Perfect fall weather, and a ride through Yosemite National Park. While the other guys, including Mike your regular webmaster, were off riding Sonora Pass, some for the second time this year, Dick and I thought we'd enjoy a leisurely 94 mile ride through a postcard, stopping for lunch, and breathing the clean mountain air. I'd never been along Tioga Road. I've wanted to see it since I first visited Yosemite, and saw all those signs pointing out how closed it is in the winter.

Seeing the scenery by bike seemed like a reasonable thing to do to us, but when we told the innkeeper that we were planning to ride our bikes in the park, he started telling us about the amenities of Yosemite Valley and the 12 miles of bike paths there. When we pointed to Tioga Road (Hwy. 120) on his map, he said we should have no problem finding food and water at Tuolumne Meadows, but I think he was a bit skeptical that we were really going to ride our bikes clear across the park and back, even after we assured him that we were giving ourselves the whole day to do it. Even the official Yosemite guide describes Tioga Road as a scenic 45 mile "drive." Surely, other people have read about this ride from our website by now?

Ready to leave the Yosemite Riverside Inn, about halfway between the town of Groveland and the park's entrance.	Dick leads the way, stylin' in his Chain Reaction jersey. It really is a lot like a postcard, isn't it?
As you climb a bit farther, you can see the leaves changing color, lit from behind. The fall light catches sparkling granite in the road. It takes a while to adjust from urban riding habits and realize that it's not glass. The road also has some large pits you don't want to ride over. Are they caused by falling rocks? Can't be the freeze-thaw cycle, because it stays cold up here. It can't be from the snowplows because they close the road in the winter. Good thing nothing's closed yet, because we're sure looking forward to lunch. The road curves gently and the views are wide open, exactly the kind of thing that makes you look forward to a high-speed descent. You get a preview of the descents to come on the way up. Or is it that you get flashbacks of the climb on the way down? In any case, it's not a relentless climb up to the top. You get some variety along with the fresh air.
This reminded me of "The Window," a particularly steep part of that other ride. If I mention Sonora Pass enough times, this might just pass for a page written by Mike. (Not even! --Mike--)	What's that in the distance? The Great Dome of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? No, just Half Dome from an angle I've never seen before.
We see a couple of other cyclists out, stopping to take pictures, and we stop so Dick can take mine. We weren't sure how far these other cyclists were going, but we saw them approaching the ranger's station up on top just after we left.
Dick approaches Tenaya Lake. A lot of people and vehicles stop along here to admire the views. Nice to know that we must be approaching campsites and facilities up in Tuolumne Meadows.	Finally we reach Tuolumne Meadows, ready for lunch. This water, next to the Campground Reservations Office, was all that was still open, and the ranger said it was being turned off this week. The shop where we had hoped to buy lunch was closed.
The view from the top, as the park ranger sees it all day.	Dick in front of the sign that proves how high we've climbed and how far we've gone.
It's always wise to bring enough bars and gels to get through the whole ride just in case the shop you were counting on is closed. They're kind of disappointing when you're looking forward to a sandwich and some coffee. We had no idea how to do a better job verifying what would be open for next time. Oh? That high-speed descent? Would you believe all the pictures turned out blurry? Or is it just very strict enforcement of Chain Reaction policy that forbids showing more descending than climbing? I'll never tell! --Brian

Last updated 05/06/05