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Tomorrow morning, I'll be setting out early for Mono Lake, on the Eastern edge of California. I'll be staying in Lee Vining, actually, which is where the Cannonballers spent the evening of Day One last year.

I'll try to post pictures as internet access allows, but... well, Lee Vining is pretty remote. Cross your fingers.
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Map:
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Priest Station
Stopped for lunch at Priest Station, just outside of the park. I
haven't taken a single picture yet, but I managed to capture a bit of
video of the twisties coming up the hill.

Onward...
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UTC quote
Yosemite
I've been tooling around the park for a few hours, seeing the sights.
I'm having to be kind of conservative, because I have no gas gauge and
there is very little gas in the park.

There's also some major destruction from the recent wildfires. The
smell of burning forest is overwhelming, and there are even a few
spots where the fire is still smoldering.

I'm in the valley right now, but I'm going to head up to High Sierra
country, toward Tioga Pass.

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*jealous*
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UTC quote
TheO.Z. wrote:
*jealous*
yea....what he said...

R

8)
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glasseye wrote:
TheO.Z. wrote:
*jealous*
yea....what he said...

R

8)
Let's crash his pad, I know where he's staying
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So apparently the Spot Messenger service changed their message format, and none of the "I'm okay" messages got parsed correctly. Bummer. I'll have to fix that when I get home.
⚠️ Last edited by jess on UTC; edited 1 time
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More Yosemite


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Lee Vining, CA
At the bottom of the grade leading up to Tioga pass, there's an oasis
of sorts in the form of a Mobil gas station. This is no ordinary gas
station, though -- this is a place with live music, a well regarded
gourmet deli, and a trapeze practice area. It overlooks Mono Lake, and
sitting on the patio in the still-warm evening eating fish tacos is a
welcome end to a long day of riding.

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UTC quote
Jess- The Spot Messenger service seems like a very cool idea. Once I begin touring a bit more that it might be a really nice snag. I'd love to hear your opinions of the system when you have a chance.

Looks like you're having a great ride, enjoy!

Kent
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UTC quote
The fish tacos look great.

Hope you post some pics of the Tioga Pass, I'd like to do a ride from San Diego county up highway 395 to Tioga Pass, through Yosemite and into the Gold Rush country. It will have to be next summer, because in just a few weeks the Tioga pass will be too iffy.

Nice Ride Report!
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As amazing as Yosemite is, Tioga, Mono and the eastern Sierra are real gems.

Swing by June Lakes if you can, not too far south on 395.

If you ever are on a manual transmission bike, take Hwy 89 east towards 395. Go thru Monitor Pass (try to catch your breathe and not fall off the bike due to the amazing view), then turn the motor off and slowly coast down down down to Owens Valley.

Next best thing to flying.

\\osc
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UTC quote
Lee Vining I ate at the same place good food, I wait to this ride agin befor the pass closes. How many miles to SF from Lee Vining?
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Hey Jess... it was good to run into you you (fortunately, not literally) on 108 and riding with you for a bit. Next time stop for lunch in Sonora. Good eats there
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StyleC wrote:
Hey Jess... it was good to run into you you (fortunately, not literally) on 108 and riding with you for a bit. Next time stop for lunch in Sonora. Good eats there
Yeah, that was awesome!

For those that weren't there: StyleC was on a different riding trip. I knew he was going to be in the general vicinity, but we weren't riding together. He saw my scooter parked at a gas station, and let the rest of his group go on while he stopped to say hi. We chatted for a bit, then rode down the Western side of the Sonora pass, all the way to Sonora. At that point, he rejoined the group he had been riding with, and I continued on home.

Out in the middle of nowhere...
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More pictures from the trip:


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UTC quote
damn. looks like a great weekend to have gone. heh.

meanwhile, I was sick. heh.
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UTC quote
Gorgeous photos Jess.
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Awesome! I'm jealous.
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UTC quote
jess wrote:
StyleC wrote:
Hey Jess... it was good to run into you you (fortunately, not literally) on 108 and riding with you for a bit. Next time stop for lunch in Sonora. Good eats there
Yeah, that was awesome!

For those that weren't there: StyleC was on a different riding trip. I knew he was going to be in the general vicinity, but we weren't riding together. He saw my scooter parked at a gas station, and let the rest of his group go on while he stopped to say hi. We chatted for a bit, then rode down the Western side of the Sonora pass, all the way to Sonora. At that point, he rejoined the group he had been riding with, and I continued on home.

Out in the middle of nowhere...
Stick your head in and see if you recognize anyone?
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jaded wrote:
Stick your head in and see if you recognize anyone?
Yes. Exactly.
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UTC quote
Wow! Magnificent pictures
Thank you for posting them

(Really, really jealous of that ride!)
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OH mah gad! Gorgeous pics! Thanks for posting Jess! Ride on!

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UTC quote
jess wrote:
StyleC wrote:
Hey Jess... it was good to run into you you (fortunately, not literally) on 108 and riding with you for a bit. Next time stop for lunch in Sonora. Good eats there
Yeah, that was awesome!

For those that weren't there: StyleC was on a different riding trip. I knew he was going to be in the general vicinity, but we weren't riding together. He saw my scooter parked at a gas station, and let the rest of his group go on while he stopped to say hi. We chatted for a bit, then rode down the Western side of the Sonora pass, all the way to Sonora. At that point, he rejoined the group he had been riding with, and I continued on home.

Out in the middle of nowhere...
Doods....freakin' small world sometimes!
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Wangta wrote:
Doods....freakin' small world sometimes!
Yeah, tell me about it!

Actually, it wasn't entirely unexpected. I was on the lookout for him as well, since I knew he would be around. it's a long road through the mountains, without many opportunities to go in a different direction. If we were on the same road, it was bound to happen.
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UTC quote
top pix dude, you are so lucky to have all that space 8) 8)

you would hate the uk Laughing emoticon it sux!
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UTC quote
I had forgotten how beautiful the area is! Thanks for the pics:)
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Just amazingly beautiful!
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AbFAB! my friend and I went up that way to hike half dome this summer and I could not stop talking about how great the roads were for scooting. photos are great! congrats on a great ride, hope you had as much fun as it looks. M

PS MOST (not all) fires are a natural part of the park and actually, are part of the natural ecosystem up there. for about 80 years they stopped the fires because it was not tourist friendly and was viewed as unnatural by the newcomers, but in fact they are an essential part of the parks growth and regrowth.... cool facts
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MollyTaylor wrote:
PS MOST (not all) fires are a natural part of the park and actually, are part of the natural ecosystem up there. for about 80 years they stopped the fires because it was not tourist friendly and was viewed as unnatural by the newcomers, but in fact they are an essential part of the parks growth and regrowth.... cool facts
Yeah, this particular fire started as a scheduled and controlled burn. And then it got out of hand, in a very bad way. I think the total cost for containment of this particular fire was $16.9 million.
⬆️    About 1 month elapsed    ⬇️
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UTC quote
Such a beautiful journey. I did it on a Jeep Compass (honeymoon, staying in Ahwahnee at Yosemite and right to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley... amazing!) . I wish we could do it again. Even better on a Vespa, at least SFO to Yosemite.

I'm really jealous about that!

Cheers.
Kiko
⬆️    About 2 months elapsed    ⬇️
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UTC quote
Jess -- thanks for sharing, I did an almost identical route about 15 years ago -- absolutely superb part of your country -- and you certainly have some great shots to do it justice....though sad to see the forest fire impacts.....
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UTC quote
Yosemite
WHOA NELLIES is the name of the famous restaurant inside the mobil gas station. A must stop for hikers. You took some great black & white photos too. Reminds me of Ansel Adams photos. Glad you posted this great ride!!
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UTC quote
Great pix. No gas gauge on the 300? Was it broken? Eeps.
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UTC quote
[
Yeah, this particular fire started as a scheduled and controlled burn. And then it got out of hand, in a very bad way. I think the total cost for containment of this particular fire was $16.9 million.[/quote]

Jess,

I didn't know that!

Beautiful pics. Thanks for posting. I can't take pics & ride.

I was there just 2 weeks ahead of you, and the park was still on fire. We camped just outside of the closure and could not ride into the valley/park.
You are right about the gas situation, you really do need to plan rides around gas stops .
It opened the day we left : (

You have inspired me...
This fall I'm going to stop & get photos!
Laura

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