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Author Topic: Brief California Tour  (Read 2584 times)

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Ironhorse

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Brief California Tour
« on: June 29, 2021, 05:59:00 PM »

While I was in Afghanistan I had been planning a ride as soon as I got back.  Well I must have done my job really well because 6 months after I arrived there the war ended,...LOL!  So a few weeks after I returned I got the bike out of mothballs, and after a new battery and throttle body I was ready to hit the road.

GoldWing John and I left at 8am on Wednesday the 26th.  We took The 101 to San Luis Obispo and out to Morro Bay where we dined on Halibut Fish and Chips. Then we meandered up Highway 1, crossing over the newly repaired section that was washed out last year.  We spent the night in Monterey where we had an excellent meal of Cippino at a dockside restaurant. 

The next morning we had breakfast a nice local restaurant, gassed up and headed north on The 101.  We arrived at Vallejo, CA. just before noon and met up with my cousin Alan and his girlfriend.  He got us use of a car and we all went to lunch.  For those who may not remember, in November of 2019 Alan was a victim of a hit and run while on his Ultra.  He lost his right leg above the knee and 90% use of his right arm and hand.  He does not recall anything and the car and driver have not been found or identified.  After lunch we hit the road and rode across the valley floor to Sonora, CA.  The ride was HOT, and the traffic was heavy.  We got a room for two nights and settled in.

The next morning we rode out to visit Roger Lane, for more information on Roger please see the "TrapperDog" thread.  We brought him breakfast and visited with him and Melanie.  It was a good visit.  Afterwards John and I walked around Jamestown, all 5 blocks of it, and had lunch at the Jamestown Hotel.   We rode back to Sonora, waited for the cooler evening temps and went to dinner.  While at dinner we checked our phones for updated information on Yosemite.  We had planned to ride through the park and managed to obtain day entry passes to go along with our Senior Annual Passes.  However reports had waiting lines of 3 hours to get inside the park.  Not wanting to spend the day in traffic we decided to skip Yosemite and ride up to Bridgeport.

Our decision to skip Yosemite was the right one.  Traffic up The 108 was very light.  As we ascended the mountains of the Stanislaus National Forest we could feel the temps dropping.  By the time we passed Twain Harte we were very comfortable.  It was grand riding through the tall pines and lava flows.  We crossed the Sonora Pass at 9,600 feet and headed down to Bridgeport for lunch.  After lunch we stopped off at Mono Lake.  We were pleased to find the visitor center open.  When we pulled into Bishop the temps were once again hot.  We cooled off in the room till the sun was low and headed out for a good dinner of local barbecue.

On our final day we set out to have breakfast in Lone Pine.  On the way I took the cut off to visit the Manzanar internment camp.  I had never been there before and wanted to go.  John had visited several times before, and said that his wife's family was interned there during WWII.  I found the isolation and bleak and inhospitable environment disturbing.  We self-toured a couple of the barracks and read and listened to the experiences of the citizens who recalled their time there.

In Lone Pine I had my last "Big Meal" of pancakes, eggs and bacon.  Since I got back I had been "indulging" myself on all the food I couldn't get in Afghanistan, and this ride was the epitome of gluttony for me.  We stopped once more for gas and a sandwich in Mojave before heading home.  All in all it was a great ride.  It was only five days, but felt much longer.  We had varying terrain and climate from cool along the coast, to hot in the high desert.


Mark

« Last Edit: June 30, 2021, 07:26:11 AM by Ironhorse »
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2021, 07:44:36 PM »

Morro Bay.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2021, 07:45:06 PM »

Pacific Coast Highway.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2021, 07:45:44 PM »

Cippino on the Monterey pier.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2021, 07:46:23 PM »

Dungeness Crab Benedict for breakfast!
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2021, 07:46:59 PM »

Lunch with Alan Paz and his girl!
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2021, 07:47:34 PM »

Hanging with the local wildlife in Jamestown.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #7 on: June 29, 2021, 07:48:14 PM »

Spotted a UFO in Yosemite,.....LOL!!!
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #8 on: June 29, 2021, 07:48:55 PM »

View from Sonora Pass.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #9 on: June 29, 2021, 07:49:34 PM »

Old growth meets new growth after a wild fire.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2021, 07:50:07 PM »

Mono Lake.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2021, 07:50:41 PM »

Panorama of Mono Lake,....
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2021, 07:51:11 PM »

Manzanar.
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Ironhorse

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2021, 07:52:19 PM »

Back when the climate and the nation were inhospitable to a select few of it's citizens.
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110Mofo

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #14 on: June 30, 2021, 10:11:41 AM »


 Nice trip, thank you for sharing  :2vrolijk_21:
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GregKhougaz

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #15 on: June 30, 2021, 10:40:41 AM »

Nice trip, Mark! Nothing like traveling on your stomach.  :huepfenlol2:
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tunaman

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Re: Brief California Tour
« Reply #16 on: June 30, 2021, 05:32:48 PM »

Thank you for your service! Nice ride - sounds like you enjoyed it… well deserved.
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