We left Fallon with excitement about reaching both Yosemite and California today. Rob was likely the only one who realized how scenic our entire day would be. We continued west on Highway 50, noting the scenery and colors were more typically desert with golds and browns.
Up and over a fairly twisty mountainous section, the landscape changed to forest. Rob led us to our scenic stop of the day: South Lake Tahoe. We stopped at the Logan's Shoal viewing area that Rob had discovered on Google Earth while planning the trip. The skies were clear blue and we had amazing views of the lake. What a beautiful place!
We all hiked down the rocks from the overlook and found a perimeter trail that afforded even better views. The water was emerald green by the shoreline and the huge trees produced gigantic pine cones.
Back on the road we took route 89 and arrived in California. We looked for a Welcome to California sign and found none! All this way and no official welcome sign? Soon we went up and over the mountain and Leviathan peak. Whoa, the roads were incredibly twisty. I felt like we were careening to our death as Rob forgot that he was driving a big touring bike with a passenger and trailer.
The road edges on the corners had no guard rails and went straight down. So from the vantage point coming down the mountain at a blind curve, it appeared we would go over the edge! We passed a huge swath of burnt grassland along the mountainsides. At the bottom of the pass the valley was pretty amazing, and we heading south to Bridgeport for lunch.
After lunch we turned on 395 south and then to route 120 that would take us into Yosemite. We arrived at the Park at the Tioga Pass entrance.
It was a 90 minute drive to our lodge and we gained 3,000 feet of elevation. I did not put on more gear ahead of time and Julie forgot to plug in to her heat ahead of time, so both of us were chilly at 9,000 elevation for longer than we cared to be.
We were worried about the potential for smoky conditions in the park, but compared to Salt Lake City and Colorado, thankfully there was very little. We saw some fire damage as we were on Big Oak Flat Road, a few fire trucks were on the side of the road monitoring the situation. Near our hotel, we turned on El Portal Road and were greeted by a view of the towering rock faces of El Capitan and Half Dome. We also saw Yosemite Falls and Rob was so excited that it still flowed. Typically the falls dry up in summer.
Around 5:00 we checked into our hotels and secured parking spaces for the bikes. The Wing soon gained a friend.
We celebrated our 3,100 mile adventure from coast to coast with drinks before dinner and enjoyed a great meal and laughs at the restaurant.
Tomorrow the bikes will stay parked and we will begin exploring the area on foot.
So funny! I was also disappointed about the lack of sign welcoming us to Cali!! ~Julie
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