Saturday, June 3rd – Day 34 – Wandering Retirees

From Minden, NV to Groveland, CA, outside of Yosemite National Park

We left Minden, NV this morning on the way to Groveland, CA, just outside Yosemite Park. As we loaded the bike, there was an antique car show just across the street in the town square. I am not an expert on cars, new or old. But I can read and there were Rolls and Dusenbergs, and a plethora of vintage cars, all shined up with proud owners close at hand. Among car lovers in the know, the level of lust was palpable. We enjoyed from a discreet distance.
On the way out, we also got a last look and some pics of the snow capped Sierras from the east. Then we rode up into them for a more intimate encounter on Rt 88 which took us through Carson Pass (alt. 8400 feet) and some slightly lower roads. At points the snow pack was still 10 feet high at roadside, and a number of lakes are still frozen even this late in the Spring. The sights and nice twisty roads made the trip over the summit a lot of fun.

Just over the California state line, everything suddenly became green. Seriously. From semi-arid to lush in about ½ a mile. Aspens, ponderosa pines, and loads of sprouting bushes and grass. Gorgeous. We stopped for lunch a little below Kirkwood, CA and feasted on a breakfast burritos at the newly opened cafe, “The Chatterbox.” We met another biker, Todd, who was riding back home to Cali from Phoenix with his new bike – retired Police bike with “police” emblazoned all over. He cheerfully announced he gets a lot of attention when he rides by. Wonder why.

We picked up Rt 49 which led us a merry chase up and down a number of mountain ridges with switch backs aplenty. The road signs cautioned we take the curves at about 20 MPH and rightly so. Very fun but we had to pay attention. Historically, Rt 49 was built to service the original 49ers (1849 gold rush) who mined the area for gold and silver. Silver was more common over the area we rode. Almost sorry we didn’t stop to stake a claim.

After a wild ride on RT. 120, we arrived in Groveland to a beautiful AirBnB complete with hot tub and all the accoutrements. Although we only rode about 160 miles, they were fairly intense and the stop is very welcome. Tomorrow we plan to visit Yosemite Valley and take a hike to Merced Grove which contains magnificent sequoias. We’ll be up with the dawn to beat the crowds who typically flood the park. So for now, good night and good luck.