In the Clouds of Heaven and in the Vault of the Firmament ...

[two wheel tramp]

You're making my throttle hand itch, john. Time to load up the KTM and head out! Great photos.

btw, I picked up a klr 650 for work duty in the city. I'll post some pictures one of these days.

Leo

I've been trying to talk you into a ride for a while now. :x

 

[SFMCjohn]

I've been trying to talk you into a ride for a while now. :x

Be nice to think that there was some riding, campfires and hot-springs
in the near future! :ride arty

 

[SFMCjohn]

Looking back the way I'd come, I saw a small convoy of
4x4 jeeps, that had probably been down at the Montague
Mining Hut when I rode past ... they are headed away and down
toward the spot I'd just taken those tip-over pics ...
was happy to see by how little they missed my yard-sale ... :laughing
This would be as close as I'd be to people for the next couple of days ... arty

Near the summit ...

Almost there ... looking south toward Mt Wheeler ... :ride

 

[Saltwater]

You go to some really cool places John, im envious. Where do you find places like this if you dont mind me asking? I have an assortment of backcountry location books when I use to do a lot of four wheeling and I woundnt mind adding another to the collection. Excellent pictures by the way.:thumbup

 

[flying_hun]

Thanks for another of your great RR's, John. :thumbup

 

[SFMCjohn]

You go to some really cool places John, im envious. Where do you find places like this if you dont mind me asking? I have an assortment of backcountry location books when I use to do a lot of four wheeling and I woundnt mind adding another to the collection. Excellent pictures by the way.:thumbup

This picture looks like a painting.

Hey Saltwater,

I was remembering your kind comment last week, on this pic from
the ride report I did a year ago ... :thumbup

I lived in New Jersey until I was 30 and was as much
of a motorcycle guy as you can be on the east coast, where we had winter ...

Thought I'd died and gone to motorcycle heaven when I moved to
San Francisco ... :laughing

Anyway, saw a pic someone posted of a KLR on top of Mt Patterson on
ADV Rider in 2008 ... and that blew my mind, being from back east ... :teeth

So it's been neat pics on the Web and ride reports, ride reports by motorcyclists like
WoodsChick, Nemo Brinker, Hades Omega and Larry Boy
(and many others) and then a bit of research with AAA maps and the $10 national forest maps ... tourist maps ...
I get
lost
a
lot ... :laughing

Heard of the 4x4 books, but don't own any ... will have to try to
find some to look at ... :ride

I imagine there may be a better way ... Took me eight years
and many attempts before I found my way to the summit ...
sure was fun, though ...
thanks for reading and posting!
see you around the campfire, arty
-- SFMCjohn

 

[SFMCjohn]

Thanks for another of your great RR's, John. :thumbup

Hey Kurt,

Thanks for reading! :thumbup

Enjoyed your recent blog post ...
Had to get over my belief that I couldn't ride in
sand, and my belief that I shouldn't be
dropping my dual-sport bikes ... :laughing

see you around the campfire, :ride
-- John A

 

[Leo_jb]

Hey Leo,

Would love to see pics of the KLR! :ride
Did you get one just to help off-set the KTM's
service intervals?
Have not forgotten about Reiff/Rayhouse/Buck Island, just simply have
not been back out there this year ... will have to
see about the fire damage, I suppose ... :|

see you all around the campfire!
-- SFMCjohn

Ok, don't mean to hijack your thread, John, but since you asked...



2008 with 18k miles. Not sure you know this but I do home inspections in SF. The traffic has gotten so horrible in the last few years that I decided to leave my 4runner at home and use a bike for my inspections. But, I couldn't bear using my 990 to schlep my ladder and equipment around. What to do?? Of course, a KLR! I found a bike on Craigslist, bought a cheap ($150) Tusk rack and fabricated a prototype ladder carrier from wood. I plan to eventually remake it in aluminum, but if it lasts, who knows? Givi topcase rounds out the luggage. Now, I get to smile while riding to inspections instead of swearing in my car.

Regarding the KTM vs KLR? Let's just say I have a lot more respect for you and others who take a KLR offroad.

 

[SFMCjohn]

Ok, don't mean to hijack your thread, John, but since you asked...



2008 with 18k miles. Not sure you know this but I do home inspections in SF. The traffic has gotten so horrible in the last few years that I decided to leave my 4runner at home and use a bike for my inspections. But, I couldn't bear using my 990 to schlep my ladder and equipment around. What to do?? Of course, a KLR! I found a bike on Craigslist, bought a cheap ($150) Tusk rack and fabricated a prototype ladder carrier from wood. I plan to eventually remake it in aluminum, but if it lasts, who knows? Givi topcase rounds out the luggage. Now, I get to smile while riding to inspections instead of swearing in my car.

Regarding the KTM vs KLR? Let's just say I have a lot more respect for you and others who take a KLR offroad.

Haha, that's brilliant! :thumbup
Nice bike ... I know those ladders weigh a bunch ...
it will be interesting to see how long your prototype holds up ...

KTMs are cool, I've always "wanted" the 950 SE ...
deep in my heart, though, I hear my mother's voice ...
"You'd just hurt yourself on that!" :laughing

 

[SFMCjohn]

The top ...

The wind was blowing ... the moon was up and almost full ...

A KLR on the summit of Mt Patterson ... looking north ...
Decided it would be nice enough to camp out for the night here ...

 

[Saltwater]

Getting lost really is a fun way to have an adventure, lots of good stories were made this way. Thanks for the ideas, I'm going to start looking around and get something in the works. :thumbup

 

[SFMCjohn]

Getting lost really is a fun way to have an adventure, lots of good stories were made this way. Thanks for the ideas, I'm going to start looking around and get something in the works. :thumbup

Yes, it's fun to be feeling lost, and then come across some
place you've seen in a ride report! :thumbup

 

[SFMCjohn]

Sunset ...

And sunrise from the summit ... For you BARF rally types going to the
2015 BARF Rydther Rally soon, the sun is rising
over Hawthorne and Walker Lake which are behind Mt Grant and Lucky Boy Pass
in the pic, and you can just make out the Elbow and the Walker River if you know where to look ...

Some weather Wednesday morning ...

I'd been drinking coco and
reading a book in the moonlight when I looked up and
saw a fox about sixteen feet from me ... at 11,600 he
seemed as suprised to see me as I was to see him! :laughing

Obligatory wildflower pics ... :ride

Lots of flowers from the summer thunder showers in Nevada this season ...

The old stone miner's hut at the Montague Mine ... I had enough
sense to unload the bike before exploring down the mine
road, I had quite a time riding back up and out ... arty

 

[SFMCjohn]

Tavertine and Buckeye Hot Springs ...

Soon enough, I was safely off the mountain and off to
Buckeye Hot Springs, which I had to myself ...

There are little stone pools under the overhang that collect
the hot water that courses over the rock into the other
side of the creek in this pic ... you can actually get out of the hot
sun a bit under the overhang in some of the pools, and there
were candles on some of the ledges for soaking in the evening ...

I got a $10 Inyo NF map from the National Forest Ranger Station in
Bridgeport that includes Cerro Gordo and Coyote Flats for my next
KLR trip, and checked out Tavertine Hot Springs, which
had a bunch of people, not enough shade, and no cold mountain
stream, so I took a chance on Buckeye ... had a nice soak and cold
plunge ...

There is an old fire tower location up above Hell's Half Acre Road
I like to camp at, so I did ... :ride

As I was setting up camp, a bow-hunter rolled through on a quad, and
we chatted about his free Red Sox cap, how he'd grown up in that
county all his life and had a cabin close by, where the road went (gated),
and the lack of deer up there this season (good news, and indeed I'd not
seen any deer this trip) ...

My campfire ...

Sunrise from the same camp spot ...

It was back to Lower Haight later that day, through triple digit heat,
via Orange Blossom, River Road, and Corral Hollow ...
Timed it just right for rush hour on Wednesday evening ... :laughing

 

[1962siia]

I camped at buckeye two weekends ago with my kid. What a nice spot! The official campground was closed due to fire when we were there and it was pretty smokey but still great to soak in those pools.

 

[SFMCjohn]

Looks like it's time ... Let's ride! :laughing

Here's a link to the digitized translation of Buile Suibhne, J.G. O'Keeffe's
1913 translation of Sweeney Astray:
https://archive.org/details/builesuibhnethef12okee

And a quick summary of the epic poem on Wikipedia:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buile_Shuibhne

One of the things done at this time of year is to visit the little
Day of the Dead/geoCache style cigar-tin memorials that've been placed
in the Sierras for my younger brother and sister ...

Rita Anne's memorial survived the winter nicely up by
the Bennett Juniper ... no one seemed to have seen it,
or at least no one left a note ... I wrote a note using the pencil
and note card paper that are part of the memorial, joining the note left when it was placed last fall ...

Mark's memorial was placed in 2013 and has survived two
winters and a small fire at a crossroads in a redwood grove
above Hell's Half Acre Road ...

It needed a tune up, so I took it home and discovered this
note from Carlos, who'd found the little box and taken the time to
find a dry piece of paper to leave a note ... Viva Carlos! arty
We'll give Mark a rehab, and probably replace him up near
Rita Anne ...

Here's a link to my pal Ryan's blog, he was up on
Mt Patterson a couple of weeks ago, he takes good
pics and has a map posted, and his "KLR"
tag at the bottom is worth checking out:
https://hyryz.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/eastern-sierras-ride-august-2015/

 

[Norcalslowpoke]

John

Just wanted to thank you for taking us along and sharing.

I can just feel a bit of breeze, hear the crunch of the rocks from riding/walking near the mine, and smell a wisp of a camp fire.

Maybe see you on the Norcal TT.

Cheers

 

[SFMCjohn]

I camped at buckeye two weekends ago with my kid. What a nice spot! The official campground was closed due to fire when we were there and it was pretty smokey but still great to soak in those pools.

Hey 1962siia88,

I've always wanted to try camping at Buckeye ... some nice spots
up by the road on the south side and maybe down by the creek?

Mt. Patterson's summit's only about 30 miles from Buckeye! :ride

see you around the campfire,
-- SFMCjohn

 

[SFMCjohn]

John

Just wanted to thank you for taking us along and sharing.

I can just feel a bit of breeze, hear the crunch of the rocks from riding/walking near the mine, and smell a wisp of a camp fire.

Maybe see you on the Norcal TT.

Cheers

Hey Scott,

Thanks for reading and posting! :thumbup

We'll see about the NorCal TT, it has been a couple of years
since I made it ... hope you are well, and see you soon, :ride

-- John A.

 

[boney]

I love your ride reports John. So awesome. :thumbup