Eastern Sierra Nevadas Ride

It started out, like the ride two weeks before, as an idea about going to Mono Lake, 330 miles north of my home. But unlike the previous ride, it didn't turn into a four-state, multi-day, 3,000 mile ride.

I'd ride up to Mammoth Lakes on a Saturday, stay overnight in the ski resort town, then take the camera to the South Tufa Grove for the sunrise. From the lake, I'd ride south down the east side of the Sierra Nevadas, through the Mojave Desert, then down the Cajon Pass to the Inland Valleys.

The relief map above of my target area is courtesy of Delorme and is copyright by Delorme. For more information about DeLorme, see http://www.delorme.com/ .


I started at 5:00am wearing chaps and leather jacket to keep out the cool morning air. At 6:00 I sat down to breakfast at TNT's Cafe in Victorville - any excuse to eat breakfast there will do.

Up the road on US 395 the Mojave seemed to be waking slowly. Though it was August, the temperature hovered in the high 80s until my tires touched the rim of the Sierras. Nice and cool, if you live in the desert like I do.

The Mojave waking slowly.

Proof that crows can't read presented itself at a rest stop.

A lake near the town of Mammoth Lakes.

View down a canyon toward Mammoth Lakes.

US 395 rolls north at over 9,000 feet near Mammoth Lakes.

South Tufa Grove, Mono Lake, California.

I was checked in at the motel in Mammoth Lake by 3:00pm. Rather than wait until morning, I packed the camera and tripod back on the Road Star and headed back to 395. I could see the lake from the south before turning east on CA 120. The turnoff to the South Tufa Grove is clearly marked and mostly dirt with a fair amount of loose gravel. Not exactly what the bike was built for, but a bit of slow going will do it.

For more information about Mono Lake and the Tufa Groves, see http://www.monolake.org/about/geotufa.

South Tufa Grove, Mono Lake, California.

South Tufa Grove, Mono Lake, California.

South Tufa Grove, Mono Lake, California.

South Tufa Grove, Mono Lake, California.

Tioga Pass, view East.

I woke at 2:00am. and stayed awake, hoping the weather channel would put me to sleep. it didn't work. by 4:00 it seemed pointless to try to sleep. at 5:00am I was pulling out of a gas station in Mammoth Lakes. Though I had the electric gloves on, I wasn't overdressed. To stay comfortably warm, I had to stop about every twenty miles to warm up for a few minutes.

Elk Farm.

Elk Farm? Two rather large fields on the west side of US 395 contained herds of Elk. The male 2nd from the left was the alpha, and busy keeping the other males away from the females. I'd never heard elk calls before. It wasn't what I expected.

Farther along the road, Manzanar was quiet in the early sun. There was no discernable breeze. The peace was broken only by the crunch of gravel under my boots and the whoosh of cars on the highway.

For more information about Manzanar, see http://americanhistory.about.com/cs/worldwarii/a/internment.htm .

On the way north the day before I'd caught a quick glance of a sign. The only thing that registered was the word "Manzanar". A half hour later I remembered that it was the name of the internment camp where Japanese-Americans spent most of WWII.

I kept watch for the camp on the ride home. I could make out the guard tower from a mile away. A closer view of the tower is above. The tower is a reconstruction.

The Guard "Shack" at the entrance to the interment center. It has held up well, unlike the hastily-erected wooden buildings of the rest of the camp.

Looking down Main Street toward the Internal Police Station.

Along Main Street signs mark the location of various facilities such as this one at the site of the Manzanar Free Press.

The Internal Police Station had a concrete foundation, unlike many other public buildings.

Barbed wire fencing defines a rectangular half of the camp, with the guard tower at the far corner of the rectangle.

Back on the road I kept the leathers on until I hit the edge of the desert where the air temperature climbed suddenly into the 80s. With little wind and t-shirt temperatures, it was an ideal summer day for a ride through the desert. Nothing more was needed.

Coast Ride, Part 2

After snarled traffic on the freeways through Portland, it was slow going on US 101 along the Pacific. I stayed in Nehalem on the night of the 27th at The Bunk House in a clean, comfortable room. It was quiet at night in the small town. Being so close to Tilamook, I wondered if I'd find a wedge of medium cheddar under my pillow, but that particular promotional idea hadn't yet caught on.

The next morning was misty along the coast. With frequent stops for gas, photographs, and rest breaks, I followed the slow road toward the south.

Oregon Coast.

Oregon Coast.
A small sailing ship graces the front of the Tilamook dairy in Tilamook, Oregon. Being a big fan of Tilamook cheddars, I took the tour, had some cheddar, and bought t-shirts for the grandchildren.

Two views of a lighthouse.

On the morning of the 28th, I woke in a motel on the Rogue River waterfront in the town of Orange Coast. The mist was thicker than that of the previous day.

The light was nearly monochrome because of the costal mist. I thought it looked like old black and white prints.

Due to the mist, it was a cold slow ride along the coast. I was running out of time to get to San Francisco and Santa Cruz. By the time I arrived in Eureka, it was obvious that I needed to reroute my self to arrive home by Friday - I'd never make it in time if I continued to ride the slow coast roads. I turned east at Fortuna, taking Route 36 over the Coast Range, then Route 99 south through the central valley, I-80 from Sacramento over the Donner Pass to Reno, then returned home on Route 395 through the Mojave Desert.

The Sierra Nevadas Viewed from Route 395.

The Sierra Nevadas viewed from Route 395.

Coast Ride

Having found myself with several days before I needed to start a new work project, I started thinking about making photographs of Mono Lake. See http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_Lake#Geology for more information on the formation of the lake.
Approximately 330 miles, it would be easy to get up there in one day, spend the night at a local motel in the town of Lee Vining, and rise early to get sunrise photographs the next morning before returning home.

I went to the computer and started looking at road maps. It was soon apparent that it was only 1,108 miles to Steve Vaughn's new home in Washington. He had recently moved to the West Coast to take an environmental job in Richland. I've known Steve since Kindergarten. We're still speaking to each other.

The overnight photo trip suddenly became bigger. I'd ride up to Steve's for a quick visit, then head for the coast and ride the coast roads home. On the way back, I'd stop and see Al Morrow, who grew up with Steve and I and lives on the edge of San Francisco, then stay overnight with my daughter Megan in Santa Cruz.

I left on the morning of July 24, rode up across the Mojave Desert on US 395, through the Mammoth Lakes area and stopped at Mono Lake to make the next three photos.


There are signs on 395 indicating the scenic viewpoint pulloff. The viewpoint has a good long view of the lake from the southwest. A pathway extends from the parking lot through the long grasses bordering the lake to the beach, for a closer view of the gulls. It's gull paradise.

North of the Mojave, 395 climbs steadily along the east shoulder of the Sierras. You merely have to turn your head to the west to get excellent views of the ridges.

I started thinking about putting some miles on the Road Star as Mono Lake receded behind my shoulders. Geographically, it made sense to stop in Reno for the night, about five hundred miles from home. It would be a good day's ride.

But it was a big city, and I prefer small towns or semi-isolated aging roadside motels. Susanville looked like a better bet, and I'd have about 550 miles on the trip meter. I rode into Susanville around 6:00 pm. The town had at least one fair motel.

My GPS

The next morning I studied the two maps I had with me; A 48 states map, and a map of California. Rather than continue north on 395, I could ride northwest on 44 and 89 to Shasta, see the mountain then swing north on 97 though Oregon. The alternate route would be a good deal west of 395, and should be cooler.

The photos above and below are two views of Mount Shasta.

I had never been in Oregon or Washington, despite living (except for a couple years) in So. Cal. since 1971. Because I was taking secondary roads, Oregon's traffic was moving slow. The State speed limit off the Interstates was 55 mph, and every town had speed limits as low as 25 mph. The residents seemed to take the speed limit seriously, driving conservatively, between 55 and 60 mph. I decided that it was probably a good idea to drive the same speeds. It wouldn't do to go faster and pick up a speeding ticket.

Evidence of logging operations was on the roads in Oregon and Washington in the form of frequent logging trucks. Another reminder was this large group of logs waiting for processing at a mill in southern Oregon.

Across the country the small mom-and-pop gas station/markets that thrived in slower-paced times have largely been abandoned. The gas pump shown below, was in mid Oregon. I wanted to fill up my tank at the 66 1/2 cent price on the pump.

After visiting with Steve for a evening, then sleeping in his living room, I got an early start, leaving around 7:00am. I also delayed his departure for work, so it was probably good that I left as early as I did.

The air was cool in the morning, though the temperature was supposed to climb to a hundred or so by afternoon. South of Richland I made a stop to check the map. For an area that is considered to be an arid steppe, there was a lot of irrigated crop farming underway. The sunflowers seemed to go on forever.

Over the river in Oregon, I planned to follow the Columbia west to Portland, then ride Route 101 down the coast to the Redwoods in California. The photo below shows the Columbia River with Washington on the far side.

This story is continued in Coast Ride, Part 2.