Journey to Iowa Hill - Sierra Nevada Mtns

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Never knew this one existed till some pictures and text arrived one day. Since then I've been meaning to get over to the Colfax region along I-80 to check out this road known for it's cool switchback and intense views. Up before dawn, head out in the dark of night for the ride there, and made it Colfax before daybreak. Plan was to ride this southbound to Foresthill because no map give me a straight answer on how to ride this northbound from Foresthill Rd. The mapping program claims this road doesn't exisit. My kind of road.

Keep going past Auburn, then exit on North Canyon Way and Iowa Hill Rd is inbetween the two roads on the south side of the freeway. Keep in mind that Yankee Jims Rd to the west, (next one over) is only paved the first couple miles. There is a wood suspension bridge across the American River, but it's all gravel, and suited for a dual-sport. Learned that the hard way.



Hard to see what I'm taking a picture of in this photo. But there I am at the crack of dawn, sun really isn't up yet, and there's a bear standing in the middle of the road ahead. And two cubs in tow.

In all my travels through California- this is the first time I have ever seen a bear- especially at this low elevation which I'd guess at about 2000 feet. This one was rather small, nothing at all like in the movies. I was so startled by it, I slammed on the brakes, and whipped out the camera. Unfortunately, I forgot to shut the flash off to allow the camera to compensate for the minimal light. Tried to fire off a 2nd photo, but bear and two cubs walked off into the forest by then. Amazing.

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Now can you see it? This grainy photo kind of reminds me of the Bigfoot walking along that creek. :

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Where we're headed next - on up the hill. Iowa Hill Rd drops off the ridgeline that holds I-80 (which you've taken if you've ever gone to Truckee/Reno). It drops down to the river bottom in a rather spirited bumpy ride with some intense switchbacks.

The is one of the intense views that opens up as you make you're way down. What makes this region unusual is that everyone has experienced what it's like to stand on a mountain top and that sense of space. But what if the next mountain top were just over there. You get this incredible sense of space- but also size. The ridgeline right there is 1000 feet high- seemingly close enough to touch!

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Last time you saw a number like that?

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The Panoramic



A note about this photo - this is actually about 10 pictures all stitched together. There's about 5 across the top, then 5 across the bottom. After the program all 'stitches' them together, I can't even tell where the seams are. Cool stuff.

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Here's the old bridge, circa 1928



Related Links on the historic Iowa Hill Bridge:

http://www.bridgemeister.com/pic.php?pid=765

Also note that the other nearby historic bridge Yankee Jims "Colfax-Foresthill" Bridge is also nearby, next road to the west - that road is gravel though

http://www.bridgemeister.com/pic.php?pid=766

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The super-panoramic

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The busa

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The view !!! This is the North Fork of the American River. This water eventually flows into Folsom Lake and into the American River, the Sac Delta, and into San Francisco Bay.

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Blind corner - miss this one, and it's all the way down to the river pictured above. Think I saw maybe one other car though the entire ride.

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Wee bit steep

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Good stuff!

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Sun breaks over the horizon on Iowa Hill Road

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Grave along Iowa Hill Rd. Always makes you wonder, how long it's been there, who, and that sort of thing.

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Canopy of trees