Diving along the Feather River is a pretty cool experience. You can follow it for quite a while, 50+ miles if i remember correctly. The road trades bridges with a railroad line that runs parallel, sometimes above, sometimes below.

There are a bunch of dirt roads that allow access to the railroad tracks, and even one that will get you into an old encampment along the river where the PG&E crews must live while they’re working on the river.

Every few miles it seems there a dam, or something similar in place to harness the power of the river and convert it to electricity. Each one of these seems fairly deserted. Overall it’s a spectacular drive that can end up in Chico, home of Chico State and The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.