happy_rider
Well-known member
Almost four years ago, I spent a three-day weekend exploring a few Sierra passes and rather liked the experience. I had ridden Carson, Tioga, Sonora, Monitor, and Ebbetts passes and of those, Monitor and Ebbetts stuck as my favorites. On a separate occasion, I had ridden to Tahoe with a "small" detour through Yuba pass, which I absolutely loved. With a free, sunny weekend in perspective I decided to ride my three favorite passes and make a small report out of it. Lots of riding, not a lot of pictures for you, unfortunate reader!
Day 1: Bay area to Walker, CA, ~438 miles
Yuba pass is located at the north end of CA-49; I had previously accessed it through Auburn, CA and wanted to try something different: CA-20 from Yuba City and then Marysville Rd. Of course I missed a turn and ended up riding a good bit of La Porte Rd before turning back. : | Good fun, but not my favorite road. Had to backtrack to get some gas since 91 octane fuel is not available everywhere. Oh well. The whole point of the day is riding so I'm not going to complain.
I like Yuba pass for its scenery, and beautiful flowing curves. It's great fun and not too busy. A bit dirty on the lower (western) side so be careful out there. Fantastic riding. Saw quite a congregation of riders in Downieville; not quite sure what was going on.
Hwy 89 then connects to Truckee and Lake Tahoe, which was spectacular, as usual. The deep blue lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks is quite the sight, though I was sharing it with a lot of people on the road, as might be expected. :nchantr
A short jaunt on Hwy 395 brings me to CA-88 and CA-89; there was some sort of festival in Markleeville, which I was tempted to stop for, but decided against.
CA-89 then brings an opportunity to ride Monitor pass on my way to Walker. I was not alone in that a very large group of riders coming from Ebbetts was stopping at the junction, presumably waiting for everybody before continuing. This gave me the opportunity to squeeze by and be on my way behind a Harley (?) riding two-up at a respectable pace who kindly let me pass after a few turns. I have to say that overall other motorists have been kind in that regard; I always appreciate it and give :thumbup.
I then stop for the night at the West Walker Motel, which treated me very well 4 years ago and thus gets me back (it's a biker-friendly motel). When I mentioned my past trip the nice front desk lady even gave me a rebate on the room rate. Definitely a solid base to explore the area.
Stay tuned for episode two!
Day 1: Bay area to Walker, CA, ~438 miles
Yuba pass is located at the north end of CA-49; I had previously accessed it through Auburn, CA and wanted to try something different: CA-20 from Yuba City and then Marysville Rd. Of course I missed a turn and ended up riding a good bit of La Porte Rd before turning back. : | Good fun, but not my favorite road. Had to backtrack to get some gas since 91 octane fuel is not available everywhere. Oh well. The whole point of the day is riding so I'm not going to complain.
I like Yuba pass for its scenery, and beautiful flowing curves. It's great fun and not too busy. A bit dirty on the lower (western) side so be careful out there. Fantastic riding. Saw quite a congregation of riders in Downieville; not quite sure what was going on.
Hwy 89 then connects to Truckee and Lake Tahoe, which was spectacular, as usual. The deep blue lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks is quite the sight, though I was sharing it with a lot of people on the road, as might be expected. :nchantr
A short jaunt on Hwy 395 brings me to CA-88 and CA-89; there was some sort of festival in Markleeville, which I was tempted to stop for, but decided against.
CA-89 then brings an opportunity to ride Monitor pass on my way to Walker. I was not alone in that a very large group of riders coming from Ebbetts was stopping at the junction, presumably waiting for everybody before continuing. This gave me the opportunity to squeeze by and be on my way behind a Harley (?) riding two-up at a respectable pace who kindly let me pass after a few turns. I have to say that overall other motorists have been kind in that regard; I always appreciate it and give :thumbup.
I then stop for the night at the West Walker Motel, which treated me very well 4 years ago and thus gets me back (it's a biker-friendly motel). When I mentioned my past trip the nice front desk lady even gave me a rebate on the room rate. Definitely a solid base to explore the area.
Stay tuned for episode two!
