The day started with an early breakfast so we could be on the road ahead of traffic and sun. This is essential this time of year as the heat and finally the traffic will grind you down and wear you out. A minor mishap with the waffle machine (I love these things - you get the batter and make your own waffles) left me looking like I had been gut shot with a waffle gun but thankfully it all dried and I was able to scrape it off.
We left Marisposa slightly disoriented as our instincts were telling us to head one way and the TomTom was telling us a totally different story. In the end we went with the TomTom and thankfully that was the right choice. From the moment we left Mariposa I could tell this was going to be a special ride. We pretty quickly carved up towards Yosemite and immediately the landscape changed.
When we originally planned this particular part of the ride we were told that we were mad trying to get into Yosemite at the height of Summer because of the long lines of traffic. This did not prove to be the case and we really weren't troubled by the traffic we did encounter. We headed to El Portal which is the gateway to Yosemite.
Entering Yosemite National Park we rode to the first iconic photo opportunity - El Capitan. Standing below these towering cliff faces brings home how astonishingly incredible nature is and what it can produce. There is nothing even remotely like this back home. I will let the photos speak for themselves
Between us we took so many photos that I cannot even hope to put all the great shots up on this blog without shutting down the WiFi service here at the motel. But here are some more for the hell of it.
We could have spent all day in this part of Yosemite but we had a long ride ahead of us so we headed for Tioga Pass. Tioga Pass takes you over the Sierra Nevada mountain range and at one point we were 11000ft above sea level. This pass is only open for six months of the year and we struck it exactly at the right time. What a road! We were treated to expansive views of Yosemite and introduced to country whose landscape was like nothing I have ever seen. We would round a bend and find beautiful blue mountain lakes. This was just sublime.
We got to the small town of Lee Vining for a late lunch. Not wanting too much we went for the beef sandwich which we thought would be sensible in the land of the big serve. Weren't we just the silly ones to think a sandwich would be a down size option in the USA!
Somewhat slowly we got back on the bikes and pushed for Lake Tahoe via Bridgeport and Carson Valley. By now it was a 100 degrees (38+) and we had been riding for 5 hours not counting breaks. Not that we felt it, however hydrating and plenty of stops make the difference. We crossed from California and into Nevada. As we approached the mountains that surround Lake Tahoe we were treated to another great slice of mountain road that really put the icing on the cake. We climbed again and reached 9000 feet on one of the most pristine highways you can imagine.
We hit Tahoe around 5pm. As we always do we finished with a beer by the bikes and just talked about the ride. Words like incredible and unbelievable were in common use. We covered 228 miles and spent 5hrs 53min in the saddle and it was worth every single minute. Bucket list stuff my friends. I cannot really do justice to what we have experienced and I am afraid my photo selections at 11pm at night probably don't do it either - I hope you at least get some sense of what we have experienced today - I will sleep well tonight
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