Yosemite Park with Alberta Rider (Warren)

Plans change all the time. And this was the case for me on the weekend of May 25, 2007. I wanted to go riding but I wasn't sure I would be able to. This was normally the weekend Ronnie and I kick off the riding season and go to Winnamucca to see the burning bike rally. My work had different ideas for me and let me know early that I had a good chance of working that weekend and sure enough I had to.

Then Warren (Alberta Rider) from Canada called and said he was flying down to San Francisco this weekend and renting a bike. I knew one way or another I had to get some time off to go riding but wasn't sure I would.

I manage to get one day off (Sunday) which I switched with Saturday. This meant I could get off work on Friday night and drive down to Columbia, CA to meet Warren (2 hours away.) Roinne would have to go to the Winnamucca rally alone.

Friday came and once I finished work I rode down to meet Warren and bikerboy but by the time I arrived bikerboy had just left and it was just Warren at the hotel.

Hwy 49 is a nice 2 lane road that winds it way through the old mineing towns in the foothills of the Serria.


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Unforturely the traffic on Hwy 49 is very heavy these days and it doesn't look like it's going to get better.
Here's the bridge over New Melones lake. Not far to go now.

I finnaly arrive, only about an hour and a half late, which means I missed bikerboy and it was only Warren waiting. First thing I notice was Warren's orange HD Sportster. It looked so tiny.




But don't be fooled, it had lots of get up and go from what I saw.

Warren and I were both ready to have dinner so we rode into Sornora and ate at this nice little steakhouse. Warren let the owner know he rode all the way from Canada just to have dinner at this resterrant and he was hungery!

Then Warren would laugh and the owner would laugh then Warren would stop laughing and the owner would say "I'll get right on that!"

When we arrived back at the motel, grabed a couple of chairs and sat outside. Warren offered me a Cuban cigar. This was kinda special because you may think all Americans have everything at anytime, there are still some things we haven't grasped yet. Cuban cigars is one of those things.

The next morning it was off to eat breakfast then fill the tanks (that sportster has a small tank.)

Then it is on to Hwy 120. We immeditily start winding our way up into the canyon. Passing a few lakes on the way.

We did a quick stop to check our cameras then it was right back on the Hwy to Yosemite. Traffic was pickikng up by now.

On the first leg of Hwy 120 there is a stretch of road about 6 miles long where you wind your way up a canyon. There is two roads that wind up this canyon, one on the left side and one on the right side. It's always been strange to me because the Hwy is on the left side but the road on the right looks to be shorter.

Here you can see both roads.We came up the road on your right.

I was leading on this trip, which as you may know is rare when Warren is around because he likes to lead. Though I would get a picture

Well that didn't last long.

Here is our first glimps of the canyon's great stone cliffs.

The higher we climbed the more the terrian turned to stone.

We must be getting close

Now we have dropped down into the canyon. Traffic is bad by now. Luckely the road splits into 2 lanes each way.

Here is one of the falls. Of course we couldn't stop in very many places because of the crowds.

Around everyturn is another view.

Warren was working his camera every which way he could. You know when he and I ride there will be lots of pictures to look at.

Ran into a few tunnels along the way. Always tough to get a picture in a tunnel.

We stopped at the end of the canyon for a walk through the gift shop then it was out of the canyon and back on Hwy 120 towards Nevada.

I kept telling Warren there was this great place to stop a couple of miles up the road. It turned out to be over 20.

Back on the road heading east on Hwy 120

This is a high valley resting about 8000 feet above sea level.

You can see snow in the foreground.

It seemed like we just keep climbing and climbing. I was beginging to worry about the snow.

Nice lake at 8500 feet.

With no warning we started heading down. First it was only a 4% grade.

Then it jumped to a 6% grade. You can see the road along that mountain.

Here's another shot.

If you look closely you can see the Nevada canyon floor just up on the other side of that mountain range.

We stop at Mono Lake for a quick lunch than out to the salty Mono lake.

Back on the road heading north on Hwy 395

After 20 miles or so we turned left heading west on Hwy 108. Here we are stopped at the Marine Corps base on the foot of the Serria.

And here are the mountains we have to cross back over.

This is looking back down in the valley we just left.

That's the Truckie River.

Once we crested the pass this is what the road looks like on the way down.

No more pictures from here. That happens sometimes because you get too busy riding.
We parted ways at Hwy 49. Warren turned south to go to his room and I headed north back to my place. I was a great ride with great company. I was a taste of what the rally would be like. I like it.

Can't wait until the Canada rally.