MOUNTAINS, A VALLEY & A BIG OCEAN

Looking west over Tioga Pass on the eastern side of the Sierras

In one long day of riding, I crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains, passed through the San Joaquin Valley, rode over the Coastal Mountain Range, then traveled along the ocean for about 100 miles on the Pacific Coast Highway. The variety of scenery and terrain was incredibly diverse, ranging from spectacular mountains, to scenic ocean panoramas.

When I left Lee Vining, the temperature was 46 degrees, so I layered on the clothing, and by the time I crested the Sierras at just under 10,000 feet, it was quite a bit colder than 46. As I made my way through Yosemite National Park, and dropped in elevation, it started to warm up, and by the time I reached Crane Flat, the coat came off.

This is a picture of the lower Yosemite Valley, taken from Crane Flat Rd.

When I reached the turn off to Hwy 140 in Yosemite Valley, I headed west along the Merced River, with the San Joaquin Valley as the next destination.

This is one of two temporary bridges around a huge landslide, that have been in place for a couple of years now.

With a full tank of fuel in Mariposa, I was set to make my way across the very flat, central San Joaquin Valley. By way of Merced and Los Banos, in a little over an hour, I was climbing over the Pacheco Pass on Hwy 152, with Monterey as the next destination. Other than the pure joy of riding a motorcycle, the valley, where we used to live for many years, is not a great place to catch the wind. With all of the agriculture, there is an abundance of insects, not much in the way of scenery, and Oooo those wonderful smells relating to fertilizers, pesticides, and rotting tomatoes. By the time I got to Monterey, the temperatures had cooled, and the aromas were much more pleasant.

With a full tank of fuel, I headed south through Carmel, and then.....Oh No, a thick layer of fog awaited me. I've ridden, and driven this 100 mile stretch of coast highway a bazillion times, and you never know exactly what kind of weather you're going to get. With my coat back on, I was prepared to make this trip in the fog, but fortunately, south of Big Sur, the fog lifted, and the incredible vistas of mountains, ocean, and crashing surf was all in front of me. With nothing but bright sunshine, I stored the coat, and rode the rest of the day in just a t-shirt.

South of Cambria, I turned east on Hwy 46, and at about 5pm, I pulled into Paso Robles, where a room and a shower was the first order of business. Not sure of the miles today, but I was in one of my zones where riding was all that mattered. Except for a few pictures, and fuel, no stopping for anything else, not even food. Tomorrow, I think it will be a straight shot home. Lots of stuff to do before we take off in the motor home for Carson City.