Having a week off from studies I decided it was high time I left the usual roads behind and headed, well, somewhere. I had a burning desire to return to Oregon. I just love it there. However, the weatherman predicted rain for the entire week. That normally wouldn't deter me. But rain coupled with 50 degree temperatures is enough to make me rethink riding. So, having to abandon my plans for Bandon, OR, I settled on a road trip through the American southwest. The trip, as planned, would take me through four national parks in five days: Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon, and Death Valley. Things don't always go as planned.
Day One had me heading out at 0600hrs. I had a desire to hit the road early to get as many miles behind me as I could on the first day. That, and the route for day one had me on twisty two-lane roads most of the day. In fact, I had planned routes to avoid major highways the entire trip. Things were going great. There was little to no wind, the sun was shining, and I was making great time. I hit Mariposa before I knew it. The only thing I forgot to do was to put the beaded seat cover on. It was in the trunk and I was too lazy to put it on the seat. As such, my arse was feeling a bit chapped by this point. I should mention that I was still in full cold-weather gear and the temps had climbed from 50 degrees to around 80 degrees. I slapped the beads on and was instantly happy. I love those things.Thankfully I found out before I left home that CA-120, the road which bisects Yosemite park from west to east, was still covered with 6-feet of snow and therefore, closed. I had to reroute north to CA-88, a road I had never ridden.
This didn't upset me too terribly as getting to CA-88 involved riding the Little Dragon (CA-49) again.
This is a great stretch of twisty mountain road.
Lotsa fun. And as it turns out, CA-88 is also one beautiful stretch of tarmac. It winds up mountain passes from Jackson, CA toward Lake Tahoe and Nevada. The elevation quickly climbs from about 1000-feet to over 8000-feet at the summit.
Traffic was light, speed limits were high, and the curves would make even knee-draggers crack a smile.
There was also no lack of scenery. There was still snow on both sides of the road above 6500-feet which made for some great photos.But for every good stretch of road, there are a thousand boring stretches. Or so it seemed. The stretch from Gardnerville, NV to Lee Vining, CA is a rather dull one. There is one exception. Just before you get into Lee Vining, there is a beautiful overlook which gives a top-down view of Mono Lake and the town of Lee Vining, which isn't much more than a gas station.
I stopped here to take picks. The pull-off was all gravel. I parked the bike, deployed the kickstand, and dismounted. And the bike fell over.Apparently the kickstand hadn't fully deployed. It folded back up and the bike went down. Luckily I felt the bike going and caught it. I'm no hercules, so catching a 400lbs bike isn't something that comes easy for me. But I did manage to ease it down instead of letting it crash down. Still, the tip of the clutch lever snapped off. Just the tip. No other damage. My wide handlebars saved the plastic bits from getting scuffed up. I learned two things: the bike's kickstand really needs a solid kick before dismounting, and the bike is very easy to pick up.
This minor incident didn't spoil my mood. I wound down into Lee Vining and on to CA-120 East. This, as it turns out, is a fun road. I mean it. The VROC has dubbed this the giggle road and now I know why. Think roller-coaster style dips one after another for miles and miles. Couple that with nice twisty bits and virtually no traffic. What you've got is motorcycle euphoria. The scenery wasn't bad either and at the head of the road there was a crater that I might go back to check out the next time I ride out that way.
But the fun ended once I got into Nevada. The road flattened out and straightened out. For miles on end. Even the scenery disappeared. The tallest shrub was no more than 12-inches high. I ramped up my speed, flipped on the Vista-Cruz, and road on to Tonopah, NV which would be my stop for the night. Thankfully I found a room in the Tonopah Station, a Ramada hotel/casino/restaurant. The food in the restaurant was good and the bed was comfortable. Couldn't ask for much more than that.
Officially day one lasted 12 hours and 575 miles. Not bad considering the twisty bits I was riding. I'll post day 2, 3, and 4 soon.
