First Annual Trip - Ride to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and back.

Saturday and Sunday, Oct 14-15, 2006

Redwood City, Ca. This event was the first ride planned and sponsored by i-Bike, but we didn't have any clear idea how it would turn out. We just knew it was going to be an adventure, and and experiment.

We met Saturday morning at 8:30 with plans to assemble and leave by 9 am. Fifteen people, eleven bikes, one car.And we had quite a mix: a Harley dresser, a Kawasaki custom chopper, several sport bikes, a cruiser and your host Brian and Biker Babe Shelly (she left her Ninja 650 at home) on The ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Motorcycle).

 It was cool and overcast as we headed out, crossed the Dumbarton Bridge to take Hwy 680 north. We took old Hwy 84 to Livermore, but the road  was under some kind of construction and subject to detours, so we weren't disappointed to get back on the slab again until Tracy, where we planned to meet Dorothy on her Aprilia, and have breakfast.

Brian, Shelly & ICBM. Reading the Daily Specials board at the Orchard Restaurant

We managed to get a table for 14 at the Orchard Restaurant. The food was great and the service was friendly but everyone was eager to get on the road.

Simon tries to get his jacket closed after breakfast.

Simon, Dorothy, Pascal and Ken.

Heading east out of Tracy, we managed to escape into dairy and farmland just outside of town. Turning south, we continued until meeting Hwy 132, which is a nice lazy country highway that follows the Tuolomne river to Turlock Lake. We took the loop along Merced Falls Road, but I never saw the falls. Come to think of it, I didn't see the lake either.

Angelee and Tahir take a break and rearrange their gear.

We returned to Hwy 132, and followed it to Coultervlle, where we planned to have lunch. Everyone was still full from breakfast, so we decided to skip lunch and continue on to the next gas stop. It gave Dorothy, Simon and Raphael a chance to count their lucky stars, as the CHP that did a one-eighty turn to fall in behind them lost interest after a few miles and did another about-face before going after more deserving offenders. 

Rest stop outside Coulterville

Dorothy and Shelly sharing secrets.

Coulterville connects to Jamestown via Hwy 49, but this stretch was one of the more tame regions, so the travel time was short. We pulled into Jamestown about 4 pm ready for gas, and almost ready to change into warmer clothes.

Speaking of clothes, I debated what gear to wear on this trip. We'd just gotten in a set of beautiful Cortech leathers, and I was eager to give them a try.  I chose instead a new Cortech HRD summer jacket. You can read my comments here.

From Jamestown, we rode east on Hwy 108, rising up another 5,000 feet to cross the summit Near Sonora Peak, via Sonora Pass (elev 9624 ft) .Up that high, it was cold, but my heated jacket liner kept me warm as always. The western slopes of the Sierras rise somewhat gently. The eastern slope is steep and treacherous, where one second of inattention can mean disaster. There were beautiful sights around every corner, but unfortunately, no safe place to pull over and park. Or take good pictures.

The eastern slopes of the Sierras

You can't be too well prepared.

More Eastern Sierras

Everyone made it in to Bridgeport by 7 pm, and by 8 pm we were all seated in the dining room at the Bridgeport Inn, enjoying dinner and conversation.

Bruce, Dotress, Lee and yours truly look on as Jerry (out of picture) attempts to levitate the centerpiece.

Next morning we awoke to a beautiful, clear, cold (frosty) sunlit morning.

Bruce looking forward to an early start. Sorry.

Simon with his beautiful new 2006 CB1000RR.

After breakfast, Ken attempt to remote start his Ubermotorad, only to find he'd let all the elves in the engine room take the morning off. The motorcycle men held a quick conference to consider the options. In spite of Pascal offering up the most complete tool kit I've ever seen, it didn't help, and after an hour,  the bike still hadn't moved under it's own power.

Ken channels Bavarian spirits in effort to wake up Artie.

Jerry thinks pointing all his lights at Ken will help charge Ken's dead battery.

Elsie had a better idea, and offered her car for artificial resuscitation.

It took Dorothy, one of the other smart girls in the group to say "Why not just roll it down that hill over there and jump start it?". Which Ken did, and it did.

Why didn't we think of that?

We were rev'd up and ready to pull out, when Raphael decided to see how the underside of his bike works.

Lee watches as Raphael tries to discover how his sidestand works. Dotress offers a prayer.

Around 11 am, we finally got underway and headed south towards Lee Vining, and Hwy 120, Tioga Pass Road.

Eastern approach to Tioga Pass

Tuolumne Meadows

Jerry, Ken, Dotress, Bruce and Raphael rest near one of the high lakes.

Dorothy and Simon contemplate the probabilities of two Aprilias ...

Raphael's Alien Chopper hiding among the other bikes

Elsie demonstrates Alpine Yodeling, near Tioga Pass Summit.

After continuing down the westard slopes of the Sierras, we met up with everybody except Brian and Shelly, who kept going,  near the west entrance to Yosemite Park. After enjoying a great lunch at the cafe at Buckhorn Flat, we broke up into smaller groups and headed home. Most made it back about 8 pm. I had a great time. I hope everyone else did too.