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Fall colors in sierras - Hurry!!

I spent Sunday and Monday in Yosemite. Tuesday to Friday between Bishop and Monitor Pass. Still some good color, however many trees are now stripped. If the incoming storm has wind most of the color will be gone. We did come back Hwy 88 to check Hope Valley, it is over there.

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Dang, kinda figured I'd waited too long. Oh well, as long as I can enjoy a crisp fall ride up there before the passes close I'll be happy enough.
 
A little bit of white on the ground last night walking the dog.

22 degrees this morning.

Frost and lingering snow dust.

Tomorrow warms back up.

Any foliage that was clinging to summer got the message loud and clear with the cold last nightPXL_20261013_151933018.MP.jpg
 
It was nippy in tahoe yesterday morning. I almost put on long pants... almost.
 
Good on you for sticking with the short pants

Winter shorts are definitely a thing here.

You'll see kids standing out in the morning at the bus stop in a snowstorm wearing Parkas, hats, gloves...... and shorts.

One of the managers at Park and rec is notorious for having exposed knees and calves no matter the weather. Not sure if he owns pants
 
This IS a thing in Az, too.
When the snow flies, media will show, travelers in full Az, attire, T-shirt, shorts, & flaps, standing in swirling snow.
Excitedly spun up, for the experience, oblivious to the temps, and winter in general, , ,
 
bikeama said:
I spent Sunday and Monday in Yosemite. Tuesday to Friday between Bishop and Monitor Pass. Still some good color, however many trees are now stripped. If the incoming storm has wind most of the color will be gone. We did come back Hwy 88 to check Hope Valley, it is over there.

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I appreciate your adventurous spirit.
 
Just got back from a sac to mammoth lakes to bishop and through Yosemite on the way back. Very fun and my longest ride on the ninja 1000. June lake, hot creek, Bristlecone Forest (very fun road and the bmw’s went on the dirt road while I sat on the paved road), mammoth lake lookout, bakery, coopertop bbq, mahogany’s…..
 

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Top of Oak Creek Canyon, Vista View, found a spot way off from the normal paved viewing spots,
sitting on a rock in the sun, view straight down valley, just starting to turn, up on top.
and, weather blowing straight in,
One young scrub Oak, showing what it learned last year, , ,
all 8" of it.

Weather report warning of tornados in Az next couple of days.
Local news bragging about storm chasers now in Az. our dramatic weather, trending, , ,
 

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Provincial_sweater09 said:
Well, some - the watch reports have hints of fall starting already. I didn’t want to miss out on colors at the highest elevations. Then there is also the impending “once-in-century” El Niño. So both these reasons were a perfect excuse to plan a ride this very weekend. I Did not have luxury of staying the night which meant a day ride.

A 6:30 AM start from the Livermore - bright and early!


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After highway slab through Central Valley (and sun in the eyes all the way through) it was a quick stop to top off our bellies and the bikes in Angles Camp.
After mid week highs, it was pleasant weekend to be outside - so not surprisingly saw tons of riders and relatively light but steady car traffic that thinned out after Arnold and Lake Alpine
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The single lane Ebbetts pass with its broken pavement (hidden well under dappled morning sunlight) was interesting- with tons of blind corners, occasional giant pickup floating across the imaginary center line and frequent hairpin bends, I could never get into a rhythm of any sorts. Although the fresh alpine air and beautiful views made up for it :)

Next up was the Monitor Pass - second time in as many months - feels like it is maintained solely for the pleasure of motorcyclists - no real car traffic to speak of, a butter smooth pavement, nicely engineered curves and awe inspiring vistas. Here is where we did see leaves turning! Took an obligatory photo break while patting ourselves on the back for riding out today!

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16 miles of fun (like last time,) was over far too soon and we were in Walker.

Debating between the burger and barbecue, took a gamble with Mountain View BBQ since the smoker outside hinted at good stuff inside. Instead though, the fatty brisket and okay-ish ribs and meh sides were underwhelming. That the meat was smothered with BBQ sauce didn’t help either. Only the corn bread got honorable mention but I strongly suspect was store bought and not made in house.
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Anyway we washed it down with some cold beer and were off to Sonora!

And boy oh boy, it did not disappoint! Those imposing granite walls quickly closed in and gave way to pristine pavement bound by the alpine forest. With a perfect mix of technical and sweeping turns it is pure motorcycling heaven. Few RVs that we encountered were kind enough to move over which i liked.

I was in love with Monitor pass before but now, Sonora is right next to it (or an inch above)

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After coming down from the mountains, an obligatory slog (with the sun again in my eyes all the way) through the Central Valley in the weekend traffic and was back home at 6:30 pm.

All in all the ride was little over 12 hours and 430 miles - a long day for sure but the pure bliss in the Sierras made it worth it.

Speaking of which, I am thinking either 2-day trip as a loop in Quincy-La Porte-Oroville-49 (stay the night in Quincy), or for a 2.5 day trip stringing together Redbluff->CA-36-> Avenue of Giants (CA-258) -> 101 -> Bay Area.

Do veterans here have any suggestions?
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Beautiful photos! Makes me want to take a ride :)
 
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