Day 21: California

Kev Says:
Not even 30 minutes out of Tonopah we saw the Sierra Nevadas, still sprinkled with snow and in a dark blue haze far away. Soon after that we crossed the state line into California. At first the change was slight. Mostly, just a bunch more road signs informing you of things you can now be fined for. Seat belts, littering, not turning your lights on. All of them still heavily punctured by gunfire just like the signs in Nevada.

We took HWY 120 which is filled with a succession of dips so abrupt it feels more extreme then some roller coasters I've been on. On this stretch Willow had an anniversary. Her odometer hit 50,000. I know it's not exactly accurate, but it was neat to see. She had 38,100 when I got her.

We stopped at Mono Lake and learned the minimum amount possible about tufas and then continued into Yosemite. The drive through the park is beautiful, but I could not get over how busy it was. A huge line of SUVs, station wagons and RVs following each other single file like a high speed parade. We stopped a couple times to take pictures of the valley and gawk at rock climbing routes and also to check out bridal veill fall. By this time it was getting dark, we had no camping reservations to stay and it was still a long drive out of the park. We drove until eventually we found a small offshoot road where we thought no one could see the bikes and hung the hammocks just before all the light faded. Thankfully no bear encounters.

Trav Says:
Had a decent sleep in Tonopah, NV. Ate breakfast in a small casino, then set out toward California. Explored an abandoned motel/casino just north of Benton, CA which was interesting. Entered Yosemite park (for those of you who don't know, it's pronounced Yo-sim-ite), and made it to Yosemite valley around 5PM. What a wonderful place. Spent some time at Bridalveil Falls, and then ended up having a race against the sunset to find a camping spot. We drove maybe 30 mins west of the valley and eventually found a good place down a side road and onto a dirt path into the woods.

Lots and lots of cars on the roads in Yosemite. When I drive a car, I find I'm modestly impatient. I've really tried hard to avoid adopting any of my bad car driving habits while riding a motorcycle, but it can be a challenge. When I'm riding an amazing mountain road with wonderful turns and twists (like through Yosemite), I want nothing more than to drive at a good (safe) pace for a motorcycle. So when I'm stuck behind slow traffic, it feels like I'm being robbed of something. Thankfully, thinking back on the trip so far, I can't recall too many occurrences of this.

Since we're on the topic, I would like to say that I think Kevin is a safer rider than I am. He's more patient and drives more responsibly. Good job Kev.