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Tahoe for lunch; Another short ride tale


skinny_tom (aka boney)

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skinny_tom (aka boney)

Not content with last week's blisteringly hot and "short" ride to Yosemite for lunch, Lars and I find ourselves wrapped up in another ambitious day of motorcycles, food, scenery and heat.

 

While we live relatively close to each other, our schedules don't match too well, so one of us was coming from work again. The meeting place? Starbucks of course, but this time in Cordelia Junction. Before you get all "starbuck poser!" on me, I'll just say that I can do without the place, but Lars thinks they make a great cup of coffee. Besides, they're a convenient meeting place since there is one just about everywhere.

 

Along for the first half of today's ride, Jim on an R100GS Bumble bee.

 

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We set out across Highway 12 for the foothills. On the last ride we had the opportunity to scout out a few new roads, but the plans which I had made mistakenly thinking we were all playing the same game, were scuttled before we even set out. Changing it up doesn't allow for a mental note of the geography and roads, hampering my ability to adjust the route based on what I remember as being "interesting."

 

Nope. All for naught. We droned across the Sacramento Valley on Hwy 12, stuck behind slow trucks and cars on the two-lane blacktop with 2 (yes 2) passing lanes in more than 40 miles. And for at least another 25-30 more, we wound around the Sierra Foothills under the same opressive traffic.

 

No pictures. I just wanted to get it over with.

 

Then, we managed to enjoy Hwy 88 up and over Carson Pass. It's great up there and between reminiscing about last year's hike, when I had abandoned the KTM and walked out of the forest, and this year's elation to be free of slow cars and amongst the sweepers, I failed again to take pictures. But hey, I'm no Marty Hill- I've already taken 1 picture, and that's 100% record in my book.

 

On our way over Luther Pass and into Meyers we got stuck in traffic. There's a lot of American Recovery Act money being spent up there this year. Erosion Control are the new buzzwords, right up there with Construction Zone, and Flagger Ahead.

 

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Arriving in South Lake Tahoe around noon we head over to the Brewery for lunch. Jim says the place is great, and my Pulled Pork sandwich is fantastic. They even put the slaw on the sandwich like they did for me in Pittsburgh.

 

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Jim's plan is to cut it off here and play in Tahoe for the rest of the day, while Lars and I are going to head back to the bay. But instead of getting stuck in traffic again on 89 headed back toward Markleeville, the decision is made to haul over Kingsbury Grade and come up from the east to set up the return ride down Hwy 4.

 

We couldn't be so lucky:

 

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Yeah, that's the same picture as earlier. It's pretty much the same view so there's no point in taking another.

 

Jim follows us for the loop then takes 89 back to South Tahoe. I thought he was a glutton for punishment for riding with us, but I really shows his colors by getting back into that construction zone.

 

Up and over Ebbetts Pass Lars and I go. As the air thins, the snow thickens. Near the pass at Mosquito Lake, a stop was made to take in the scenery.

 

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July 7, 2011. The lake is still 50% frozen.

 

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Water still pours out from under the drifts.

 

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And if I brought my cross-country skis, I could still get a long, long way without any problems.

 

Another scenery check:

 

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Last week, the excruciating heat reminded us that we forgot to pack swim shorts.

 

This week, the fresh run-off filling Lake Alpine reminded us that we aren't the men we think we are. My first mistake was checking the temperature of the water before changing into my shorts. On second thought, it wasn't a mistake... 5 minutes calf deep took me past the pain and almost to numbness. My feet stayed cold for a long time.

 

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Seriously though, it looks tempting...

 

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It's already 5:30 and there's some miles to get under the wheels. Off we go, charging the 50 miles of downhill corners into the heat, at the bottom of which we top off the tanks, top off the stomachs and point the front wheels into the sun. Opting for the 4-laner detour that's 22 miles longer but 5 minutes shorter than Hwy 12, we arrive back in the temperate Bay Area around sun down.

 

The GPS tells all:

 

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Danny caddyshack Noonan

Nice ride Boney!

 

For you and everyone else, South Upper Truckee Rd will take you around some of the 89 construction. But, only some. The higher construction is just a prostate exam no matter what.

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Marty Hill

Tom, nice tale and pics. I did take 1 pic in the past 2.5 weeks riding from seattle to san francisco. Can't remember what got me to stop. I now carry 2 cameras that I don't use. :dopeslap:

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