Day 3 - 7/20

Arrived in Tahoe the night before around 8:00 and pulled up to a house in a modest neighborhood on the southern end of South Lake Tahoe. Let's just say that the place didn't quite impress me and I immediately suspected this night's stay would be nowhere near as comfortable as the night before (Grass Valley). Sure enough, it was far from it. The host was cool though and it was pretty close to what was described on AirB&B.

I stayed in unit B in the back. Gotta love the RV hooked up to the house.

But I digress - this journey is about the riding and the hiking, not the sleeping. Right? So I did what I could to get a decent night's sleep. Didn't really happen. I woke up early again and walked a few blocks to get breakfast - a bagel with lox and cream cheese, coffee, and a banana, Very satisfying. I returned to pack up and head out to a hike I would complete near Fallen Leaf Lake.

Once I arrived at Fallen Leaf, I parked the bike, changed into the hikers, and headed up the trail to Lake Angora. This would turn out to be a 4-5 mile each way, making for a rather long hike in total. I must say that this one was well worth it. I really liked the variation of terrain and the views of both Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe were magnificent!

But before heading up I made a quick stop at Fallen Leaf Chapel. What a little gem this was. I ventured inside and sat is solitude and contemplation for a few minutes before heading out and up. I felt it good to pause and be grateful.

I returned to the bottom and my bike, cooled off a bit with water flowing from an adjacent stream, changed, packed up, suited up, and headed out of Fallen Leaf to grab a bite for lunch (by this time I was starving), before riding down into Mammoth Lakes.

Lunch was meh. I decided to stop at Jalapeno's Mexican Restaurant. Kind of uninspiring. Actually, it was you typical worn-out, generic Mexican food. You know the kind - pale re-fried beans, orange colored rice, and orange colored cheese. But I ate and I was finally on my way to Mammoth.

Oh my! These roads were outrageous! What a treat to ride through these passes in the High Sierras. The surface on nearly every road seemed fresh - black, smooth, and perfectly cambered. I was in riding heaven. So fun!

After aching the 395, I maintained a comfortable pace and continued past Mono Lake. To my surprise, the lake's basin seems almost bigger then the Tahoe basin if not certainly so. What a site.

Coming into the Mammoth Lakes area, I decided to take the scenic loop into town and I was glad I did; one more beautiful road to ride a bit more spirited before settling in for the evening. Tomorrow the goal is to rent a bike early in the day and check out the surrounding trails for a few hours before returning to the motel (yup, staying at the Travel Lodge tonight - and that's a whole other story....stay tuned). for the evening.

Here's to another great day of exploring and thrill seeking!

-MB