Spring ride in the Sierra

Jobst Brandt

Spring ride in the Sierra 2004

The route for this ride was Sonora and Monitor Passes to
Markleeville on Saturday and back to Sonora over Ebbetts and
Pacific Grade Passes on Sunday. It seems to be getting
harder to find time to ride, considering that we got only
two riders for this pre-memorial day ride over the Sierra.

Ray Hosler and I put or bicycles and baggage in the car on
Friday, 21 May and headed across SF Bay from Palo Alto on
the Dumbarton Bridge HWY 84, staying off freeways until
Sunol on the other side of the east bay hills. Traffic on
I680 was dense but moving, whereas on I580 it was a crawl to
Altamont Pass where there had been a rear-ender that
everyone had to inspect as they passed, slowly.

Traffic lightened as we got on I205/I5 to the San Joaquin
River, where we took SR120, the Yosemite route through
Manteca, Escalon, and Oakdale. Continuing on SR108, the
Sonora Pass route, we got to Sonora in good time to put our
equipment in order and get some dinner.

Having brought along breakfast, we were able to get on
the road at
6:00 heading up the hill toward Twain Harte, a town named
after the two writers of the old west. This route is
unusually straight and wide in places for the little
traffic is sees, except in ski season. As the road begins
to climb, a two mile divided four lanes of 6% and a
flatter part got us past Twain Harte and on to Confidence.

Although there were early vacationers, traffic was light,
the sky was blue and we had a light but increasing tailwind.
Farther up, past Long Barn, a long widely divided four lane
section took us through lush green meadows and rich forests
of Sugar Pine, Lodgepole, Ponderosa, Jeffrey, Cedar,
Madrone, Oak and others. The richness and varieties in this
forest are striking in comparison to the coast range where
we usually ride. The woods smelled of mountain misery that
has a faint artichoke flavor. Lupine, wall flower and wild
iris gave color to the woods. It is easy to forget how this
area was logged nearly bare in the early 20th century when
many of the towns and roads got their names form logging
camps. Of course most of this was done with railroads that
climbed high into these mountains with gear driven steam
locomotives.

Interestingly, traces of logging railroads are still visible
around Cold Springs, Strawberry and Pinecrest, above 6000ft
elevation. These were railroad engineering feats hard to
imagine today, considering the steepness and rugged terrain.

http://tinyurl.com/2vnvc (map Strawberry)

We stopped at Strawberry for a snack before heading up the
two mile grade up to the ridge that parallels the gorge of
the Stanislaus river with Ebbetts Pass road on the far side.
Along this section, remnants of winter snow and bright red
snow plants decorated the road as it winds through massive
dark gray rock formations on its way to a high point
(6300ft) at Donnell Lake overlook.

http://tinyurl.com/yuocw (snow plant)
http://tinyurl.com/23u6q (map Donnell)

Here a sheer cliff gives the visitor nearly 1500ft vertical
drop to the Stanislaus river rapids and falls below. The
majestic spires and domes of the Dardanelles rise to 9000ft
as a backdrop to this huge gorge. This great scene comes
just before a long descent to Clark Fork junction (5671ft)
after which the "real" Sonora Pass becomes evident in steep
whoop-de-doos and narrow curves.

The Stanislaus, that was so far below was right next to us
now. The road winds over a series of rollers to Dardanelle
(5765ft) where we stopped at the store for some food for the
climb ahead. The store has a tall pair of antique 1920's gas
pumps with the large glass cylinder on top adjacent to a
modern Union76 pump with an astronomical price per gallon.
Other than that, the place looked unchanged in the last 50
years. The proprietor had a Chevy Suburban fitted with four
sets of rubber tread crawlers, essentially snow mobile
tracks instead of wheels with which he said he could
traverse five feet of fresh snow.

http://tinyurl.com/2n82g (map Dardanelle)

We crossed the river and began climbing out of this lush
flat meadow up the Eureka Valley as the river churned
through impassable rapids and falls. Watching fishermen
casually fishing on the banks of the river that if they fell
in could not avoid being drawn down the rapids just down
stream is worrisome.

http://tinyurl.com/2jdo9 (map Rock Window)

At Kennedy meadows the road begins climbing abruptly and
vanishes around a large cliff. Just around this corner the
Rock Window (6800ft) about 500ft above and about a quarter
mile away becomes visible. That the road levels off just
through the gap is good to know while riding up this
magnificent landscape as the river is left behind in the
valley. From here the steep road seems almost flat as it
rolls up to the big ess and rises above Deadman Creek
leveling off at Chipmunk Flat (8000ft) in a short climb.

http://tinyurl.com/3hdq8 (map Golden Stairs)

Here we were getting into larger snow fields and the
notorious Golden Stairs that begin with a steep pair of
hairpin turns and a quick ramp up to the 9000ft marker.
Skiers were enjoying a spate of fresh snow that fell the
night before to put a clean white blanket over the slopes of
spring snow. Farther up, snowmobilers were climbing as high
as their traction would take them to make steep high speed
runs down a huge snow bowl, sounding like so many chainsaws.

The Golden Stairs have always been a challenge similar to
the Rock Window because years ago when we were young and
foolish, we raced up to the bottom of this section. Being so
out of reserve, resting at the skier's bowl was a must.
These days I approach the steep ess bend carefully and ride
to the top of this section in relative ease but wonder how
fast we went forty years ago. The gradient breaks suddenly
at 9000ft so I could shift up to a 50-17 gear to cruise to
the summit.

http://tinyurl.com/2t8qr (map Sonora Pass)

After a picture stop in front of the summit sign, warnings
about steep grades and county line, we dived down the
descent that is probably the hardest part coming up from the
east. How steep it is is apparent from the more than 50mph
achieved in the dip across Sardine Creek and the hard
braking required up the 18% grade to the bend at the crest.

The descent is nearly all downhill except for a short bump
along Leavitt Creek that gets to the valley by way of
Leavitt Falls while the road makes a steep zigzag over
densely spaced contour lines on the map as takes one of the
steepest runs down to the 26% curve at the Leavitt Pack
Station (7155ft) in Leavitt Meadow. From here we had a brisk
tailwind as we passed the Marine Mountain Warfare Camp and
Air Strip. Even the climb out of the West Walker river was a
snap with a 20mph wind with gusts to 30mph. Riding no-hands
at 25mph it was practically still air with an occasional
blast from behind.

http://tinyurl.com/2ewcn (map Leavitt Meadow)

In spite of the wind that kept most birds hidden in trees
and bushes, we managed to sight a yellow headed blackbird in
the Tule swamp next to the road. It was a sort of "mission
accomplished" because these birds don't show themselves in
the areas we ride in otherwise. We weren't sure which way
the wind would blow in the Walker River canyon, it being north-
south and the wind coming from due west. We were lucky, the
wind was predominantly in our favor except where a side
ravine entered from the west. At some of these places the
turbulence was so strong it practically brought us to a stop
holding onto the bars tightly.

After a windy ride we entered Antelope Valley and headed
west into Walker where the wind was mostly in our faces but
not as strong as in the canyon. We stopped for a late lunch
at the Mountain View Barbeque before cruising on toward
Coleville and Topaz with a mix of side and tailwinds. We
turned west on HWY89, Monitor Pass whose long westward run
was directly into the wind but because it was cool, almost
chilly, the climb was literally no sweat and the reverse
runs on the double ess higher up after the first turn at the
creek were with the wind.

http://tinyurl.com/2wtoc (Monitor Pass)

The top of the climb is more or less at the Alpine County
line (7956ft) but today, with the stiff wind it went on up
this mild grade to Monitor Pass summit (8324ft). To make up
for that, the sky was so clear that the sun felt downright
burning hot and the surrounding snow capped mountains seemed
amazingly near. We stopped at the Summit for the usual photo
at the stone marker in the grove of stubby wind pruned aspen
that were just sprouting their coat of summer leaves. From
here, although Heenan Creek takes a more direct route, the
road descends 100 feet and rises to what looks like another
summit at the same elevation although it is 30ft lower.

The road descends through a series of sweeping curves around
Sagehen Flat at the south end of which it passes Heenan Lake
from which Monitor Creek flows down a narrow canyon to the
East Carson River. Many old closed mines with ugly tailings
and slurry ponds that were never restored after mining
ceased line this canyon. The descent can be fast and with a
gusting headwind up to 30mph gave made wind speeds greater
than 70mph. The turbulence required careful steering as I
thought of riders using aero wheels.

http://tinyurl.com/ysy5g (map Monitor Creek)

After reaching the Carson River we had some crosswinds as
we rolled downstream toward Markleeville but that was all
downhill anyway except for the short climb out of the
river to Markleeville Creek. Looking at the rushing clear
river reminded me that no major river flows out of Nevada.
They all flow in, find a salt lake and dry up. Somehow I
like the idea of rainwater returning to the sea but in
this area it leaves its salts behind as it dries up
somewhere in the desert.

We got a before-dinner snack at the grocery store, got
cleaned up in our room and had a fine dinner at the Hotel.
Lodging was a bit weird in Markleeville. We had a reserved
room at the J. Marklee Toll Station but never saw anyone
from the inn. There was a faded note on the office door that
said as much as "we'll be back soon" but nothing happened.
Anyway the room was comfortable and clean. Can't complain.

Sunday

We slept in and got ready to go at 7:00 but the whole town
was still asleep, probably getting ready for the coming
Memorial Day weekend. After tootling around, looking for
some signs of life, we rode out of town toward Ebbetts pass
to Carson River Resort, a couple of miles up the river.
There was no breakfast here either but the store with all
sorts of camping and outdoor supplies was open so we downed
some sustenance before heading out under a crisp clear sky,
the wind still blowing as it had all night.

The number of fishermen along the river was amazing. I had
no idea that this was such a popular pursuit. SUV's and
Pickup trucks were parked everywhere along the river while
sedans or station wagons were nowhere to be seen. I thought
about bygone days, when people got here in a Model-A Ford or
even a Model-T with skinny near smooth tires in contrast to
the huge knobby tires and jacked up black pickup trucks that
appear to be essential for vacation travel these days. Of
course today the roads are paved unlike the old days.

The road doesn't start climbing noticeably anywhere in
particular but there are a few bumps after leaving the
Carson River for Silver Creek. We passed old landmarks, the
white house and brick kiln with its huge square red brick
chimney standing alone next to a heap of misfired brick
debris. I didn't read the historic marker this time as we
passed the miniature cemetery with its cast iron fence
posts, and real and plastic flowers. Then came the silver
painted school bus body that was blanked off at the firewall
and had its wheel wells covered. It seems to have been
unoccupied all the years I have seen it but it's still in
good condition.

Mule ear, or was it skunk cabbage, was blooming in the
meadow between road and river, and aspen were full of green
among the firs that took over as we gained altitude a bit at
a time. After we crossed to the north side of Silver Creek,
we left it below as we hit the first steep rise. The
continuous double yellow center-stripe on this narrow
winding road finally gave way to a single intermittent
stripe before vanishing altogether.

It is here that reality of this road makes itself known
although there were signs warning of 24% grades and no
vehicles over 25ft back in the valley. Back there the road
looked like any other two lane state highway, but now it
became apparent that those were not idle warnings as we
rounded Cadillac curve, a steep hairpin that when missed
descending assures a long tumble toward, but not reaching,
Silver Creek. The Cadillac that went over the edge here and
gave name to the curve is now also long gone.

http://tinyurl.com/ypoxy (map Cadillac Curve)

Scars in the pavement and football sized debris gave
evidence of rockfall and the sudden steep climbs reminded us
of the pioneers that built this road when Caterpillar,
Komatsu, Euclid, and Wooldridge had not yet been heard of.
The north side of the canyon exposes cliffs similar to those
on Sonora pass, places where eagles soar. It was here on
another tour where my friend asked why they were called
golden eagles when they were so dark. Just then the bird
made a turn in the afternoon light to reflect an entirely
gold wing spread as it soared motionlessly as an airplane,
"fingers" spread to catch the finest updrafts.

A sapsucker made the usual furtive exposure, hopping around
the trunk of an aspen just far enough so I could just get a
side view of this colorful red headed woodpecker. The tree
had the typical rows of holes left by prior visits of these
birds. Meanwhile Clarks' Nutcrackers gave their noisy calls
but lesser birds' calls were muffled by the roar of the wind
in the trees.

http://www.stanford.edu/~petelat1/ (sapsucker) http://elib.-
cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0091+3183+0921+0101

Above we could see Cascade Creek, aptly named as it found
its way down the ravine as we climbed steeply toward Kinney
Reservoir. From here on the last mile to the summit the
forest floor was still in deep snow. Ebbetts Pass, although
a steep and interesting road, does not have and exciting
summit. It is around a corner in the forest with a flat
approach form either side. In fact the road climbs a little
to the west before stating its beautiful descent along the
south rim of Hermit Valley and the Mokelumne River.

http://tinyurl.com/2epqg (map Hermit Valley)

This descent is not steep and is a fairly uniform grade with
excellent pavement and a spectacular view to the south of
seemingly endless wilderness. It is a view that makes one
feel small and insignificant in a mountainous landscape, not
quite like the Himalayas but for city folk, it is big. On
the way down we passed six or more bicyclists going east,
one of which was a friend with whom I have toured at times.

After crossing the Mokelumne the road makes a steep jump and
continues over steep to moderately steep grades to Pacific
Creek that was running at a fair clip although not like the
times that we got here before the road was officially open
to traffic and snow was deep from Bear Valley to Silver
Creek. We stopped at the bridge (7450ft) and put away power
food. My choice for this isn't packaged. I prefer Medjool
dates that are tasty and full of that which makes legs climb
steep grades.

From here it is a short distance to the steep hairpins of
24% grades. Last time I rode around the outside (left side)
and found the grade moderate. This time I tried the inside
and it is probably truly 24%. The gradiometer claimed the
outside was 18% but then that isn't so accurate because
there is averaging over a measured distance. In any case,
the seep sections are short enough that goofing off on them
isn't fatal.

http://tinyurl.com/2d64q (map Pacific Grade)

As we approached Pacific Grade summit (8087ft), the view
back to Pacific Creek was hard to believe. The creek is so
far away that it is hard to believe we were just down there
about 640 feet below. The steep stuff is all behind now as
we rolled along toward Alpine Lake (7300ft) and over a small
rise to drop us to Bear Valley. We chose not to stop at the
store there and rolled on down to Dorrington where we took
advantage of the gourmet fare at the Grease Rack Grill that
calls their hamburgers Lube jobs.

With that refill we climbed out of that valley and rode down
to Arnold, Murphys and Valecito where we took Parrots Ferry
road toward Sonora. The persistent westerly winds had pretty
much died by now although there was still a pleasant breeze
as we passed Moaning Cavern and coasted down to the high
bridge over the Stanislaus that is not shown in this old
map. The new bridge crosses between the two hairpin turns on
the map above the river.

http://tinyurl.com/238u8 (map Parrots Ferry)

With about 200ft less climbing that in the old days and cool
weather, the two plus mile climb of 1000ft to Columbia went
OK except that it has some 13% pitches on it. After Columbia
(2143ft) it was all downhill to Sonora and a short climb
back to Tuolumne Road and the car. We had great weather, low
traffic and no mechanical problems.

Saturday: 124 miles, 13660 feet climbing Sunday: 94 miles,
7290 feet climbing

Jobst Brandt jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org