Yosemite 2006 Pictures
Flashbacks of a winter wonderland with Ed & Michele came to mind when I
decided to embark on this journey. We had all camped in Yosemite in
November a few years back and nearly froze to death. You know it's
cold when Mr. J-Dog is shivering and huddled up next to you. But for this
trip time I was
promised a nice cabin with running water and a hot shower, a massage at the
end of the ride, Sunday brunch at the famous Awahnee Hotel in the park, a
soak in the hot springs at Travertine, and amazing riding. Ok, twist
my arm.
There was suppose to be 6 of us in the pack, but a few pack members were
unable to attend so it ended up just being 4 of us. The riding pack
then dwindled to 2, as Kari and Ben decided to take a different route.
Ben is a new rider so they thought a safer, slower pace was the way to go,
good call. So that left Craig and I to blaze a trail....well, Craig
blazed the trail and I did my best to keep him in my gun sights. He's
a quick one and keeps you on your toes.
We headed out from Castro Valley and cruised across the valley and a
number of backroads. I think Craig is part homing pigeon as he twisted
and turned us on a number of roads I had never ventured on with not even a
hiccup or wrong turn. Ok, so he had pre-programmed his GPS - no
stopping and asking directions at the gas station for this guy. It was awesome with a car or human sighting
about once every 10 miles. We hit the Evergreen Lodge outside of
Yosemite by mid-afternoon with Kari and Ben arriving just before us.
We had booked massages ahead of time and were drawing straws to see who went
first. I won, I think Craig let me win, nice man that he is ;-)
The massages turned out to be somewhat of a bust though as the lady was a
non-stop babbler and nearly scalded both of us with her hot rock therapy. Sheesh, 3rd degree burns anyone - she had heated her "special" hand picked
rocks in a crock-pot and then used us as the guinea pigs to test if they
were warm enough. Ah, yeah, did the scream and sizzle of our skin give
you a clue, lady. I don't think we'll be heading back anytime soon for
a massage do-over. Lodge do-over, yes, scary massage lady, NO!
Oh, and let's not forget the 16 year old wonder dog she had in the room that
needed to pee every 15 minutes. Of course there was only one door in
and out so that nice blast of cold air was so refreshing with the scalding
rocks. *SIGH*
To shake off the massage, another form of therapy was
needed, yep, drinks on the patio-daddy-o thanks to Kari and Ben hosting happy hour.
We got happy and shared our massage adventure and compared future scar
tissue. Next up was a nice dinner at the lodge with 3 of us trying elk
- which was delicious! Some wine, some dessert, good company and we
were all ready for bed by 9:00pm. Craig had brought fixings to make
smores but the campfire/kumbaya night wasn't until the next evening and
there was no other place to light up a nice fire. Oh well.
Next morning we were up with the roosters and headed to the Awahnee for a
brunch reservation at 10:00am. Kari and Ben had to head home as they
were only able to make it one night. Craig and I cruised down into the
park and hit a number of sights. The great thing was NO traffic.
This time of year all the hordes of people and tour busses were gone!
Woo-hoo. After we tanked up on brunch and waddled back to our bikes we
headed over the mountain towards highway 395 and Lee Vining. Our final
destination was Bridgeport but not before a stop at the Travertine hot
springs.
In route to Travertine, we had a minor mishap on federal land though as we made our
way to 395. Seems Mr. Ranger don't take to kindly to speeders - whups.
Seems we were chugging along at a pace that was a bit too amusing and he
only caught up with us because Craig stopped to take photos. Craig
conveniently pulled away as Mr. Ranger pulled up behind me with flashing
lights. Lovely, my lucky day. I got read the riot act and how he
had been chasing me for 7 miles and blah blah blah. "I could take you
into jail right now...." Hmmm, figured now was not the time for my
temper to flare, or my smart-ass wit to rear it's ugly head, so I bit my
tongue and took my licks. Eventually he stopped shaking, guess he was
pretty riled up with the big 7 mile chase, and eventually handed me my $375 ticket.
Ouch! I just couldn't help myself when he asked "...will you and your
partner be coming back this way...". I replied, "well now, I don't
think so - don't think I can afford it". I nearly expected to hear the
click-click sound of the cuffs on my wrists....but it's all in the delivery
and I said it with a big grin/smile/giggle which actually got him chuckling.
I was free to go and meandered down the road to see Craig pulled over and
surrounded by 3 vehicles and 3 rangers. What a sight, I couldn't help
but laugh as it looked like they had busted Osama Bin Laden himself.
All dressed in motorcycle garb, committing the crime of the century
doing 30+ mph over the speed limit...the horror! I nearly fell off my
bike laughing it was too much - guess these guys get a little bored out
there. Craig was standing there looking up at the
trees all nonchalant, but I know silently fuming. The only redeeming
thing about all this is that we later learned if you get a ticket on federal
land it doesn't go on your driving record. You pay the fine, no court
appearance, and hope to heck you don't get another ticket as the second one
is suppose to be brutal and they can throw you in jail.
We tiptoed on out of there very quietly and slowly....la la la. We
finally hit 395 by Mono Lake and took a soda and gas break and pissed and
moaned about matching $375 tickets. We
then motored up to the hot springs which were off this dirt road - good
thing we had the dual sport bikes. There are several natural hot
springs within a few minute walk. Craig grabbed the scotch, I grabbed
the towel and we had a nice soak in the springs - chatting with some other
folks there, sipping scotch, and watching a beautiful pink/orange/purple
sunset, absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, no one grabbed the camera
so we didn't get any shots :(
We headed into the town of Bridgeport and got a hotel for the night.
Dinner was a little diner down the street that had great fish tacos. I
think we were asleep by 8:00 or soon thereafter. The next morning was
frosty cold into the 30's and the Beamer was not happy - didn't want to
start and we killed the battery trying to make it start. Fortunately
the motel manager had a battery charger and we got it fired up. All in
all, a 45 minute delay.
The ride home was another fun romp over the rivers and through the woods,
but not on federal land. We took Monitor Pass (89) and then Ebbett's
Pass (4) - a bit nippy with patches of snow here and there but the roads
were free and clear of any ice. We arrived home safe and sound
later that Monday. Another successful voyage of the starships.
Click on the photo for a larger view.
|
|
|
|
Shot on the ride up to Evergreen Lodge
|
|
|
|
My trusty steed on the same road heading to the Evergreen Lodge
|
|
|
|
Oooh, ahhhh, pretty shot on the way up to the Lodge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speed Racer Craig on his Triumph Ti-double G-ger moto.
|
|
|
|
Kari, Ben, Craig at the Evergreen Lodge. Something about counting crows...
|
|
|
|
Our accomodations for the evening at the Lodge. Rustic, but comfy - nice warm showers!
|
|
|
|
|
|
The weary travelers, but nothing a few adult beverages couldn't cure. Ben, Kari, Craig, me.
|
|
|
|
A little zip through the park and hike back to Bridalveil Falls - before brunch the next morning.
|
|
|
|
Another stunning shot - half dome in the park
|
|
|
|
|
|
Next day, after brunch at the Awahnee we headed through the park lands
|
|
|
|
Meadow heading through the park lands
|
|
|
|
More meadows rolling through park lands - me on the Beamer
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craig on the way to Lee Vining
|
|
|
|
Panorma shot of Mono lake - rolling into Lee Vining
|
|
|
|
On the way home the next morning from Bridgeport - I think this was highway 4 (Ebbetts pass). Brrr, a might chilly with some snow about
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another cool stop on highway 4
|
|
|
|
The moto's taking a rest, or was that us taking a rest
|
|
|
