Sierra Passes
June 26, 2024
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Click on any of the icons or links to go to my trip report for that pass. In temporal order: In north to south order
Click on any of the icons or links to go to my trip report for that pass. In temporal order: In north to south order
The whole point of this ride was to see Lake Berryessa, because it’s (a) quite large and (b) off the beaten path. So I expected to see some impressive views, and probably subconsciously assumed it’d be like Lake Tahoe in miniature.
The reality is… different. Not bad! Just different.
For one thing it’s set amidst relatively low hills. For another, the drought appears to have lowered its level pretty substantially (or maybe December is its low point for the year; it is a reservoir after all).
The giant wildfire that burned through the area not long ago didn’t help, either. Most of the ground cover along the route getting to the lake was just gone.
Or maybe it was the silence. I think there were only a couple of other people within a half mile of where I stopped. Very peaceful, very quiet… and somewhat eerie. I bet it’d present a totally different aspect if I came back during High Boating and Fishing Season.
I always stop at the Marin headlands visitor center off of 101. Why? Because the views are always impressive and often spectacular: even in fog and mist the Golden Gate Bridge rearing up above the water is a sight to behold.
But rather than post yet another panoramic picture I thought I’d highlight a lesser-appreciated side of the center.
Relatively few people go up to the seating area around this statue (those views are, after all, hard to beat!). But I find the figure of a merchant sailor oddly compelling. San Francisco got its start, after all, because it was a wonderful harbor and port (although it took the European explorers almost a century of cruising up and down the coast to find the entrance — fog and mist cut both ways).
So that’s where he wrote his law… 🙂
I’ve driven past Murphys on a number of occasions over the years, but never realized how charming a little town it is, ’cause it’s about a quarter of a mile off California 4. While I picked it solely as a convenient rest stop, I’m definitely planning on taking Barbara back to visit.
The downtown is really cute, they have a great park just off it, and, if you’re into wine tasting, you’ll find plenty of places to get your fill.
But it’s short of coffee shops. I only found two, and they happened to close the day I got there (a Thursday) before I could get my afternoon fix.
When I see these signs, I always wonder where the posters think the money to keep up their community comes from. No offense, but it sure isn’t coming from just local sources!
One of the things I love about riding, particularly in the mountains, are the interesting cloud formations you often see.
But since it takes almost 20 minutes to stop, unpack the camera, take the shots, and repack the camera, you’ll mostly have to just take my word for it.
A famous ski resort near the Bay Area that I’ve never skied, and before this ride, even knew where it actually was.
The condo complex’s corridors made me feel like I’d wandered into The Time Tunnel (extra points if you know what that is).
One of the great things about heading north out of San Francisco takes place right away: you get to enjoy the spectacular panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge. Assuming it’s not too foggy, of course (click to enlarge).
I don’t think I’ve ever gone up 101 without making this stop, even when the weather is lousy. Because even then the view is frequently amazing, with billowing fog blowing around the Bridge and through the Gate.
Most definitely recommended!
The ride up Highway 1 takes you through a bunch of neat seashore communities (Stinson Beach, Point Reyes Station, Bodega Bay) before going really rural (a nice place for lunch is The Lodge at Point Reyes, where Sir Francis Drake Boulevard starts). You eventually climb up quite a ways as you approach Fort Ross, so named because it was the site, many years ago, of a Russian colony set up to provide food and logistical support to Russian fur trapping operations in Alaska.
Fort Ross Lodge is a neat little roadside motel/hotel that I stayed at. Beautiful views of the ocean, as well as some interesting looking birds. Plan ahead, though, for meals, as the only food nearby is a general store/restaurant that closes early.
Lakeport is a small city located on the western shore of Clear Lake…which until I planned out this trip I didn’t even know existed, despite the fact that I’ve traveled up and down the 101 corridor it’s near for years. Shows the value of getting off those freeways! Clear Lake is the second largest lake in California, and the largest one (I believe) wholly within California (Lake Tahoe is split between California and Nevada).
I enjoyed a nice break in a shore-front park in Lakeport, and then stayed overnight at a B&B further south in Middletown. Which is itself a nice, albeit smaller, community that happens to have a great Chinese restaurant.
Sadly, the entire Clear Lake/Lakeport/Middletown area has been ravaged by major fires over the last few years. It’s really knocked the local economies for a loop; I hope they bounce back soon.
Thanx to Wikipedia and the original photographer for making this image available.
Morro Bay is an iconic, if less-known, image of California. Something about a very large rock jutting out of the ocean just offshore the downtown sticks with people (BTW, there’s a neat little French pastry/lunch shop right across from the rock; great food, great coffee, and you can study French there with a group of local residents most afternoons if that’s your fancy).
There’s an interesting story behind that rock. It turns out it’s just one of a number of similar onshore rocks that dot the landscape southeast of the city. They’re all the remnants, as I recall, of ancient volcanoes (technically, they’re volcanic plugs).
What’s even more interesting is that they mark the boundaries of an ancient tectonic fault, and used to be much farther south. Over millions of years they’ve migrated to their current locations…and are still, slowly, on their way out into the Pacific.
Okay, Atascadero isn’t really the middle of nowhere, and I don’t mean to either offend anyone who lives there or highlight any Bay Area arrogance.
But still, I was pleasantly surprised at finding a neat, old — but very well-maintained — hotel, The Carlton, in a place where I would never have expected to find one.
Atascadero has a nice little downtown area, too. Plus, best of all, there’s a great little Mediterranean eatery — Byblos Mediterranean Grill — right around the corner from the hotel.
One of the unexpected highlights of the trip was the passage from San Miguel up to Highway 198/25. I knew from past experience that the Monterey Peninsula was breathtaking; I had no idea the valleys east of the US 101 corridor were so spectacular.
Yes, almost the entire way is a one-and-a-half lane road, with stretches that are not particularly well-maintained. But the scenery, wildlife, geology and isolation more than made up for any riding inconvenience. Plus, I got to try out the “soft” setting on my FJR-1300ES’ electronic suspension.
I didn’t stop to take pictures, which would not have done the scenery justice anyway when done with an iPhone camera. But you can get a hint of what some of the geology looked like from this Google Earth screen capture of part of Peach Valley (click to enlarge in a separate tab/window):
What this doesn’t convey is how the sides of the valley look like they’ve been sliced open with a knife, as if they were just huge piles of sand that you were being privileged to see in cross-section.
In addition to many herds of cattle, several herds of deer grazing through cleared out fields, and a seemingly infinite supply of birds and squirrels, there were two particularly interesting wildlife encounters.
The first was with a fox. Stationed in the midst of a herd of cattle. Who studiously ignored him, while he studiously ignored them…and kept his eye on me.
The second was something I’d never seen before on a road, anywhere. I was coming up a hill, and around a curve, fortunately going fairly slow. Only to see a small creature dragging itself across the road. My first thought was that it was the survivor of a hit-and-run…until I realized it had a lot more legs than any mammal I’d ever seen. It was a tarantula! Speeding — in tarantula terms — across the road. Later on I saw a second one, also attempting to cross the road. Hopefully they both made it.
Just past where San Benito County Road J1 takes a sharp turn north there’s a giant solar power facility under construction. The project has been underway for some years…and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s running into problems because of all the roof-top photovoltaic systems being installed throughout California (the state actually generates more power than it needs during daylight hours for a good part of the year).
Nevertheless, it’s an ambitious project in the middle of a beautiful and remote plateau (click to enlarge the images).
If you want to visit the Panoche Valley area I suggest you come in from I-5 to the northeast, rather than J1 from the west. The I-5 connection is much better paved, and offers not only some amazing vistas but also a number of public parks.
I presume so, at one time. Because otherwise why would you name your community ‘Mount Bullion”?
This section of California 49 is a truly beautiful, relaxing ride. You’re high enough up so that the vistas are wide, but not so high that you’re contending with twisting switchbacks (which make it difficult to admire the scenery, at least if you’re trying to not become part of the scenery).
As always, playing the right tunes adds significantly to the experience. Had there been much traffic I suspect at least some of the other drivers would’ve wondered why that rider was doing some impromptu dancing in the saddle…
Click to enlarge the photos…
This was probably the highlight of the trip: a spectacular drop into a spectacular gorge cut by the Merced River. Followed by a tasty lunch in the Coulterville General Store & Cafe (highly recommended).
Click to enlarge…
Well, not from here; you have to go to Mt Wilson, outside of Los Angeles, to see that.
But you can see a working astronomical observatory, right near the Bay Area. And if its former star attraction, a 120 inch reflector, has seen its star wane in favor of even larger scopes in far more remote areas, it’s still impressive. Plus, the views are spectacular.
Just be prepared for a lot of work getting to and from the site, regardless of which way you come (tradition has it that there are 365 curves, one for each day of the year, coming west out of San Jose; and hard as that is to ride, I think the way coming east from Patterson is even more of a challenge, because it’s much steeper in parts).
Click the photos to enlarge them…
One of the things I’ve unexpectedly enjoyed about riding, at least when I go off the beaten path, is the wildlife I come across. You just don’t see this stuff on interstates, or even major roads. But it’s there.
Climbing west out of Patterson I saw one of these little guys scooting along the road (mine had beautiful blue-tinged tail feathers, unlike this guy). Followed immediately by another one.
I’m pretty sure they really were roadrunners, particularly given who I next encountered on the road.
Finally, what you’ve been waiting for: a picture!
This is the cute little town of Groveland, CA, featuring the Hotel Charlotte where I stayed. Nice staff, nice rooms, plenty of parking and, most importantly, plenty of hot water. Groveland has a number of restaurants and cafes in it (although almost all of the latter close before 4 PM). Including a very nice Mexcian place just next door to the Charlotte.
It also has a reasonably well-stocked general store. Which is important when you, say, forget your iPhone charger.
Both literally and figuratively. Riding CA-120 through the park treats you to breathtaking vistas. But it also shows off some interesting (to me, anyway) rock formations. Some of which look like the result of dropping tons of mud into a huge pile.
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…and you see them pretty much everywhere off of CA 120, starting about 10 miles after you peel off the road into the national park. And not just single mountains, mind you; entire ranges of them, spanning the whole field of view. Outstanding!
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When I came around a corner on saw this opening up before me I realized that, whatever might happen, the trip was totally worth it.
…and also behind. Basically, you descend about 4,000 feet in not too many miles. Here’s what it looks like facing east down towards Mono Lake:
The last time I went through the Tioga Pass, many years ago (by car), it was November, and the area reminded me of the top of Haleakala Volcano on Maui. Or Mars: dry, little vegetation and lots of red earth. Early summer — technically springtime, I bet, since the snow has just recently melted off — is different. And much more beautiful:
It even offers spectacular waterfalls!
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Riding US 395 north out of Lee-Vining, along Mono Lake, is a big change from CA 120 through Yosemite National Park. For starters, there’s having to turn left across traffic onto a one-lane highway where there are a lot of large tractor-trailers moving fast.
On the other hand, that lets me do something I rarely get to do: wind out my Yamaha FJR-1300. Nothing like shifting into fifth from second doing 60 MPH after less than a few hundred feet :).
I stayed overnight in Bridgeport, a nice little town about 20 miles north of Lee-Vining. The motel I was at, the Redwood Motel, was nice, if a bit funky (funky’s okay; and I got a kick out of realizing I’d forgotten to pack shampoo because every place I typically stay includes it with the room — yet another bubble I live in that I wasn’t aware of). There were a number of other bikers staying there as well.
I had a nice dinner at the Bridgeport Inn (I can’t share the link because it’s apparently been compromised by some hacker site; but the restaurant in the Inn is first-rate). Although I was surprised to find that what I thought was a typo on the specials menu — “Porkchops” — was literally true: my dinner consisted of two (big) pork chops, a large dinner salad, a big bowl of quinoa and multiple slices of garlic toast…all for less than $25, including tax (tip was extra). That much tasty food would cost a lot more in the Bay Area!
Oh, and here’s the view I got to see just around the corner from my motel:
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Hard to believe that this route was established as a toll road. Don’t get me wrong — it’s a fun ride, with a lot of beautiful scenery. But pay money to take a wagon over it? I don’t think so.
Climbing to the pass from the west is a relatively gentle grade — relative to going down the western slope — with a lot of nice switchbacks offering great views of the valley down below and the mountains rising around you. Of course, you only get to enjoy those in brief glimpses since you sort of have to pay attention to the switchbacks.
I was surprised by the amount of traffic on the road. Not that it was bumper to bumper, or anything like that. But there was a steady stream of vehicles going in both directions. Oddly enough, I was the only rider that I encountered until I was quite far down the western slope.
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I mentioned that the climb up to Sonora Pass from the west is relatively gentle. Relative to what you encounter coming down the western side of the pass. It’s quite a dive! In fact, I suspect the famous “brief 26% grade” is somewhere in this stretch of the road. My wrists certainly felt that way after things leveled out a bit.
There are some spectacular views of giant granite mountain faces lining the road here…which, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to photograph because I couldn’t find a safe place to stop. Definitely worth the ride, though.
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That shot showing the canyon I’d just ridden down doesn’t do it justice because you can’t see how the road hugs and wraps around some of those mountain faces.
The only downside to staying at the Long Barn Lodge is that you have to ride to find someplace to eat (the Lodge offers cabins with kitchens, but I was renting a room).
Fortunately, there are a number of small communities not too far away with restaurants, coffee shops, and the like. Twain Harte — named after two famous 19th century writers, only one of whom I know (Mark Twain) — is a neat little town which, among other things, boasts a Chinese restaurant! Which isn’t something you often find off in the mountains of California.
Once again, I was amazed at the value proposition. Here’s roughly $15 worth of food (only the picture doesn’t show the bowl of soup you get to start):
If you’re in Twain Harte, and enjoy Chinese food, check out China House of Twain Harte.
Riding westward out of the Sierras on CA 108 you’ll pass — and likely miss, since it’s not well marked — what’s billed as the longest/oldest covered bridge in America at Knights Ferry.
It’s worth a stop, though. You can’t ride across the bridge — it’s closed to all but pedestrian traffic — but it’s impressive nonetheless. Plus, there’s a nice little museum/information center maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers that tells the story of the bridge and the area.
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We stumbled upon two of these guys foraging alongside the trail we were on. I think they were waiting until we had passed, because we only saw them after we had to double-back.
While they kept their distance they were not at all shy. I got into a bit of a staring contest with one of them. Even telling him that I’d be back for him in early November didn’t cause him to look away :).
One of the great things about this hike are the panoramic views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Ocean off in the distance (on clear days, at least).
