Waterfalls,Yosemite Valley, CA, USA

Yosemite Valley, CA, USA

Waterfalls, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA

As it was getting on in the day we started looking for a campsite (everything was full in Yosemite) on Evergreen Road just north of the park in a national forest, but along the way came across a couple of black bears crossing the road.

Ambling Bear, North of Yosemite, CA, USA

We drove a bit farther and found a ‘lodge’ and gratefully drank some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and had some fancy burgers.  After asking the waiter about places to sleep he told us that the fire road right around the corner would be fine for free camping. So in the dark and with the bears present in our minds we setup camp.  Camp for Mike wasn’t more than a sleeping bag because of an earlier misunderstanding between us meant that we only had my single-man tent.

The next morning, after breakfast we drove along the 108 through the forest toward the Sonora Pass that a biker yesterday had said was not to be missed.  Mike had to return to Hollister so at Strawberry, CA we went our separate ways.

Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA

The drive from Strawberry, CA to the pass was excellent tight twisty road over little hills along a river and then a steep climb up to about 9000 ft through the snow line.  There was some frozen snow-melt on the road and lots of gravel from the winter clearing which made for a few unpleasant surprises.

Snow bank, Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA-2

The snow is still quite deep up in the mountains but dissipated as the road wound sharply down out of the Sierra’s near the Nevada border.  The highway 395 towards Carson City, NV was a bit desolate and boring so I decided to head back into the mountains on the 89 towards Lake Tahoe, CA.

Nevada, USA Climbing towards Lake Tahoe, CA

The road then became more interesting again and curved along a river through scrub and pine with copper coloured hills and snowy mountain-tops along the sides.  I drove through sprawling South Lake Tahoe and then over another pass and along the flat 395 again to Reno, Nevada.  Reno seems pretty desolate and the difference in money/education is quite distinct from the plush California towns.

Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

Mike, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Waterfalls,Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Waterfalls,Yosemite Valley, CA, USA
Waterfalls,Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Mike, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Waterfalls,Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Yosemite Valley, CA, USA
Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Wateralls, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Leaving, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Leaving, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA
Leaving , Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA
, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Waterfalls, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Waterfalls, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Waterfalls, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA
Waterfalls, Yosemite Valley, CA, USA	Bear, North of Yosemite, CA, USA	Bear, North of Yosemite, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA
Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA
Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA
Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Sonora Pass, Hwy 108, CA, USA	Nevada, USA
Toward Lake Tahoe, CA, USA	Toward Lake Tahoe, CA, USA	Lake Tahoe, CA, USA	Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

Distance and Elevation Profile - Yosemite, CA to Reno, NV USA

Gilroy, CA to Reno, NV GPX

Situated beside Beverly Hills, between Sunset Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd, his apartment in ‘WEHO’ offers a fine vantage point to view the well manicured and in bloom gardens while pretty people in expensive cars zoom to and fro.  Seemingly carefree (and underemployed or not in need of employment) casually and fashionably dressed people, mostly younger men, stroll up and down Santa Monica Blvd. fiddling with their mobile phones or eating salads in the cafe’s that line the street gossiping about the passarela.

The weekends’ (at least in the summer) social activity centers around pool parties. On Jay’s suggestion we went to one in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Blvd on Saturday afternoon. Ostensibly a fundraiser, it was held at a money manager’s house with a fine view of the sprawling county of Los Angeles.  The white house perched on a hill, flanked by a canyon, opened on a pool deck crowded with the shirtless, buff and tanned bodies, vaguely swaying to the loud music.  While actual swimming wasn’t particularly popular, there was a swimsuit ‘fashion show’, and a bad singing performance that mixed a female singer making club music-like vocal wails counterbalanced by  faux-machismo rapping from her male counterpart.  Jay’s friend Brian entertained me with biting commentary about everyone that walked by – just about within earshot…

Pool Party

We finished the evening in Angelino fashion by driving across the vast urban expanse to Venice for tapas.  Jay noted the star of the Mad Men series at the bar next to us.  He like everyone else in the bar was glued to the televisions watching the basketball game.

Venice Beach

Regarding my bike, it arrived as promised at the Continental Airlines cargo terminal at LAX airport. I was given a stack of papers and we drove about 5 minutes to the US customs office. Despite an organized system of take-a-ticket and wait to be called (a relief after Central American border behaviour), and two ‘officers’, it still took 30 minutes to get from #32 to #35.  The bored, professional, Mexican customs agents waiting alongside seemed to be quite familiar with this game.  The border agents would disappear from the windows to their desks and not come back while every two minutes or so another one would walk by the windows and re-stack all the papers that were sitting on the desk.

This should only take 5 but takes 1 hour Paperless US Customs Document

When my number came up the agent was flummoxed by this novelty of a Canadian registered motorbike arriving in the US from Argentina.  It needed an Environmental Protection Agency waiver. I pointed out that I drive it into the US from Canada without such a waiver anytime I want. This did not compute.  So I was given forms that neither she nor I understood how to fill out correctly. I made up half of the information including the waiver number (which I did not have) and  this was all accepted. I happily picked up my bike and drove back to Hollywood.

Near Big Sur, Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA

I left Sunday morning for the drive to meet Mario, Mike, and Rick (the three KLR riders I had met in Guanajuato, MEX months ago) in Hollister, CA.  Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway is pleasant with good views of the ocean, beaches, and mountains – although crowded with slow drivers…

Lighthouse, Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA

Sun Setting, Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA

Jay at the Oompa Loompa Gate, Contienental Cargo, LAX, CA. USA	Bike at LAX,CA. USA	Jay Pool Party, Hollywood, CA, USA	Brian, Pool Party, Hollywood, CA, USA
Pool Party, Hollywood, CA, USA	Pool Party, Hollywood, CA, USA	This should only take 5 but takes 1 hour Paperless US Customs Document	Abott Kinney, Venice, LA, CA, USA
North of LA, California, USA	North of LA, California, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA
Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA
Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA	Pacific Coast Highway 1, CA, USA

Los Angeles to Gilroy, CA, USA GPX