Day 25-Talk is Cheap

Lee Vining, CA through Yosemite National Park
Distance: 75.44 miles
Time: 4:47:54
Max Speed: 43.4 mph
Average Speed: 15.7 mph

I suppose it is a good thing there was so much hype about Tioga Pass, because we were all expecting much worse than the climb turned out to be. It was a 12 mile climb from the bottom to top, about 6-8% grade for the majority of the way. About 3/4 of the way to the top, we rode by Ellery Lake, which was a beautiful, crystal clear mountain lake. It was so pristine. After the lake, the road flattened out considerably and I was able to hold 20 mph for a good stretch. In total, it took me about 1:45 to make it to the top. I was certainly expecting it to be much worse, but it was actually quite an enjoyable climb, and the scenery was gorgeous.

From the summit of Tioga Pass at 9,943 ft. we descended into Yosemite National Park. It was a beautiful, winding, fast road, some of the most fun I have ever had on a bike. We all rode as a large group, smiling from ear to ear and having the time of our lives as we entered the park as if it were our own, flying a around 35-40 mph the majority of the time. The scenery was gorgeous, the road smooth, fast, and curvy. I am not sure we could have asked for much more.

I have never been to Yosemite or not that I remember at least, but it is a beautiful park. I feel so lucky to have gone to both Yosemite and Zion on this trip. I only wish I had time to explore the park and hike around, particularly the trail up to Half Dome, which looks incredible. But, riding the trail up Half Dome, which looks incredible. But, riding a bicycle through the park was quite an experience in itself. This trip has made me want a motorcycle so bad so I can do trips like this again, only without having to pedal from place to place, especially through places like Nevada. So, Yosemite will be placed alongside Zion on the list of places to visit on a motorcycle.

The rest of the ride was awesome, despite the fact that it was the most climbing we have done in a single day yet. There were several long climbs, followed by long, curvy descents where it was possible to pass cars as we could take corners faster than them. On one of the last descent in the park, Oleg and I were riding together, holding 40+ mph for a good 5 miles or so at least. We were behind a pack of motorcycles and about halfway though the descent we caught up to the motorcycles. I pulled up next to one of the motorcyclists and he gave us a very confused/surprised/shocked look. It was awesome.
I forgot to mention that we changed our course slightly. We realized that going through Mammoth Lakes was out of our way, so instead of riding to Mammoth Lakes yesterday, we rode to Lee Vining. We were scheduled to have a rest day in Mammoth Lakes as well, but we are goin g to add a second rest day in San Francisco instead, which should be awesome and will allow us to both take care of business and have fun. Also, instead of camping in Yosemite, we are camping west of Yosemite to cut some mileage off tomorrow's ride to Manteca. Ryan found us a nice, small campground of no more than probably 12 sites and we are the only people here. We will also be able to have our first campfire of the trip tonight, which is very exciting.

As I said, tomorrow we head to Manteca, California, and the next day we will arrive in San Francisco! And, I am driving tomorrow, so I will be on fresh legs going into San Francisco. I cannot believe we are almost to the West Coast, and we made it from the heart of Texas on our bicycles! That is still awesome to me!

Peace and Love,
Manteca Miguelito