The evening before departure:
Did some last minute checkups on the bike. She's ready....new tires, new chain, sprockets, coolant, air filter, and oil. Yes. We are ready for go. Launch is at 0700 tomorrow and, to be totally honest, it really hasn't set in yet. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I'm so exhausted that I don't have the focus to ponder this adventure. Maybe it's simply not something I can even start to process until I'm actually sitting in the saddle. In any case, there's been a lot that has already gone into the planning and contemplating of this trip that maybe it has already been exhausted out of me and will reignite once I'm on the road in the morning.

Here's to a safe yet thrilling adventure.

-MB
7/7/16

Pre-Departure Maintenance Tasks

Here we are less than a month before my departure to the Sierras and looking at a couple of maintenance items needing to tend to. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Oil change
2. Radiator flush and coolant change
3. Chain adjust and lube
4. Air filter cleaning
5. Throttle bodies sync

These tasks should put the bike at optimum performance for the excursion. I'll post pictures and commentary during and after the job is completed. Then, it's onto the packing and gear check list.  Stay tuned.

-MB

Day 5 - 7/22

A much better sleep last night which made for a much more comfortable day (actually 1/2 day) in the saddle today. Woke up around 7:30 a.m., packed up, gassed up, and rode out of "Bake town". I took the 58 through Buttonwillow where things immediately turned more interesting. WOW! That highway 58 is FUN! Continued for most of a couple hours without seeing all but a few cars. The road was not the smoothest but the twisties were phenomenal - all the way through Santa Margarita. What a blast!

Pulled into SLO at around 12:00 to meet a friend for lunch. Decided to head over to Avila Bay to a place called Fat Cats, and treated myself to a late breakfast of eggs Benedict.  Very satisfying!

Spending the evening with my son Nathan and then it's up in the morning and back home via Highway 1 after breakfast. Which means, 1 last entry into what has been a fun week of Riding Versys Hiking. 

-MB

Day 4 - 7/21

This was my real final day of what I hoped would be great two wheeling (both motor and bicycle). I woke up early (again) to get down to the bike rental shop down the street. I was told that Tuesdays are especially busy because of the $20 all day bike rental rates that they offer. So I got up, got dressed, grabbed my backpack with essentials, and headed down to the lobby to check out the free "breakfast". Yup....exactly what I expected - pre-packaged carbs galore! And lets not forget the styrofoam and plastic plates, bowls and cutlery. I grabbed a couple of mini doughnuts and decided that I best grab a good cup of coffee and another breakfast items elsewhere. Went down to this nice little organic cafe where I ordered an Americano and had one of their delicious breakfast burritos. Finally feeling like I was ready to tackle some of Mammoth's trails, I headed over to the bike shop and...yes...stood in line behind another 25 or so others waiting to do the exact same thing I wanted. Surprisingly, things went rather smooth and got a bike and helmet in less than 30 min. Up I went, taking the basin path up to the lakes area, all the while thinking "maybe I should just jump on the free shuttle like everyone else". Glad I stuck through it as I was rewarded with the feeling of accomplishment after completing not only the uphill climb but took in some decent single track riding in a couple of spots throughout the area, including a bomber run on the last part of my ride. I was so stocked that it showed up when it did, basically closing out my outdoor activities of this entire excursion.

Made it back to the room in time to jump in the shower, suite up, pack up, and check out of that most uninspiring motel on time (11:30 a.m.).

Off to Bakersfield I decided so that my last day of riding the V was a bit more easy going. After a smooth run down the 395 from Mammoth (what a beautiful spectacle the eastern Sierra range is), I decided to take the alternative route (that which was not mapped out automatically on my GPS) on highway 178. WOW! What an awesome road. Hardly a car in either direction, smooth single lane, with a wide variety of turns - tight, fast sweepers, drop ins. It was a great way to spend the better half of my day on the motorcycle. I must have been on the 178 for a good 3 hours. The highway just kept giving it up. After Lake Isabella (which in my opinion, is in serious decline), the highway took on a high speed sweeping/flowing character for a good 15 miles. As if that wasn't enough, the fast flow gave rise to canyon carving along the Kern River and through the lower Sequoia National Park areas. What a spectacular motorcycle highway. I highly recommend it to any serious rider. It was so fun.

But once out of the canyon the fun came to an abrupt end as I found myself in Bakersfield - yay! They don't call it Bakersfield for nothing. That's right, it's down right HOT! upper 90's, congested, sprawled out, and just plain uncomfortable. But, I am finally (after only two nights of poor accommodations) in a rather comfortable inn. My prime objective = get a good night's sleep! Tomorrow, I journey to beautiful San Louis Obispo to meet up with my son and mother. There, I hope to stay the night and then it's back home via highway 1 coastal scenic rout where I return home from what has been a totally amazing motorcycle tour.

Good night!
-MB

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

Day 2 - 7/19

The day started bright and kept getting better and better. After waking up a bit on the early side, I had a couple of cups of coffee on the lovely front porch of Maria's home, listening to the birds, and admiring the beautiful surroundings of this quaint neighborhood. It was delightful.

After breakfast which was prepared by Maria and consisted of a delicious combination of veggies, eggs, and seasoned turkey, served with tortillas, I decided to tackle my first major hike: Empire Mine State Park - literally blocks away from the house. This hike took me a good 2.5 hours and was mix of wide service road and single track trails. I worked up a good sweat moving briskly through the various mining topography, wrapping it up with visit to the park's visitor center.

Empire Mine Blew My Mind! The entire region of Grass Valley literally sits on top of the network of tunnels, shafts, and chambers that comprise Empire Mine; the deepest portions of which extend down almost 2 miles below ground. The entire network was flooded when the mine was closed. What an incredible operation it must have been.

Original mining equipment

The main Shaft where miners began their work day

Mining Yard - A mini city really

After exploring Empire Mine, it was quickly back to the house to clean up, change, pack up, suit up, and roll. I made an 11th hour decision to continue on the hwy 49 and make a stop in Downville - home to what is described as some of the best mountain biking ever. So made my way through a fantastic part of 49 (lots of sweepers, a few nice hairpins, smooth and uniform asphalt, gorgeous views of the Yuba river the whole way, and only a few cars. Arrived at Downville which is a tiny mountain town situated right on the river and quickly made my way over to Downville Outfitters to inquire about renting a bike and jumping on the shuttle ride to the higher elevation. I made it just in time and got a hold of the last bike available. Luck!!

Let me just state for the record that this 3.5 plus hour mountain bike ride is now the best ride of my life! It was incredible. The trails went on and on, lots of variety, single smooth, cool understory, stream crossings, rock hopping, bumbp jumping, bike carries (both up and down), steeps, slopes, and shoots galore. It was also the most strenuous ride I have ever done. I ran out of water, even after cooling off in the crystal clear cool flowing waters of Yuba. It had me a bit worried to be that exhausted, that thirsty, and that freaked out. Oh yeah, I also almost got bit by a rattle snake. It happened so fast. Heard it, saw it strike out of the corner of my eye, and the thing nearly bit my bike tire. I honestly couldn't tell if I had ran over it or if it was just sitting on the side of the trail.

 

 

After returning to Downville and downing almost a liter and a half of water, it was time to pack back up and head onto to Lake Tahoe. And, just when I though the day could not get any better, here comes a cool and smooth ride through the Tahoe Forest on what looked to be a newer part of hwy 49. It was like butter, taking turns just a tad more spirited than earlier in the day but also feeling a sense of ease and being more relaxed - or maybe I'm confusing it with the feeling of exhaustion. In any case, got into South Lake Tahoe a bit later then anticipated, to arrive at a less inspiring AirB&B then I was used to. Oh well. It's only for this one night (a quick one I hope) and then it's off to Mammoth Lakes for more Sierra Adventure.

Until next time....
-MB

Day 1 - 7/18

What a long day of riding this first one turned out. I think I was in the saddle a good 7 hours total! But man....that highway 49 is some road. Lots of twisties - hairpins galore! A good number of sweepers, and enough straights to keep the Harley guys happy.  Newer asphalt on almost the entire length - although there were black snakes in quite a few areas - something tells me that they were intentionally added to the surface of the road to keep the bikes from getting too crazy. And I sure could feel the rubber responding to them and not in a good way. Throughout the day, the 49 seemed to be either totally wide open (no cagers), or stacked up with weekenders trying to find some outdoor fun. It was a hot one today - mid 90's for most of my trek and I sure felt it under the riding gear. That said, I really enjoyed many of the stops along the way north. There were certainly quite a few places one could stop so I had to be quite selective otherwise it would have taken me even longer today.
One stopping point,

Along the way, multiple (shocking) examples of the severity of the state's drought. So sad. 

When I did finally pull into Grass Valley, it didn't take me long to find my accommodation site. Charming little California bungalow that has a real warm welcoming feeling about it. Maria, my host, is a retired, down-to earth school teacher and was quite welcoming. Made me feel right at home.... right away! 

After chatting with Maria for a bit about her life as a teacher, current undertakings, and the general area, I unpacked the bike, hit the shower, and made my way into town (on foot, of course) to grab a some dinner.

I decided to take up Maria's recommendation and dine at Diego's - Latin American restaurant. "No good Mexican food here in Grass Valley" (according to Maria). But Latin American? OK then....Turned out to be a good choice. I was able to get a nice quaint corner table and do a bit of reading, thinking, texting. and of course eating once my food arrived. 

What to order? What to order? The entire menu sounded delicious! I finally decided to give their vegetarian chile relleno a try. It came with a delicious salad served with cilantro lime dressing which was refreshing and lovely. The relleno was fantastic! Lots of very fresh roasted veggies, not too much cheese on top, and the sauces (green and red) where mouth watering After literally eating every last bite as well as every bit of the rice and beans, I was now the relleno at the table. 

The plan tomorrow is to hit the trails after a bit of breakfast and try to "work off" some of this dinner before packing up, suiting up and heading up to Lake Tahoe.

Good night for now.

-MB