Sequoia National Forest

[chef1366]

Took a couple of days off and rode up to Sequoia National Forest. It's only a two hour drive to get to the gateway of the forest. In Three Rivers CA we stayed in a cabin thanks to a place named The Gateway. They had great food and the cabin was located right on the Kaweah River. Our patio was right on the water and the flowing water was SO relaxing. The next day after lunch we headed into the mountains. Now you want twisties you've got em. When the sign said ten miles an hour you better go twenty or you WILL bite it. Once we got over six-thousand feet the snow was piled up a good three to four feet on each side of the road. It didn't really get cold till we hit about eight-thousand feet. By the way the bike runs like crud at that altitude! They had a one lane construction area that only let you pass once every hour each way so once we got through we decided to ride out the storm and go all the way through the forest. (Coming out around Fresno) Checked out the giant forest of sequoias and tried to get some pics. I forgot the digital camera so I was stuck with the cell phone camera which takes pretty crappy pics. You don't even want to know what I went through to get the pics uploaded to my computer without buying their software. First tried e-mailing them but then they really looked like crud. Oh well, back to the trip. After the giant forest there were some scary moments of what appeared to be ice from all the melting snow. Just did my best to avoid the wet spots. Once out of the mountains we rode through farm country till we hit RT99 and another two hour drive home. Bike ran great and me and the wife had a good time. Now I can't wait for the Yosemite getaway!


Bike at the cabin


Patio view

[chef1366]

[chef1366]

Me in front of a monster tree

[marvinsc]

Let Me Guess, When You Stay there they Don't just Let You "Pick a Tree" to Cut for Firewood!:shock:

[tomo]

Enjoyed looking at those piccies, brought back a few memories from a few years ago when me and my brother spent a few weeks in California. We flew in to LA, then visited friends in San Bernadino before driving up to Bridgeport. From there we crossed Tioga Pass into Yosemite, then sown to Fresno, over to the Sequoia National Park. Amazing place. We then went over to Monterey, before driving down the coast to San Diego, then over to Palm Springs before heading back to LA. You guys in California sure are lucky, some really fantastic places and scenery !. Some odd people too mind, always remember seeing some guy in the Mohave Desert, miles from anywhere, sat on a rock playing a saxaphone. No car or bike parked up nearby. And at a motel one evening, some guy wearing denims and a stetson, asked how the water in the pool was, before diving in fully clothed !. He kept saying, "well, they said ol Harvey would never make it, but here I am". Turned out there was a nuthouse a few miles away, so maybe he got out, who knows !. Only downside to the trip was being stuck in a car most of the time.

[mark]

I lived for a while in Modesto, CA and did the Yosemite thing once in a while on my old Seca 650. Never did the Sequoia thing though.

Nice pics, even on the cell phone.

[tkent02]

How about King's Canyon???

Kickass road.
Absolutely Kickass.

[chef1366]

Kickass road.
Absolutely Kickass.

Yeah, I've done those. The road was closed. Did you gas up at that old fashion gravity pump?

[ScottMc1100L]

Too bad about forgetting the camera:sad:, serious missed photo-ops. You'll have to go back!
Looks like a great time! I was looking over a Google map of the area...twisties, I guess! What kind of temperatures were you running in?

Thanks for sharing the story :-D .

[Bert Patterson]

Enjoyed looking at those piccies, brought back a few memories from a few years ago when me and my brother spent a few weeks in California. We flew in to LA, then visited friends in San Bernadino before driving up to Bridgeport.

Unfortunately, I had no bike with me at the time, but I spent a month once outside Bridgeport at a mountain warfare training camp. Just beautiful (after your body figured out how to get air). Spent a month “hiking,” rapelling, climbing, building rope bridges, one week in survival/evasion mode, it was actually a lot of fun and didn’t even seem like I was in the military.

Always wanted to go back there on a bike, but it's a long flat haul to get there.

[chef1366]

Too bad about forgetting the camera:sad:, serious missed photo-ops. You'll have to go back!
Looks like a great time! I was looking over a Google map of the area...twisties, I guess! What kind of temperatures were you running in?

Thanks for sharing the story :-D .

At the higher elevations it was around upper 30s to lower 40s. (a guess) I didn't even put a pair of gloves on. My wife said her legs went numb but she's an original CA girl and myself being from NE Ohio it didn't really bother me.

[airportcop]

Chef,

Thanks for the story and pics. They brought back fond memories for me. I was stationed in Lemoore, CA in the early to mid 80s and used to go to the Sequoias often. Beautiful place. Unfortunately didn't have a bike then and only occasionally rode friends rides. Last time I was up that way was in 88 or 89 while on a road trip for McDonnell Douglas to Edwards AFB. Three Rivers is an awesome place to stay.

[J_C]

Crap, howd I miss this thread?? Great post! Glad you had a great time. Even with the cell phone pics, your bike is lookin sharp!

[SqDancerLynn1]

I went up Tioga Pass to Yosemity on a early 70's 750K Honda It ran like crap too in the thin air 10K ft was a chore just trying to keep it up to 25 mph