi
23. Turn right onto Auberry Rd 1.8 mi
24. Continue onto Frazier Rd 161 ft
25. Continue onto Auberry Rd 1.1 mi
26. Head south on Auberry Rd 92 ft
27. Take the 1st right toward Power House Rd 92 ft
28. Turn right onto Power House Rd 7.4 mi
Turn right onto Co Rd 235/Redinger Lake Rd 2.8 mi
30. Keep right at the fork 5.6 mi
31. Turn left onto Rd 225/Italian Bar Rd 3.7 mi
32. Head northwest on Rd 225/Italian Bar Rd toward Itialn Bar Rd 0.2 mi
33. Turn left to stay on Rd 225/Italian Bar Rd
Continue to follow Rd 225 4.4 mi
34. Slight left onto Rd 222
Destination will be on the right 0.2 mi
4.7 mi – about 9 mins
Buckhorn Saloon & Restaurant
32992 Road 222
North Fork, CA 93643
35. Head northeast on Rd 222 toward Weatherly Ln 0.2 mi
Rd 222 turns slightly right and becomes Rd 225/
Mammoth Pool/Minarets Rd 0.3 mi
37. Turn left onto Rd 274/Malum Ridge Rd/Ridge Rd
Continue to follow Rd 274/Malum Ridge Rd 10.9 mi
38. Continue straight onto Rd 222/Bass Lake Rd 3.4 mi
39. Turn left onto CA-41 S 3.2 mi
40. Turn left onto Rd 426/Crane Valley Rd 0.4 mi
41. Take the 2nd right onto Rd 425B/Fresno Flats Rd 144 ft
42. Take the 1st right onto Chapel hill Dr 95 ft
43. Head southeast on Chapel hill Dr toward Rd 425B/Fresno Flats Rd 95 ft
44. Turn left onto Rd 425B/Fresno Flats Rd 144 ft
45. Take the 1st left onto Rd 426/Crane Valley Rd 0.4 mi
46. Turn left onto CA-41 S 17.9 mi
47. Turn left onto Rd 200/N Fork Rd 2.0 mi
48. Turn right onto Rd 210/Hildreth Rd 0.5 mi
Rd 210/Hildreth Rd turns slightly right and becomes
Rd 211/O'Neals Rd 7.2 mi
50. Continue straight onto Rd 145 1.3 mi
51. Turn left onto Rd 206 2.2 mi
52. Turn left onto Millerton Rd 5.7 mi
53. Turn left onto Auberry Rd 0.9 mi
54. Turn right onto Millerton Rd 7.0 mi
55. Turn left onto Tollhouse Rd 4.0 mi
Turn right onto Pittman Hill Rd 4.2 mi
57. Turn left to stay on Pittman Hill Rd 1.2 mi
58. Take the 1st left onto Watts Valley Rd 7.4 mi
59. Continue onto Maxon Rd 5.0 mi
60. Turn right onto E Trimmer Springs Rd 13.7 mi
61. Turn left onto N Piedra Rd 0.7 mi
62. Turn left onto N Elwood Rd 11.8 mi
63. Turn right onto E Kings Canyon Rd 3.0 mi
64. Turn left onto CA-63 S/S Hills Valley Rd 8.4 mi
65. Turn left onto CA-63 S/Ave 460 1.0 mi
66. Take the 2nd right onto CA-63 S/Rd 128
Continue to follow CA-63 S 19.8 mi
67. Turn left onto NW 2nd Ave 0.2 mi
68. Slight right onto N Locust St 0.7 mi
69. Turn right onto W Mineral King Ave 0.7 mi
70. Turn left onto S Giddings St 1.0 mi
71. Turn right onto W Walnut Ave 0.5 mi
72. Turn right onto S Mooney Blvd
Destination will be on the right 0.4 mi
129 mi – about 3 hours 43 mins
Econo Lodge Sequoia Area
1400 S Mooney Blvd
Visalia, CA 93277
