Highway 20 Washington Pass - By Guest

One of the best roads anywhere. I would add that you must resist the urge to fly by Diablo Dam just because you are mesmerized by the awesome twisties and are in a hurry to get to Winthrop for an ice cream cone. What you want to do is slow down and make the north( towards the dam) turn onto the DAM road and putt out ONTO the dam itself. Yep, they let you drive across it on a one lane road with cool art deco street lights and the most impressive view over the dam spillway to the gorge below. There is a gate which is open during the daytime only. You can ride up the lake a ways and turn around for some great mountain views and the Dam in the foreground. Well the top of it with the street lights anyway. Oh, and when you get to Winthrop and want to find a place to camp? Shoot straight through the main intersection and climb the hill, turn right and go by the Shafer Museum ( worth a look after you get your tent up) and find the "Pine Near Campground" waiting for you in the shade of big trees, biker friendly and they even have a big moble home they rent out for your tentless friends. You can walk over to the museum, an outdoor display of mining equipment, and drop down the stairway/trail to the main street of Winthrop with lots of great places to eat, drink and be merry. My fav is the "Duck Brand" for oatmeal in the morning. Their other food is good too.