October 2026
2026 Road Trips
Northern California — Red Bluff, Klamath Falls, and Fall River Mills. Four days, good people, and one restaurant that belongs on any serious food lover's list.
Stop of the Trip
Crumbs
44226 State Hwy 299E · McArthur, CA 96056 · (530) 336-5451gabronibites.com
Crumbs opened its doors in July 2009 as a fine dining dinner house in a town most people drive through without stopping. Over 15+ years it has evolved into what Chef Travis calls "Casual California Comfort Food" — the kind of place that believes great food doesn't need to be expensive, and that introducing people to new culinary styles, flavors, and techniques is worth doing right, every single time.
The execution is precise. The care is obvious. And the whole experience is the kind of thing you simply don't expect to find on a road trip through the high desert of Northern California. Pudgy's has eaten at a lot of restaurants over a lot of miles — Crumbs is one of the finest.
If you're anywhere near Fall River Mills, you go to Crumbs. Full stop.
Day 1 — Wednesday— Red Bluff, CA
Fly into SFO, pick up the rental, and push north on I-5. Red Bluff is the first stop — a working cattle town on the Sacramento River with one very good reason to pull over.
Burrito Bandito
DinnerRed Bluff, CA
A Redding institution. No-frills, no pretense — just big, properly built burritos that have been feeding this town for years. The kind of place that earns its reputation one foil-wrapped order at a time.
The carne asada burrito. Loaded, messy, and exactly what you want after a travel day.
You don't need a white tablecloth to eat well. You need a good tortilla and someone who gives a damn.
Day 2 — Thursday— Redding → Klamath Falls, OR
A quick breakfast in Redding, then north on US-97 into Oregon. Klamath Falls sits at 4,100 feet — high desert, big sky, and a diner that's been doing it right for decades.
Chick-fil-A
BreakfastRedding, CA
A road trip constant. Consistent, fast, and genuinely good —chicken egg and cheese biscuit, add bacon is one of the best fast food breakfast sandwiches in the country and nobody is arguing otherwise.
Chicken egg and chicken biscuit add bacon. Every time.
Not every stop is a destination. Some stops just get you to the next one.
Nibbley's Café
DinnerKlamath Falls, OR
A Klamath Falls institution — the kind of diner that's been feeding locals and travelers since before most of us were born. Booths, counter seating, and a menu that doesn't try to be anything other than exactly what it is.
Whatever the special is. That's the move at a place like this.
There's a reason places like this survive for generations. They feed people honestly.
Day 3 — Friday— Klamath Falls → McArthur, CA
Back south on US-97, then east on CA-299 into Fall River Mills country. This is the day the trip earns its reputation.
Klamath Grill
BreakfastKlamath Falls, OR
A solid morning stop before the drive south. Good eggs, good coffee, good people. The kind of breakfast that sets up a long drive properly.
Eggs over easy, hash browns, sourdough toast.
A good breakfast is an act of optimism.
Crumbs
DinnerMcArthur, CA
Opened July 2009 as a fine dining dinner house, Crumbs has spent 15+ years becoming something rarer — a restaurant with genuine culinary ambition in a town of 1,300 people. Chef Travis runs the kitchen with the kind of precision you expect in a city, and the kind of warmth you only find in a small town. Casual California Comfort Food, done with integrity.
Ask what Chef Travis is proud of that night. That's always the right answer.
We drove four hours out of our way to eat here. We'd do it again tomorrow.
Day 4 — Saturday— McArthur → Redding → San Diego
The long drive home. West on CA-299, back through Redding, then south to San Diego. Two more stops to close out the trip right.
Dill's Deli
LunchRedding, CA
A Redding staple. Good sandwiches, good energy, and exactly the kind of lunch stop that makes a long drive feel like less of a grind.
The house sandwich, whatever's on the board.
A great deli sandwich is one of the most underrated pleasures in American food.
Phil's BBQ
DinnerSan Diego, CA
The homecoming meal. Phil's BBQ has been a San Diego institution since 1998 — long lines, no apologies, and some of the best BBQ on the West Coast. The perfect way to close out a road trip.
The El Toro sandwich. No question.
Every road trip deserves a proper ending. Phil's is ours.