Yosemite to San Fran

Today we took Eagle Lk trail (with a few hundred others) steeply up from the lake with views of Lk Tahoe and snow-capped peaks. We soon shook everyone off and followed the trail to the other end of the lake, had lunch on a huge rock, then Peter headed off across a scree slope towards a waterfall. Jayne had a meditative few moments overlooking the lake.  He returned in an hour crestfallen at having lost his Blackberry somewhere on the rocks. Urgent words to St Anthony did not prevail this time ...we cancelled the phone. 

We did like the locals this night and scoffed a huge pizza and local beers. 

day 7 - Lake Tahoe to Yosemite. 256 km
We started the day with a DH51. For the uninitiated this is a Destination Highway rating based on scenery, twistiness,  curves, surface etc. Peter has designed the trip to take in the top rated roads. This was a beauty, hugging the lake, throwing in hairpin bends and giving the passenger near heart failure!

We met bikers from Canada over breakfast in Markleeville and discussed routes, bike virtues and DHs of course! It's been amazing to me since I have joined the (fringes of the) biking community, how much camaraderie exists between bikers. From the friendly salute or wave to every biker passing, to lengthy discussions on the relative virtues of the ST1200 versus the BMW 1200RT etc, they are so passionate. Many have several bikes and one couple we met had driven from Cincinnati and was en route to the Grand Prix in Laguna Seca -blatant devotion, I'd say.



Quick stop at Mono Lake, which once supplied LA's water until depleted by 50% - when the community stepped in to save it. Recharged our various batteries over iced tea in Lee Vining with a cafe-full of other laptop and iPad nuts - -next stop Yosemite National Park!  

It's my job to take photos while we drive. Some work out well. I love taking the road ahead with it's twists and turns.  Sometimes the helmet, glasses and gloves just wreck good intentions. The iPad doesn't seem to upload images to the blog easily, hence the lack to go with the text.

Yosemite was as grand and inspiring as I'd hoped it would be. By starting out at 7am and lining up for a site at 1pm we were lucky to be allocated the last tent site at 2 pm. After 4 nights we have the set up down to a fine art and were soon cooking spaghetti, garlic and mushrooms, before heading off on a sunset hike. We powered up the back of Lembert Dome, a giant slab of granite, and watched the sun go down beyond Tuolumne Meadows with 360 degree views of snow-capped peaks.

the light dimmed fast we scurried down the slope like mountain goats and enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay around the campfire. 

Camping, if you haven't been for a while, is no longer about beans and bangers. Campers now command a choice of red and white wines packaged in handy two-person sized tetra packs, and the Tuolumne store sold fresh veggies, burritos, and civilized ingredients. (The post office was also the 'post restart' for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail to restock with supplies on their 2000 mile / 6 month journey from Mexico to Canada.

Yosemite deserves much more time. It is the kind of place you can just be in and feel there's more to it than scenery. Just a short walk is like a lesson in geology.  Reading the history of the US parks, the vision of John Muir to preserve special places, makes me want to return again soon. We also said a special farewell to a travel writer friend, Lynn Ferrin, who recently passed away - Yosemite was her favorite place.



Day 8 Yosemite to San Francisco. 470 km!
Oh...my...God. The sky last night was the starriest I can ever remember. We who live in urban areas are sadly missing something very special. So this morning the temperature was 2 degrees (34 F) and by 11 am it was 27 degrees!

We took the Tioga Road from 10,000 ft, passing sight after sight  -  El Capitan, fragile flowers growing beside giant boulders, waterfalls, rangers on horses and mules - down to the visitor 'honeypot' around the Yosemite Valley. time to head out. 

Once out of the park the temperature shot up to 35 degrees as we sweltered through the St Joaquin Valley in leathers and full face helmets. I had to laugh to myself yesterday at a gas station: it was warming up and I peeled off a layer -my fleece - leaving 2 t-shirts and a jacket still on. A Harley drew up alongside and the biker babe was wearing a strapless tube and holding a slushy!

San Francisco here we come! Peter drove like the wind along the highway (trying to find some cool breeze maybe) as we passed orchards ripe with nectarines and peaches, then scorched dry hills covered in wind farms

Finally the skyline of SF came into view and we knew we could at last wash our socks, sleep in a bed and eat crab !