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 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 a large glass cylinder on top that
was filled to the desired volume of gasoline by means of a
pump with a large hand lever. Between these two columns was
a modern Union76 pump with an astronomical price per
gallon. 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. Other than that, the old
shingled building with dark green trim looked unchanged in
the last 50 years.

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 Stanislaus churned
through impassable rapids. Fishermen were casually fishing
on the banks of this river from which they could not be
rescued if they fell in, it being swift even above the
rapids. Just the same I haven't read of incidents here but
maybe that would not reach our newspapers in the SF Bay
Area. is worrisome.

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

The road begins climbing abruptly at Kennedy meadows as it
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 meandering river is left below.
After the window the road seems almost flat in comparison as
it climbs to the big ess, rising above Deadman Creek to
leveling off at Chipmunk Flat (8000ft) in a short distance.

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

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

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, signs
warning about steep grades and the 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
following crest.

The descent is nearly all downhill except for a short bump.
The road parallels 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 it takes
one of the steepest runs down to the 26% curve at the Pack
Station (7155ft) in Leavitt Meadow. From here we had a
brisk tailwind as we passed the Marine Mountain Warfare
Camp. Even the climb out of the West Walker river was a
snap with the 20mph wind and 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 beginning to sprout 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 wind speeds greater than
70mph. The turbulent wind that required careful steering
made me think 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. This run was all
downhill except for the short climb out of the river to
Markleeville Creek. Looking at the clear rushing 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 returns to the skies 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. Markleeville lodging was a bit weird in that 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 upstream. There
was no breakfast here either but at least 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 SR4 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. It looks almost like the front part of a
Galloping Goose.

http://www.gallopinggoose.org/
http://photoswest.org/exhib/trains/pages/rr671.htm

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 off the road here to
gave the curve its name to the curve is also long gone.

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

Scars in the pavement and football sized rocks gave evidence
of rockfall and the sudden steep climbs reminded me of the
pioneers that built this road when Caterpillar, Komatsu,
Euclid, and Wooldridge had not yet built their great earth
movers that were at work elsewhere on SR4.

http://tinyurl.com/ywxku

The north side of the canyon exposed cliffs similar to those
on Sonora Pass, places where eagles soar. It was here on
another tour where my friend asked why these dark, almost
black birds were called golden eagles just as the one we
were watching bird made a turn in the afternoon light to
reflect an entirely golden wingspan as it soared as
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 for its
descent 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 starting 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 helps climb
steep grades.

From here it is a short distance to the steep hairpins of
24% grades. Last time I rode around the outside of these
curves 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 it averages over a fixed 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 (8050ft), the view
back to Pacific Valley and its Creek was amazing. It is so
far below that it seems we couldn't have just down there
about 640 feet below. The steep stuff behind us, 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 various kinds of Lube jobs.

With that refill we climbed out of Dorrington and rode down
to Arnold, Murphys and Valecito where we took Parrots Ferry
road toward Sonora. The persistent west 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
above the river on the map.

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

With about 200ft less climbing than in the old days and cool
weather, the slightly more than two mile climb of 1000ft to
Columbia went OK except that it has some 13% pitches in 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