Rain, sleet, riding in the clouds

Two days of clouds with sun breaks where the majestic Sierras have been sharing their beauty.  Stayed at Tom's Place last night near Independence.  Tom's Place was originally built in 1917 by a German man named Hans Lof.  It all started with a much needed gas station to fuel the traffic moving up from Southern California.  Lof built a cookhouse, added a store and corrals, then started packing people into the mountains for a wilderness getaway. In 1923, Thomas Jefferson Yerby and his wife, Hazel(stage actress, Jane Grey) purchased the business for $5,000 and Tom build the original Tom's Place Lodge in 1924.  People really started getting into the fishing here in the mid 20's, and there was a lot of traffic to Yosemite. The Lodge has not changed much since 1924.  No wi-fi, no TV, only fly fishing rods from the 20's on the wall.  Met some great folks in the bar.  Good food, great conversation.

Sierra Nevada is a Spanish term meaning "snow-covered mountain range".  Riding with the mountains on my left for two days, watching the light hit the jagged peaks, the wonder of how this mountain range formed continues to amaze me.  The Sierra runs 400 miles north-to-south, and is approximately 70 miles  across east-to-west.  More than 100 million years ago granite formed deep underground.  The range started to uplift 4 million years ago, and erosion by glaciers exposed the granite and formed the light-colored mountains and cliffs that make up the range.  The uplift caused a wide range of elevations and climates in the Sierra Nevada, which are reflected by the presence of five life zones.  I have experienced all those climates during the past two days.

Yesterday north on HWY 395 near Lone Pine I stopped at Manzanar.  The Manzanar National Historic Site was established to preserve the stories of the internment of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II and to serve as a reminder to this and future generations of the fragility of American civil liberties.  I remembered the story Ansel shared about making the photograph of Mt. Williamson during the days of the internment.  How seeing the morning light on Mt. Williamson had given the people hope for a new and better day.

Leaving Manzanar twenty-five miles of single lane twisties off of HWY 395 on HWY 168 led to the grove of Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains. The Bristlecone Pines are the oldest known trees on Earth. Many of the trees are over 4,000 years old.  At an elevation of over 10,000 feet some of these trees grow only 1/100th of an inch per year.

Back to the rain, sleet, riding in the clouds part.  This morning at Tom's Place the clouds were on the ground, light snow, heavy rain was falling.  Weather report was the same for the next two days.  Spent an hour getting the "foul weather" gear on and headed out.

Remember the saying....a good picture is worth a thousand words...ok...so much for the words.

By late afternoon the sun poked through the clouds as I crossed into Nevada.  Dry pavement never looked so good.

Kickstand down tonight in Gardnerville,NV.  Looking out the window of my motel room it is raining hard again....

be strong, be safe, Carlan


 

The king of the easy-riding chopper style.

For the 395 assignment I am running down the highway on a special HOG project bike.
Harley says..."The Wide Glide combines old school attitude with 103 cubic inches of V-Twin engine to rattle minivan windows."  Yea...I think I have been rattling a few windows.  Actually, got my heart to thumping nicely.

Out of the LA traffic.  Mile by mile the white noise in my head began to disappear.  By the afternoon I am in the zone.  Wind on my back, rolling on the throttle, feeling one with the road.

Into the Eastern Sierras

Pearsonville, Hubcap Capital of the World

Bleachers looking for a crowd

Keeler Beach Resort, Owens Lake

Television set waiting to tell a story 

Motorcycle art

Mt. Whitney hiding in the clouds

Kickstand down in Lone Pine tonight.  Cobwebs  gone.  Heart  thumping.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

Back on the road for Harley-Davidson and hooking up with old friends:

At the airport yesterday in Albuquerque I could already feel the wind on my face thinking about riding Highway 395 from Los Angeles to Canada.  Pouring very maps the past two months, planning the trip, getting the gear ready, packing my bags.  It was time to ride.

Arrived in LA, picked up the new Wide Glide HOG project bike, made a couple of very important stops before rolling on the throttle heading for HWY 395.

Had the opportunity to hook up with some very special friends.  Thanks Linda and Peg for opening up your home to a biker guy needing a good bed, making me the perfect tuna sandwich, and putting a big smile on my face.

Fifty years ago I hung out with three very special guys.  We were together from the  first grade in school  through high school  graduation.  After graduation we went different ways.  My assignment for Harley-Davidson brought us all back together after 50 years.

The four "motor heads".  JIm, Mike, Me, and Marty.  The '74 yellow convert belongs to Mike.  Good things never change.

After reuniting with special friends it was freeway madness across the LA Basin.  Made the turn onto Highway 395 near Hesperia.  Kickstand down tonight at Boron, CA.  Up the east side of the Sierra tomorrow.  Ridin' the "Forgotten HIghway".

Wind in my face, hooking up with old friends...it doesn't get any better.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

On the road:

Julesburg, CO. rest stop. Nancy and I just returned home after an inspiring week on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.  Shared the wonder of photography with the kids at the Red Cloud Indian School.  I have never had the opportunity to work with such incredible kids all the way from first grade to seniors.  BIG shout out and thanks to everyone at Red Cloud.

be strong, be safe, Carlan