Thursday–Monday, 6–10 Oct 2016
Written and Narrated by Jerry Moody
We Had a Small Group
Braving warm and sunny weather, Carl, Russ and Jerry M. met for breakfast at the “Bear” in Tracy at 7:00 am on Thursday the 6th. As this was the first DV trip for Russ, Carl made him order pancakes for good luck. Naturally Russ had to use the commoner’s syrup and breakfast went off without a hitch. We hit the road in high spirits with a warm sun in our face.
Making good time we hit Yosemite and with very little traffic had a very nice ride through the park. They didn’t even make us pay or was it pity on the ranger’s face I saw. The ride to Bishop was great and after checking into our hotel and a nice lunch, decided to relax the rest of the day.
On Friday we headed south and then east over Westgard Pass on our way to a tree hugger’s dream of seeing the Bristlecone Forest. As this was my first visit to the forest, I was looking forward to a visual treat. After a long, twisty ride we arrived and I saw, you got it, some pine trees. Be still my heart. Carl took a small hike while Russ and I talked to the dedicated ranger about the benefits of shaving her legs and pits.
After getting our fill of pine trees, we headed down the hill and continued east over the pass. With the weather continuing to be our friend, we turned south on 95 and had a smooth comfortable ride into Beatty where we dropped Russ for the night. Carl and I continued on to DV after lunch and arrived at Stovepipe Wells to check in. We all agreed to meet for breakfast at Stovepipe the following morning and to show Russ some highlights of DV.
After breakfast Saturday morning we headed out for Zabriskie Point and Badwater. As Scotty’s Castle was closed we decided to stay south and had the traditional lunch at Furnace Creek. After lunch we split up with Carl and I headed back to Stovepipe while Russ sped back to Beatty. Back at Stovepipe we lounged around the pool and enjoyed the 90’s temps in the shade for the balance of the afternoon. Dinner and an evening under the stars ended the day.
Sunday morning we left for Lone Pine and breakfast. Russ had decided to head for home so it was just the two of us. Again, the weather was great! We arrived in Bishop early and after check in headed to the Laws Railroad Museum for the first time. Wow, definitely a must for anyone who has not been there before. What a fabulous display of history and not just trains. We spent 2 hours viewing the different displays and talking with the locals about the history of the Museum. Time well spent.
When we arrived back at the hotel we were pleased to see Marco had arrived. Marco joined us for dinner and we planned our breakfast and trip for the next morning.
Monday morning started with breakfast at Jacks and then north for Yosemite. Unfortunately the fuzzy faced long haired ranger at the Tiago Pass ranger hut refused to believe I was Carl’s son and made me pay admission. The ride through the park was pleasant as was the ride home. All in all a great trip with great friends.
Marc adds:
I went to Sunday breakfast at Hobees then headed over Sonoma pass to Bishop to meet the DV riders. That made my two day excursion a nice loop, over on 108, back on 120. We had a slight detour on the way back. Traffic was stopped at a “construction” signal. Even on green. There was a fire on 120/49 near Don Pedro reservoir and they were not letting any vehicles pass. Carl took a chance, taking Jacksonville Rd on the other side of the reservoir into Jamestown. At least he hoped it would take us into Jamestown. Eventually it did where we picked up 108 to continue the ride home. The fire must have recently started… we pulled over to let lots of fire engines pass heading the opposite direction.
I took very few pics this ride.
395 and Mono Lake
Mono Lake detail
Stickers
Sunday evening home