Sierra Route - Day 1

Leave the motel at 8:30AM sharp. Get on US 50 heading east. Exit to take CA49 south. Up over the hill leaving Placerville. South to Diamond Springs where there is a light and a right turn. On through El Dorado where there is a stop sign and a left turn. Detail 1 photo follows:



Continue south through Plymouth to the junction with CA16. Turn left onto CA49 and continue on through Drytown. This map and the next make it appear that we go through Amador City and Sutter Creek but, unfortunately, CA49 now bypasses both. Just follow the signs for CA49:



Continue south on CA49 (bypassing Sutter Creek) and into Martell. In Martell, you go through the first stop light (at Ridge Road) and continue until you come to a stoplight and the junction with CA88. CA49 goes left with 88 at this point so turn left: The road shortly swings to the right and downhill into the town of Jackson.



Stay on CA49 south, continuing past the junction where 88 turns off in Jackson. Continue on through Mokelumne Hill, San Andreas and into Angels Camp.
Continue on CA49 through Angel's Camp, Tuttletown and on into Sonora. On main street in Sonora, you will come to a stoplight where CA49 turns to the right. Turn right and continue on CA49. After a couple of miles, on the edge of Sonora, CA49 joins CA108. You will be turning right at this point. Go through Jamestown. Just west of Jamestown, CA49 turns south (left) again:



Continue south on CA49 through Chinese Camp to the junction with CA120. There is a stop sign at this point. Turn left onto CA120/49. Watch out here; traffic coming from both directions will be traveling at warp speed. Continue on south on CA120/49 until you see Lake Don Pedro on your left. There is a vista point along here where we will be stopping for our Monday morning photo of bikes and people. If you are the first to arrive, please pull in and wait. If you aren't you should see the gathering on your left.

After this photo op/butt break, we will be continuing on CA120. CA49 turns off at Moccasin but we will continue left, staying on CA120. Up the hill through a marvelous 5 mile highly twisty section of road:



We will continue on CA120 through Big Oak Flat, through Groveland and on into Yosemite. If you do NOT have a national parks pass, they will sock you about $10 at the entrance to Yosemite. After clearing the entrance to Yosemite, continue on through Yosemite to Crane Flat. At this point, CA120 turns left toward Tioga Pass and Lee Vining and US395. Immediately after turning left onto CA120, we will turn right into the gas station and fill our bike's tanks. Perhaps drain other tanks as well:



We will enjoy a leisurely pace through Yosemite due to the 45 mile per speed limit. 50 to 55 is OK but you have to watch out for Park Rangers; they patrol this road fairly heavily. Our next stop will be at Olmsted Point for a view of Half Dome from "the other side". This is looking toward the SW and the normal view of Half Dome is looking straight east from Valley View or ENE from Glacier Point.

After we leave Olmsted Point, we will ride past a beautiful little lake (Tenaya) and out of Yosemite right at the top of the pass; that is, the eastern gate to Yosemite is the top of Tioga Pass at 9945 feet. Then we will drop down a little over 3000 feet over the next 12 miles to the junction with US395, Lee Vining and the Whoa Nellie Deli, our lunch stop:

Just before reaching the junction there is a gas station on the right called Tioga Gas Mart. In the store that is attached to the gas station is the Whoa Nellie Deli. It is run by Matt Toomey, a 4 star chef who moved his operation from the upscale ski resort of Mammoth Lakes to this location. Ever eat 4 star food in a gas station? You will here... Try the lobster tacquitos or the buffalo meatloaf. They are to die for:



After lunch, we will turn north on US395, go through Lee Vining and head north. Past Mono Lake. Past the turn off to Bodie, largest ghost town in the country and a fascinating place, through Bridgeport, past Sonora Junction, through Walker Canyon and then the town of Walker, past a couple more even littler towns to the junction with CA89. Here we will turn left (west) and head up over Monitor Pass. From this point to the junction with CA4 on the other side of the mountain has been proclaimed the best motorcycle road in northern California by the authors of Destination Highways. You be the judge. It IS VERY good.

After crossing over Monitor Pass, you will come to a stop sign and the junction with CA4. Markleeville, our next gas stop is to the right. Turn right, cruise a few miles into the tiny town of Markleeville with its one gas pump. Don't worry, if you get impatient, there is another gas pump a few miles ahead. Place called Sierra Pines, I think. It's on the left just before we reach Woodfords.

When we reach Woodfords, there will be a stop sign at the junction with CA88. Turn left there and head for Carson Pass on CA88.
All of the last three turns and the gas stop mentioned above are included in the next map: Onto 395, onto 89, Markleeville, onto 88:



We have now left Woodfords and are heading west on CA88/89. A few miles ahead, we lose CA89 as it turns off toward Lake Tahoe. We do NOT turn but continue straight for Carson Pass on CA88. We climb over Carson Pass, head past a beautiful little lake called Caples, past Kirkwood ski resort, past Silver Lake to the junction with Mormon Emigrant Trail. We turn right onto Mormon Emigrant Trail:



We continue on Mormon Emigrant Trail (note the lack of traffic on this lovely road). It is a forest service road open only in the non-snowy months of the year.
About 29 miles down the road, we come to lovely Jenkinson Lake and a stop sign at County Road E16. We turn right here and head back out to US50. We cross under the freeway and take a left onto the west bound ramp to US50. Continue on through Placerville to Cameron Park. Exit at Cameron Park drive, left under the freeway and right at the light on Coach Lane. Continue on to the motel.




End of Day 1.