Tioga Pass. Yosemite

[ian408]

Note to self. Never leave the Bay Area on Friday night. And if you say you’re
work early. Leave early damnit!

Here we are. Running and ready to rock.

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My goal for this evening was Reno. But like I said, Friday nights are bad news.

Quick stop at the Mothball Fleet. Whoops. Ready Reserve fleet. These should be ready
to sail in a few weeks (if the bottom doesn’t fall out first).

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Back on the road and finally near SAC. Traffic is starting to thin out. Lunch at the Bell is
starting to have an undesirable effect. Thank god I’m not sitting in back…mileage is
getting better. What’s up with that?

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I decided to stop at Ikeda’s and grab something to eat. Burgers and shakes are it. Yummy.
I figure what the heck. Might as well stay in Auburn too. A couple of beers seal the deal.

Next morning, over the hill and down to Reno he goes.

There’s a railroad shed that follows the mountain. Riding the train through
Donner Pass in the winter is a real treat.

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Through Reno in a flash and onto 395 South. I’m starting to think I should take the
jacket I’m wearing off. I’m too lazy to stop. And I’ll only have to put it on again
later.

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I need to work on my on-bike photo skills. But here’s the Eastern side of the Sierra.

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Stop for gas and some coffee in Minden. Prop my feet up and gaze at the mountains
for the few minutes it takes to have coffee. This wouldn’t be such a bad place. Would
it?

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House for a song?

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Then I remind myself there’s a reason it’s so stark…it’s a desert.

Down 395 and towards Lee Vining. Jamming through Topaz Lake
and into Lee Vining. Nice day but it is starting to get cool. Looking
down towards Mono Lake.

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A better view. And guess what? It’s one huge right hander that
takes you down to the road in about a minute. Yeehah!

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I stopped in Lee Vining for gas and something to drink. Talked to
an R bike driver who’s hoping to meet up with his friends. His bike
has AK plates on it. Didn’t ask how he got it down here but it’s a
nice looking bike. An LT, Harley and a Suzuki pull in. We chat and
it’s off our separate ways.

[ian408]

I¡¦m headed for Tioga Pass. Riding up 120, the temperature drops to
the point I¡¦d break out the electrics but setting the grips to low is
good enough.

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Look closely and you¡¦ll see some nut jobs climbing on the side of
this slab. It looked like several parties found a line today.

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I stopped at the Porcupine Flat gas station and ran into six guys from
Germany. All riding Harleys and in their finest leather vest (most were
life members of a local club. They¡¦re here on vacation riding rentals.
And they¡¦re headed to Tioga. I tell them something a little warmer might
be in order ļ

View of Half Dome.

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One of the falls.

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I stayed overnight just outside of the valley at Cedar Lodge. Note
to self. Don¡¦t eat there again.
Headed back into the park Sunday morning to see Glacier Point.

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140 is a very nice ride indeed. Parallel to the road is the river and it¡¦s
humming right along this time of year.

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Taking that last picture, I see this. A gentle reminder that amidst
the all the beauty, the road can be a dangerous place.

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I will be reminded of this several times on the way out to Glacier Point
by drivers well over the line. In fact, I have to stop after the second time
because it rattles me pretty well. This time of the year, road edges often
have a build up of sand so I am riding towards the middle more than I
would like to. The sports car owners are drifting well into my lane on
more than a few occasions. Heck, not even the motor homes are in my
lane¡K

The view heading up 140.

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Down Glacier Point Road.

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This is the site of what used to be the Glacier Point Hotel. It burned to the
ground and was not rebuilt.

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Half Dome again.

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Yosemite Falls.

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In the winter, this little shack is a nice place to settle for a cup of
tea and a bite to eat while skiing. According to one of the park people,
it¡¦s a great place to throw flaming rolls of toilet paper from. Like your
own private Fire Falls.

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If you ski out in the winter months, you have the point to yourselves.
You can camp pretty much anywhere or if you like warmth and hot
food, the gift shop gets turned into a dormitory. This one¡¦s better than
the last.

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Time to make like a baby and head out. Home that is. I pass Wawona.
Nice hotel far from the valley crowds. You can get in a round of golf here.

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More of this and I¡¦m home after a pretty nice trip.

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Until next time¡K

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Ian

[Cliffy777]

you did it again. Well done. terrible scenery......

[kbasa]

Awesome shots, ian!

:thumb

[gambrinus]

WOW! Great shots! It looks like you had one heck of a ride.


Cheers

RW

[BMWBeauty]

Definitely Awesome Shots....:thumb ...Thanks Ian For Sharing....

[JimVonBaden1]

Great pictures. Looks like an incredible ride. I have never ridden there, but driven trhough a few times. It's completely different in a car I am sure!

Jim:brow

[ian408]

Originally posted by JimVonBaden
Great pictures. Looks like an incredible ride. I have never ridden there, but driven trhough a few times. It's completely different in a car I am sure!

Jim:brow

Thanks for the comments!

The ride down the coast a couple of weeks back was very much
a spiritual experience. As was touring Yosemite. If you haven't
done so, I highly recommend visiting places like the National
Parks on a motorcycle. There is nothing like it. But you knew
that :D

Ian