J
Jobst Brandt
Guest
Spring Tour in the Sierra 07-06 June 2003
I rode with Jeanie Barnett, Brian Cox, Ray Hosler and John Woodfill on a spring tour starting in
Sonora California, riding over Sonora Pass, Devils Gate Pass and Conway Summit, to Lee Vining on the
shores of Mono Lake. The second day took us from Lee Vining over Tioga pass to Groveland and through
Wards Ferry Rd back to Sonora, a trip of 238 miles and 22250 feet of climbing.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4195511&e=738053&s=25&size=l
Sonora lies at the base of three excellent bicycling routes over the Sierra, Ebbetts Pass to the
north, Sonora Pass in the center and Tioga Pass on the south. They are linked on the east side, from
north to south, by Monitor, Devils Gate, and Conway Summit passes to make two day loops between
adjacent Sierra crossings possible. However the big loop, the trip we were not about to do, includes
both Tioga and Ebbetts and the three passes on the east side. It requires good conditioning and
plenty of endurance, something I have tried only three times, all with success.
We met in Sonora on Friday, 6 June for dinner at the former Wilma's Flying Pig that is under new
ownership and now called Cafe Europa. It offers a different menu although some former employees were
there to greet us. Ray Hosler arrived later because he could not get off work early enough to beat
the rush hour out of the San Francisco Bay Area. I had a good night's sleep and ate in the motel
room for the usual
6:00 AM start.
Saturday:
Under a clear sky but with unusually warm and humid air, we headed up hwy 108 eastward out of town.
In spite of the early weekend hour, there was a thin but steady stream of cars, or better said
trucks and SUV's, that were fortunately platooning so that we had long pauses between their passing.
A few miles out of Sonora, two lane HWY108 becomes a divided four lane highway with generous
shoulders for a two mile, 800 foot climb to Twain Harte. After Twain Harte the road climbs gently
through a fir and cedar forest past the former logging towns of Confidence, Sugarpine, Mi-Wuk
village, Sierra Village, Long Barn, Stoddard Springs and on toward Cold Springs.
All of these places, as Sonora itself, show the remains of a giant timber industry that operated
several hundred miles of logging railway some of whose rights-of-way have become roads and others,
trails open to non motor vehicles and hikers. Today the Sierra Railroad, the main connection to
civilization for the endeavor, is the only survivor and it isn't hauling much. We stopped in Mi-Wuk
village for some refreshments and then crossed the divide from the Stanislaus drainage to the rim of
the Tuolumne gorge that gave us a panorama toward Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valley, the water supply
for San Francisco known as the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, a project that John Muir fought without
success to the end of his life.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4228734&e=759902&s=25&size=l
About a mile before reaching Cold Springs, at Frazer Flat (5600ft) elevation, we turned north on a
paved forest road and descended to the South Fork Stanislaus River and Fraser Flat Campground,
previously Camp Fraser of the Strawberry Branch of the Sugar Pine Railroad. This is a
rails-to-trails project of the Forest Service, one of several in the area, complete with extensive
research on its history by Pamela Conners. And bicycles are welcome! The clear air, absence of
traffic and the spring forest made this an idyllic route. We reached the Stanislaus with its clear
rushing snow-melt roaring down the canyon at a "top-deck" Bailey Bridge, known as a Panel Bridge in
the US Army.
http://www.baileybridge.com/
We stayed on the south shore of the river and headed upstream on a branch of the logging railroad to
Strawberry. Although unpaved and closed to motor vehicles, the road was easily ridable except for an
occasional fallen tree across the road. With its gentle 3% grade and alignment that one expects from
railroads, it wends its way just above the churning river. Bright red Snow Plants were everywhere
along both hwy 108 and the railway trail. A weasel ran across the trail, looked at us, and decided
to go back to the river, with its black tipped tail straight up.
http://tinyurl.com/e9nw
There were Forest service markers linking a guide book that explained what existed during the timber
cutting era to the various sites along the route.
Most railroad and sawmill machinery from this area vanished un-chronicled and is lost to us today,
although excellent books on other nearby operations were written by Hank Johnston, Fred Stindt,
Mallory Ferrel, Adolf Gutohrlein and others. As I ride through these forests I can imagine hearing
the steam and roar of those days because I was fortunate enough to have seen them run at the end of
their time. The rails that were still operating were the three foot gauge West Side, and the
standard gauge Pickering railroads, operating respectively from Tuolumne City and Standard.
We stopped at the Strawberry store (5340ft) for a bite to eat before heading up the long grade to
6000ft after which there are long rollers to Donnell Lake Overlook (6300ft) on cliffs, almost
vertically above the reservoir 1200ft below. The water was a murky blue, partly covered with huge
driftwood rafts from avalanches that swept the forest into rivers upstream.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&n=4247601&e=244399&s=25&size=l
From Donnell Overlook the road descends from here the road descends four miles to Clark Fork
junction (5671ft) where the road abruptly changes from a customary state highway to a twisty and
steeply rolling road with little gradient correction over the terrain. These, although steep, make
little difference because they are short and the scenery worth every moment of it. The road flattens
again at Brightman Flat and Dardanelle (5765ft) where we stopped at the store for "lunch".
The Dardanelles are truly the narrows through which the Middle Fork Stanislaus is a raging torrent
of frothing water, no place for man or beast. Although we saw none, in the past, dippers, the odd
stubby water bird that walks under water nests in the granite walls just above the water.
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesIMG.asp?imageID=16972
http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=8253+3202+3490+0069
The road crosses to the north shore and gradually begins to climb but reveals nothing unusual until
just after Baker Station (6200Ft) at the entrance to Kennedy Meadow campground where the road curves
upward and vanishes around the cliff. This is it! Around the curve the road is visible a half mile
away and 600ft higher and no zigzags in between. The road crests through a square cut known as the
rock window with the kicker of 20%+ gradient. We took pictures and cooled off here before continuing
up the less steep section along Deadman Creek and the big ess-bend before more level terrain.
Along this moderately climbing section at Chipmunk Flat we passed the 8000 foot marker and after
climbing a small hump, could see the ess-bend at 8500ft, the base of the Golden Stairs that jump up
to 9000ft in the next half mile. The road makes a break at just above the 9000 foot marker and
gives the impression of being flat to the bicyclist, but descending the same section makes
impressive how steep the "flat" part to the summit is. I was working hard with an upset lower
digestive tract but made the grade OK but a bit slower than I prefer. Ray was having some cramps
but also made it over the top.
We had been riding under clear skies but after the window clouds began to form giving us pleasant
shade to ride in while most of the sky was still blue. After the summit, where the snow had almost
gone after being plowed open only two weeks before, we descended on the best road conditions I have
seen with no water or gravel on the road and no rough pavement. The descent was a dream and was no
disappointment at the first steep dip about a quarter mile over the top. As usual, without effort,
53mph was reached at the bottom of the dip after which the road rises at 16% and required strong
braking to safely negotiate the following crest that has a slight curve at its top.
I am sure that I have never descended this grade as swiftly and without traffic. At the bottom we
regrouped as we rolled toward the USMC Mountain warfare school that was once a place where existence
was tough and lodging was in pup tents aligned in orderly rows. Now, there is a paved airstrio and
huge air conditioned buildings, helicopter shops and barracks built in concrete and having gabled
metal roofs.
As we coasted down the road, we were hit by large single raindrops but the road remained dry, having
been heated by the sun until shortly before. The mountains behind us were draped with virgas (rain
that evaporates before reaching the ground) leaving a clear view of the crest beneath the dark
clouds. We dropped down Pickel Meadows to the bridge over the West Walker river (6700ft) and climbed
to Sonora Junction with hwy 395 (6950 ft), passing swamps where we saw Yellow Headed Blackbirds that
nest there along with other waterfowl such as Cinnamon Teal Ducks and Herons.
The rain stayed in the mountains while the wind of the thunderstorm helped us up Devils Gate as we
rode along Hot Creek, passing the perpetually closed Fales Hot Springs. Devils Gate Summit (7519 ft)
lies in the narrows of Pimentel Meadows, where tall red rock formations form the "gate". The road
gradually begins its descent on a long straight and gentle grade down Huntoon Valley before it opens
into rich green Bridgeport Valley. The gently sloping valley is practically a swamp with grazing
cattle among thousands of light blue wild iris and rich deep-green grass.
The descent from the pass wasn't as fast as I anticipated because the wind died shortly beyond the
top. Just the same it rolled well and we got to Bridgeport at a good clip. We tanked up on some food
and drink before heading south to Conway Summit and Lee Vining on Mono Lake. A bit past the road to
Bodie, the noted ghost town to the east, I got a flat tire caused by a bad patch. Meanwhile Ray and
Jeanie continued on as I put in another tube and got back on the road with John and Brian.
The light foreground and dark mountains and thunderclouds as a backdrop mare a beautiful and unusual
landscape. The climb up the pass is gradual and easy even though we had mainly a crosswind. We could
see Jeanie and Ray about a mile ahead, so I made an effort to reduce that gap before the summit.
They had made a photo stop and just got rolling downhill when we came darting by, our crosswind
having become a tailwind as we turned the corner after the summit.
Conway summit often has strong winds and, I assume, for safety the four lane road is continuous
across the center divider that is only a six foot section bounded by double yellow lined. In such
winds, vehicles are often blown across the median onto the other side. Years ago when I descended in
60mph winds from behind and to the side we were blown across the road before we could respond. This
time we were better off with a tail wind and mostly headwind after the horseshoe bend. Just the same
we recorded 55mph as we went into the bend.
http://www.monolake.org/live/monocam2.htm
We rolled into Lee Vining in time for a shower in the El Mono with "Steam Heat" advertised from eons
ago. They have radiators but they aren't steam powered any more, just hot water. We love the place
for its antiquity. After a hearty meal at Nicely's we got a good night's rest having covered 125
miles and climbing 13200ft.
Sunday:
We got to Nicely's for breakfast at 7:00 AM although they start earlier, mainly because we seemed to
have a consensus about getting plenty of sleep. After a big breakfast we rolled out of town using
the old road up to hwy 120 to Yosemite. Yesterday's wind and rain had moved on and we climbed under
clear skies but relatively warm air. As we passed 8000 feet, the air changed to the usual crisp cool
mountain air we usually get even at the bottom of the hill.
Since the Tuolumne Meadows store was not yet in operation for the summer, Ray and I stopped at Tioga
Lodge (9550ft) a mile or so below the summit. It was a pleasant ride from the top because it was
wind still and refreshingly cool compared to the weather yesterday. We also noted that Tuolumne
meadows had no snow except in sun sheltered areas even though we had read reports of excessive snow.
The hot weather of the last two weeks seemed to have erased all those stories quickly.
We took some standard photos at Olmstead Point that exposes an excellent side view of Half Dome and
many other noted granite edifices of the park. The road is not all downhill and has a few longer
climbs on the way to the valley but the descents are long enough to give even the most adamant
downhill coaster enough. We stopped at Yosemite Creek (7481ft) that glides by swiftly but not
threateningly so. One could even imagine rafting downstream... except that all this water goes over
Yosemite Falls. However, the description:
"The falls are visible for several miles up and down the valley - part of a two-stage drop of 2,400
feet as Yosemite Creek emerges from miles of gentle meandering across the Eagle Creek meadows in
the high Alpine backcountry north of Yosemite valley and cascades over the towering granite cliffs
to meet with the Merced River far below."
Is not what you would like to encounter on a raft. After a snack and some drink we climbed to White
Wolf campground (8871ft) and began the long descent to Crane Flat where we took the Old Big Oak Flat
road through the Tuolumne Grove of giant redwoods, the location of the Tunnel Tree that has a tunnel
cut through the trunk of a living redwood. The old road is in poor repair, being closed to motor
traffic for many years now. At the bottom, at Hodgdon Meadows, it joined the well maintained service
road to the corporation yard where it climbs to the Big Oak Flat entrance station.
After tanking up on some drinks from the vending machines we headed off to Groveland over the long
gradual contours of hwy 120 as it rolls along at about 3000ft to Groveland making three and four
hundred foot ups and downs. At Groveland we got a taste of the heat down in the canyon as warm
valley air made us get a good drink before heading to Wards Ferry 2030ft below and climbing 1220ft
back up the other side.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4195511&e=738053&s=25&size=l
There were river rafters coming down to the bridge where a construction crane like the kind used
for hoisting advertising signs on highways was pulling the rafts up to the road. It was toasty
warm down there and didn't get better until we were two thirds up the hill and out of the canyon.
That climb was one that I recall from other hot weather rides as one to take with care. We got to
Sonora at about
7:00 p.m. having ridden 113 miles and climbing 9050 feet. We loaded the car and had a fairly
unobstructed 130 mile cruise back to Palo Alto.
--------------------------------
Jobst Brandt [email protected] Palo Alto CA
I rode with Jeanie Barnett, Brian Cox, Ray Hosler and John Woodfill on a spring tour starting in
Sonora California, riding over Sonora Pass, Devils Gate Pass and Conway Summit, to Lee Vining on the
shores of Mono Lake. The second day took us from Lee Vining over Tioga pass to Groveland and through
Wards Ferry Rd back to Sonora, a trip of 238 miles and 22250 feet of climbing.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4195511&e=738053&s=25&size=l
Sonora lies at the base of three excellent bicycling routes over the Sierra, Ebbetts Pass to the
north, Sonora Pass in the center and Tioga Pass on the south. They are linked on the east side, from
north to south, by Monitor, Devils Gate, and Conway Summit passes to make two day loops between
adjacent Sierra crossings possible. However the big loop, the trip we were not about to do, includes
both Tioga and Ebbetts and the three passes on the east side. It requires good conditioning and
plenty of endurance, something I have tried only three times, all with success.
We met in Sonora on Friday, 6 June for dinner at the former Wilma's Flying Pig that is under new
ownership and now called Cafe Europa. It offers a different menu although some former employees were
there to greet us. Ray Hosler arrived later because he could not get off work early enough to beat
the rush hour out of the San Francisco Bay Area. I had a good night's sleep and ate in the motel
room for the usual
6:00 AM start.
Saturday:
Under a clear sky but with unusually warm and humid air, we headed up hwy 108 eastward out of town.
In spite of the early weekend hour, there was a thin but steady stream of cars, or better said
trucks and SUV's, that were fortunately platooning so that we had long pauses between their passing.
A few miles out of Sonora, two lane HWY108 becomes a divided four lane highway with generous
shoulders for a two mile, 800 foot climb to Twain Harte. After Twain Harte the road climbs gently
through a fir and cedar forest past the former logging towns of Confidence, Sugarpine, Mi-Wuk
village, Sierra Village, Long Barn, Stoddard Springs and on toward Cold Springs.
All of these places, as Sonora itself, show the remains of a giant timber industry that operated
several hundred miles of logging railway some of whose rights-of-way have become roads and others,
trails open to non motor vehicles and hikers. Today the Sierra Railroad, the main connection to
civilization for the endeavor, is the only survivor and it isn't hauling much. We stopped in Mi-Wuk
village for some refreshments and then crossed the divide from the Stanislaus drainage to the rim of
the Tuolumne gorge that gave us a panorama toward Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valley, the water supply
for San Francisco known as the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, a project that John Muir fought without
success to the end of his life.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4228734&e=759902&s=25&size=l
About a mile before reaching Cold Springs, at Frazer Flat (5600ft) elevation, we turned north on a
paved forest road and descended to the South Fork Stanislaus River and Fraser Flat Campground,
previously Camp Fraser of the Strawberry Branch of the Sugar Pine Railroad. This is a
rails-to-trails project of the Forest Service, one of several in the area, complete with extensive
research on its history by Pamela Conners. And bicycles are welcome! The clear air, absence of
traffic and the spring forest made this an idyllic route. We reached the Stanislaus with its clear
rushing snow-melt roaring down the canyon at a "top-deck" Bailey Bridge, known as a Panel Bridge in
the US Army.
http://www.baileybridge.com/
We stayed on the south shore of the river and headed upstream on a branch of the logging railroad to
Strawberry. Although unpaved and closed to motor vehicles, the road was easily ridable except for an
occasional fallen tree across the road. With its gentle 3% grade and alignment that one expects from
railroads, it wends its way just above the churning river. Bright red Snow Plants were everywhere
along both hwy 108 and the railway trail. A weasel ran across the trail, looked at us, and decided
to go back to the river, with its black tipped tail straight up.
http://tinyurl.com/e9nw
There were Forest service markers linking a guide book that explained what existed during the timber
cutting era to the various sites along the route.
Most railroad and sawmill machinery from this area vanished un-chronicled and is lost to us today,
although excellent books on other nearby operations were written by Hank Johnston, Fred Stindt,
Mallory Ferrel, Adolf Gutohrlein and others. As I ride through these forests I can imagine hearing
the steam and roar of those days because I was fortunate enough to have seen them run at the end of
their time. The rails that were still operating were the three foot gauge West Side, and the
standard gauge Pickering railroads, operating respectively from Tuolumne City and Standard.
We stopped at the Strawberry store (5340ft) for a bite to eat before heading up the long grade to
6000ft after which there are long rollers to Donnell Lake Overlook (6300ft) on cliffs, almost
vertically above the reservoir 1200ft below. The water was a murky blue, partly covered with huge
driftwood rafts from avalanches that swept the forest into rivers upstream.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=11&n=4247601&e=244399&s=25&size=l
From Donnell Overlook the road descends from here the road descends four miles to Clark Fork
junction (5671ft) where the road abruptly changes from a customary state highway to a twisty and
steeply rolling road with little gradient correction over the terrain. These, although steep, make
little difference because they are short and the scenery worth every moment of it. The road flattens
again at Brightman Flat and Dardanelle (5765ft) where we stopped at the store for "lunch".
The Dardanelles are truly the narrows through which the Middle Fork Stanislaus is a raging torrent
of frothing water, no place for man or beast. Although we saw none, in the past, dippers, the odd
stubby water bird that walks under water nests in the granite walls just above the water.
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesIMG.asp?imageID=16972
http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=8253+3202+3490+0069
The road crosses to the north shore and gradually begins to climb but reveals nothing unusual until
just after Baker Station (6200Ft) at the entrance to Kennedy Meadow campground where the road curves
upward and vanishes around the cliff. This is it! Around the curve the road is visible a half mile
away and 600ft higher and no zigzags in between. The road crests through a square cut known as the
rock window with the kicker of 20%+ gradient. We took pictures and cooled off here before continuing
up the less steep section along Deadman Creek and the big ess-bend before more level terrain.
Along this moderately climbing section at Chipmunk Flat we passed the 8000 foot marker and after
climbing a small hump, could see the ess-bend at 8500ft, the base of the Golden Stairs that jump up
to 9000ft in the next half mile. The road makes a break at just above the 9000 foot marker and
gives the impression of being flat to the bicyclist, but descending the same section makes
impressive how steep the "flat" part to the summit is. I was working hard with an upset lower
digestive tract but made the grade OK but a bit slower than I prefer. Ray was having some cramps
but also made it over the top.
We had been riding under clear skies but after the window clouds began to form giving us pleasant
shade to ride in while most of the sky was still blue. After the summit, where the snow had almost
gone after being plowed open only two weeks before, we descended on the best road conditions I have
seen with no water or gravel on the road and no rough pavement. The descent was a dream and was no
disappointment at the first steep dip about a quarter mile over the top. As usual, without effort,
53mph was reached at the bottom of the dip after which the road rises at 16% and required strong
braking to safely negotiate the following crest that has a slight curve at its top.
I am sure that I have never descended this grade as swiftly and without traffic. At the bottom we
regrouped as we rolled toward the USMC Mountain warfare school that was once a place where existence
was tough and lodging was in pup tents aligned in orderly rows. Now, there is a paved airstrio and
huge air conditioned buildings, helicopter shops and barracks built in concrete and having gabled
metal roofs.
As we coasted down the road, we were hit by large single raindrops but the road remained dry, having
been heated by the sun until shortly before. The mountains behind us were draped with virgas (rain
that evaporates before reaching the ground) leaving a clear view of the crest beneath the dark
clouds. We dropped down Pickel Meadows to the bridge over the West Walker river (6700ft) and climbed
to Sonora Junction with hwy 395 (6950 ft), passing swamps where we saw Yellow Headed Blackbirds that
nest there along with other waterfowl such as Cinnamon Teal Ducks and Herons.
The rain stayed in the mountains while the wind of the thunderstorm helped us up Devils Gate as we
rode along Hot Creek, passing the perpetually closed Fales Hot Springs. Devils Gate Summit (7519 ft)
lies in the narrows of Pimentel Meadows, where tall red rock formations form the "gate". The road
gradually begins its descent on a long straight and gentle grade down Huntoon Valley before it opens
into rich green Bridgeport Valley. The gently sloping valley is practically a swamp with grazing
cattle among thousands of light blue wild iris and rich deep-green grass.
The descent from the pass wasn't as fast as I anticipated because the wind died shortly beyond the
top. Just the same it rolled well and we got to Bridgeport at a good clip. We tanked up on some food
and drink before heading south to Conway Summit and Lee Vining on Mono Lake. A bit past the road to
Bodie, the noted ghost town to the east, I got a flat tire caused by a bad patch. Meanwhile Ray and
Jeanie continued on as I put in another tube and got back on the road with John and Brian.
The light foreground and dark mountains and thunderclouds as a backdrop mare a beautiful and unusual
landscape. The climb up the pass is gradual and easy even though we had mainly a crosswind. We could
see Jeanie and Ray about a mile ahead, so I made an effort to reduce that gap before the summit.
They had made a photo stop and just got rolling downhill when we came darting by, our crosswind
having become a tailwind as we turned the corner after the summit.
Conway summit often has strong winds and, I assume, for safety the four lane road is continuous
across the center divider that is only a six foot section bounded by double yellow lined. In such
winds, vehicles are often blown across the median onto the other side. Years ago when I descended in
60mph winds from behind and to the side we were blown across the road before we could respond. This
time we were better off with a tail wind and mostly headwind after the horseshoe bend. Just the same
we recorded 55mph as we went into the bend.
http://www.monolake.org/live/monocam2.htm
We rolled into Lee Vining in time for a shower in the El Mono with "Steam Heat" advertised from eons
ago. They have radiators but they aren't steam powered any more, just hot water. We love the place
for its antiquity. After a hearty meal at Nicely's we got a good night's rest having covered 125
miles and climbing 13200ft.
Sunday:
We got to Nicely's for breakfast at 7:00 AM although they start earlier, mainly because we seemed to
have a consensus about getting plenty of sleep. After a big breakfast we rolled out of town using
the old road up to hwy 120 to Yosemite. Yesterday's wind and rain had moved on and we climbed under
clear skies but relatively warm air. As we passed 8000 feet, the air changed to the usual crisp cool
mountain air we usually get even at the bottom of the hill.
Since the Tuolumne Meadows store was not yet in operation for the summer, Ray and I stopped at Tioga
Lodge (9550ft) a mile or so below the summit. It was a pleasant ride from the top because it was
wind still and refreshingly cool compared to the weather yesterday. We also noted that Tuolumne
meadows had no snow except in sun sheltered areas even though we had read reports of excessive snow.
The hot weather of the last two weeks seemed to have erased all those stories quickly.
We took some standard photos at Olmstead Point that exposes an excellent side view of Half Dome and
many other noted granite edifices of the park. The road is not all downhill and has a few longer
climbs on the way to the valley but the descents are long enough to give even the most adamant
downhill coaster enough. We stopped at Yosemite Creek (7481ft) that glides by swiftly but not
threateningly so. One could even imagine rafting downstream... except that all this water goes over
Yosemite Falls. However, the description:
"The falls are visible for several miles up and down the valley - part of a two-stage drop of 2,400
feet as Yosemite Creek emerges from miles of gentle meandering across the Eagle Creek meadows in
the high Alpine backcountry north of Yosemite valley and cascades over the towering granite cliffs
to meet with the Merced River far below."
Is not what you would like to encounter on a raft. After a snack and some drink we climbed to White
Wolf campground (8871ft) and began the long descent to Crane Flat where we took the Old Big Oak Flat
road through the Tuolumne Grove of giant redwoods, the location of the Tunnel Tree that has a tunnel
cut through the trunk of a living redwood. The old road is in poor repair, being closed to motor
traffic for many years now. At the bottom, at Hodgdon Meadows, it joined the well maintained service
road to the corporation yard where it climbs to the Big Oak Flat entrance station.
After tanking up on some drinks from the vending machines we headed off to Groveland over the long
gradual contours of hwy 120 as it rolls along at about 3000ft to Groveland making three and four
hundred foot ups and downs. At Groveland we got a taste of the heat down in the canyon as warm
valley air made us get a good drink before heading to Wards Ferry 2030ft below and climbing 1220ft
back up the other side.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=4195511&e=738053&s=25&size=l
There were river rafters coming down to the bridge where a construction crane like the kind used
for hoisting advertising signs on highways was pulling the rafts up to the road. It was toasty
warm down there and didn't get better until we were two thirds up the hill and out of the canyon.
That climb was one that I recall from other hot weather rides as one to take with care. We got to
Sonora at about
7:00 p.m. having ridden 113 miles and climbing 9050 feet. We loaded the car and had a fairly
unobstructed 130 mile cruise back to Palo Alto.
--------------------------------
Jobst Brandt [email protected] Palo Alto CA