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| Bike Ridden: | Bridgestone RB-T |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 59 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4700 feet |
Rock Creek Canyon, June 12, 1995 - Chris Hull, Stella Hackell, and I rode downhill from our condo at the Seasons Four in Mammoth Lakes. The downhill was fun, but what goes down had to come back up, about 1350 feet from US-395, or about as much as Old La Honda Rd. We would have to pay later for our fun at the beginning.
We rode down to US-395, then rode south on US-395 to Tom's Place and climbed Rock Creek Rd. as far as we could. Chris was still tired from the Ride Around the Bear two days before and was having a hard time with the altitude, so he made it only as far as Rock Creek Lodge. Stella and I rode up to where snow still covered the road. Scenery was spectacular, and since the season was early, there was little traffic on the road.
The ride down to Tom's Place was swift, and we stopped inside for drinks before continuing back on Lake Crowley Rd. The final 10 miles were a bit of an ordeal due to the required climb back to the condo, but we all got back in one piece and in time to make a civilized dinner, a hearty pasta feast.
Around the Condo, June, 1995 - Photos taken at the Seasons Four condo.
Mammoth Mountain, June 13, 1995 - This was to be a relaxing day, so we didn't do a ride or long hike. Chris Hull, Stella Hackell, and I rode the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain. Skiers were still enjoying the late-season snow while we enjoyed the views from the summit.
Mono Lake, June 13, 1995 - After our visit to the summit of Mammoth Mountain, Chris Hull, Stella Hackell, and I drove up to Mono Lake to visit the new Visitor's Center and to see the tufa towers at the south shore.
| Bike Ridden: | Bridgestone RB-T |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 27 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 2850 feet |
Tioga Pass, June 14, 1995 - Chris decided to leave a day early as he wasn't sleeping well at the altitude, so it was only Stella Hackell and I who set out to conquer Tioga Pass. The day started a bit breezy, but the sky was initially clear. As we climbed up Lee Vining Canyon it was clear the weather was changing fast. A harsh wind was blowing down the canyon, probably exceeding 60mph in gusts and at least 35mph. It made for a challenging climb. We got sandblasted as we rode through the rockslide section. By the time we got to Ellery Lake it was clear the weather wasn't going to improve as we approached the pass.
The ride down wasn't much easier. We were blown off the road a few times, so we had to keep our speed under 15mph just to stay in control. At the bottom we still weren't clear of the wind. I had parked the car several miles south on US-395 at the northern junction of the June Lake Loop. The idea was to get some warm-up before climbing the pass. What I didn't anticipate was that the wind on the return would be a 40mph gale blowing from the south. We could ride against it--in our lowest gears. By the time we reached the car we were glad we had not ridden from Mammoth! It was probably a good thing that Chris did not join us for this adventure.
Drive Home, June 15, 1995 - The drive home was an adventure. Tioga Pass was closed. This we knew ahead of time. What we didn't expect was a late-season storm, the last of the season, to blow through on the day we wanted to go home. We thought of driving south to CA178 and returning through Bakersfield. It would make for a long drive. In hindsight it probably would have been the best way to go.
We decided to gamble that the storm would be less severe in the Lake Tahoe region, so we drove north to CA89, over Monitor Pass and then over Carson Pass. This seemed like a good decision until we started descending the west side of Carson Pass. By the time we got to Kirkwood, snow was sticking to the road. We didn't have chains and hadn't seen any signs requiring them. Soon we started passing other autos stuck on the road or off the road. We even passed a couple of hapless bicyclists near the Kirkwood resort.
The key would be to keep moving at 25mph, not stop and get stuck, and hope the CHP didn't pull us over for not having chains. We noticed that the CHP were stopping cars going the other way without chains. We didn't want to get stuck for god-knows-how-many-hours in the storm.
It was touch and go at times. I almost lost traction at one point, but we made it off the high part of CA88 (which stays over 7000 ft for many miles before descending to the west).
We didn't take any photos until we got out of the snow. Stella took two photos as we entered the valley.
All web site content except where otherwise noted: ©2024 Bill Bushnell
Background texture courtesy of Iridia's Backgrounds.
Please send comments or questions to the .