eyesurgeon Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 I wanted to give my new cold weather riding gear (Firstgear TPG) a test drive so I chose some high Sierra riding for this mornings trip. This is a route I've done several times but never in November where the temps today touched 40 degrees. Something I normally would avoid given my thin California blood. This is Sequoia National Park. One of the great motorcycle rides in the state in my opinion. Even in the summer it's not that busy, but today I felt like Charton Heston in planet of the apes when he discovers he's the only human on the planet. I could have taken a nap on the double yellow. Being kind of a lone wolf rider (my wife's words), this is Nirvana to me. And I took some pictures to share with you guys. There was patchy fogg in the valley, which made for some picturesque vistas up high. Despite the relative chill, the roads were dry, with no snow, and I was completely comfortable in my gear. No need for electrics today. This whole park has gorgeous roads. Makes you want to ride, doesn't it? I've got a thing for bridges. This stone specimen is worth a photo. This shot is kind of little dragon-esque, don't you think? Don't hate me for living near here... OK, now the deer. Probably not what you were expecting since I had just stepped off my bike to take in the view and this big guy was staring me in the eye. I wasn't sure if he wanted a snack or wanted to gore me. Still, I'd rather see him on foot than at 80 MPH. And a vanity shot of my faithful GT... Total ride today was about 200 miles and I got home around 11:30 AM. Winter riding is great when you have the right gear. Oh, and you live in California . Link to comment
Bruce H Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 Nice! you are killing me, it's raining here however mid 50's, forcast is for wind gusts to 65mph. I thought about a ride but decided to work instead. I have some new under armour cold gear I want to try out. Link to comment
Whip Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 Very nice!!! Thanks Whip Link to comment
eddd Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 The deer is quite a poser. Nice shots, nice bike. Link to comment
Keith S Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 This shot is kind of little dragon-esque, don't you think? Excellent shot! Well done Keith Link to comment
Highway41 Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 That is a great looking shot; like the Smokies on steroids. Also liked the buck close-up. Sequoia NP is definitely on the To Do list. Bill Link to comment
GS_George Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Nice pics Rodney, thanks for sharing. Link to comment
Sailorlite Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Which of the TPG jackets do you have? Does it seem like a cold weather only jacket, or more of a 4 season jacket? Link to comment
eyesurgeon Posted November 18, 2007 Author Share Posted November 18, 2007 Which of the TPG jackets do you have? Does it seem like a cold weather only jacket, or more of a 4 season jacket? I have the TPG base layer (basically underwear), the Rainier coat, and the escape pants. The coat and pants have removable liners and vents. They are higher quality than any Firstgear stuff I have seen and I am very impressed. I have never considered Firstgear worth owning before seeing this stuff. The material is soft and not stiff like most of their stuff, and the design and attention to detail is excellent. This from a guy that buys mostly BMW gear. I came very close to buying the BMW streetguard2 gear but it was so expensive and in my opinion not as well suited for my needs as the TPG gear. I believe a 3/4 length jacket is more suited to cold weather than the streetguard2's half length jacket. I would call it a 3 season suit here in California. I would expect this to be my gear from as cold as it gets here to about 80 degrees. The rest of the time I will wear my BMW airflow3 suit. It could be a 4 season suit in climates where it gets cold to not much hotter than 80. Beyond that you will want mesh IMO. Oh, the elusive 4 season suit... Link to comment
ESokoloff Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Have you ever gone up to Mineral King on the bike? Link to comment
eyesurgeon Posted November 18, 2007 Author Share Posted November 18, 2007 No I haven't. Sounds like I should. What's the road like? Pavement OK? Link to comment
dhanson Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 I don't hate you for living that close to those areas, NOT! Really pretty! I just got in from a short ride in the flat lands of Louisiana, temps 68, ha. Link to comment
ESokoloff Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 It's a fairly tight narrow & twisty asphalt road that has well groomed gravel sections near the end. It's said that you should allow 1.5 hrs to travel it but my buddy & I are (still) here to prove it can be traversed much faster than that. It's been several years since I've been on it & I was an inactive rider at the time so I did not view it from a riders stand point. Not sure how it would be on a bike hence my inquiring. If you do travel it, watch for opposing traffic. If you take it at night at least you can see approaching headlights. My buddy & I have gone in many times at night to head out the next (or in some cases the same) day for a backpacking trip. This area certainly is a treasure Link to comment
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