We decided to get up early this morning before riding to Napa and cruise the 'loop' in the park passing by El Capitan and Half Dome. What a beautiful place Yosemite National Park is, and just so relaxing on the senses riding along at 25mph. It is easy to understand why it is one of the most popular parks in America and on the days we were there all the camp grounds within the park were fully booked. We stopped for breakfast and coffee at Yosemite Village and sat soaking up the smells of the pines and stunning views beyond the woodlands.
El Capitan admiring the view of our Hogs!
This is the Merced River than runs through the park. Can you spot the bikes just parked on the right which provides some sense of scale.
Our ride to Napa….in 104 degrees of dry heat. We needed a cold one, or few on arrival at our hotel!
Beautiful photos and video but the 104°F temperature should be enough to discourage anyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard. You're so right about the heat - I start to fall asleep which is never good on two wheels!
DeleteHey Jon, Happy Birthday, many happy returns and enjoy a glass (or bottle) or two in the Napa Valley!!! Sounds like a brilliant trip. Very impressed with the blog John.
ReplyDeleteThanks Martin glad you like it. I really enjoy posting on the blog too. Stay tuned.
DeleteThanks Martin, great birthday in a great place, lucky buy !!
DeleteHappy Birthday my old can of beans, your sis & I had a toast :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Mandy and Tony, great place for a birthday, 😄!
DeleteHi Guys … Another good read and nice photos.
ReplyDeleteHere are some travel considerations as you pass through Oregon. Don’t know if you have a deadline in Seattle but if you can avoid Oregon this weekend you’ll miss the predicted rain (mostly west of the Cascade Range). Suppose to be nice again on Tuesday and the rest of the week. Your original map shows you going up the east side of the Cascades. Not a bad choice. Lots better than I-5. Perhaps you have Crater Lake in mind. This “current condition” link shows the south rim is open and the historic lodge opens in mid-May so maybe you could book a room there. (see the left margin under lodging) http://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/current-conditions.htm If you can stay at the old lodge and enjoy a beer on their patio overlooking the surreal lake at sunset while swatting a couple of mosquitoes …. Man, ambience just doesn’t get much better than that.
It appears you plan to cut west off Hwy 97 toward Mt Hood. A consideration might be skirting the east side of MT Hood, intersect I-84 at the town of Hood River, and 33 westbound miles later take Exit 35 (sign will say Historic Route 30 in addition to Ainsworth State Park). This short section of the Historic Columbia River Hwy will lead you past several water falls, the major one being 627-foot “Multnomah Falls.” The old road is scenic and is kept in good repair. A highlight after passing the waterfalls is the Crown Point Observatory which offers a spectacular view of the Columbia River. It shown in the header on this site: http://www.columbiariverhighway.com/ Here’s a map of the old highway section with the waterfalls and observatory: http://www.columbiariverhighway.com/historic_columbia_river_highway.pdf The old highway closely parallels Interstate 84 and hooks back into it before you reach Portland.
Oh … and don’t forget about MT ST Helens while northbound through Washington. The 50 mile ride from I-5 up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory for an in-your-face-view of the blown mountain is scenic the whole way and well worth the time to go up and back. Consider getting a room at the Junction, which is Castle Rock, WA. The exhibit/museum at Johnson Ridge Observatory is outstanding. Though the Visitor Center next to the freeway is okay too (but has no view of the mountain), Johnston Ridge is much better. Info here: http://www.mountsthelens.com/visitorcenters.html
(I’ve ridden all these areas. If I can be of any assistance my email is grb5@msn.com )
Happy Trails
I have a problem. Your trip reports and photos have my bucket list overflowing. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteHi Canajun, it has been a challenge trying to decide what to see and what to miss, there is so many good places to go and roads to ride, impossible to do them all in one trip...........so maybe there could be more trips in the future !! May have to win the lottery first though !!
DeleteI am so glad you rode in Yosemite. What a fabulous place that is.
ReplyDeleteCastle Rock Lake - Over 17,000 Acres of Water Recreation. The Midwest's Best Kept Secret.Castle Rock Lake is Wisconsin’s 4th largest lake. It is located just 3 hours from Chicago and Minneapolis, 2 hours from Milwaukee, 1 hour from Madison, and 20-25 minutes from the Wisconsin Dells.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.castlerocklake.com/
very interesting to read about what the Blighty Boys discover. John and Jon have already made landfall in the States
ReplyDelete