Photo submitted by Jesse Markham, “Waterfall Grove trail – deep in the heart of the Mendocino coastal mountains of Jackson State Demonstration Forest. This is a 50,000 acre jewel on the Northern California coast. Thanks to the hard work of the Mendocino Coast Cyclists and Cal Fire, this forest is a (little known) heaven for cycling. This was mid-way through a 55mi (7000’ of climbing) loop starting on the coast, that included gravel, logging/forest roads, single track and everything in between.”
This photo was sent to us before the Camp fire had impacted the area, so we reached out to Jesse about what it’s like now: “Most of the northwest part of California is impacted from heavy smoke, including the Jackson State Forest area. Although, it is much better out there than where I live, in Oakland. Riding locally in the Bay Area has been a no-go since the Camp fire started, due to air quality readings that have been hovering around 200 to even just under 300. The fire itself is located quite a bit east of Jackson. But everyone who lives in and around forested areas are quite on edge, as more fires are possible until it rains. We’re supposed to get rain through the holiday which will reduce fire risk, but raise mud slide concerns. I had to drive east across the entire state of CA this past Saturday to find clear air, which I did in Bear Valley!”
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