Day 2 & 3

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DAY 2 Topaz Lake to Bishop

Random Photo at Sacramento airport where they had an innovative display.

Out of Topaz Lodge on seal we soon crossed back into California then 20kms later we were at Walker - (we had stayed there last year coming the other way), we turned left onto a route that one of the BDR planners had sent us to get to Denton where we would find the start of the Southern California BDR. This route was easy gravel roads albeit with some sandy surface. Stopping at Bodie which is now a gold & silver mining ghost town/tourist attraction which in it's heyday had a population of around 10,000. The town had 75 saloons, 2 breweries but managed through it's heyday with no church. $100 million (today's value) of gold was extracted during its boom period in the 1870s - 1880s. Leaving Bodie we climbed to 9100 feet before eventually dropping down beside Lake Mono on a good gravel trail. Interesting rock formations known as Tufa Towers protrude from the lake, makes an eerie sight. Apparently as the calcium comes in contact with carbonates in the lake, a chemical reaction occurs resulting in calcium carbonate--limestone. The calcium carbonate settles out of solution as a solid around the spring, and over the course of decades to centuries, a tufa tower will grow – (info thanks to Google) A very scenic ride including one down hill section where it wound through a single track narrow canyon with towering rock walls on either side. Nervous about the ambush risk we continued through this canyon onto flatter terrain with the spectacular Sierra Nevadas as a back drop. Onwards to Bishop stopping on the way to look at Petroglyphs. Ancient Indian rock paintings according to the BDR info sheet a worthwhile viewing? Checking into a slightly seedy motel – we ignored the quality & appreciated the price! Temperatures were by now in the 30s so we jumped into the motel pool to discover it must have a refrigeration unit connected. Refreshing to say the least. Around 300kms today & a good 1^st full day on the trail.

Day 3 Bishop to Lone Pine

Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, I late started at the motel & after a McDonald’s breakfast, cruised 30kms on the main road to the small town of Big Pine. The others tackled a steep track climb which was rated as experts only & all successfully negotiated this reaching 3100m & then headed to Big Pine where we met up for an early lunch. Leaving Big Pine we were soon on back country gravel roads, again with the magnificent back drop of the Sierra Nevadas. Heading through desert like areas we were soon on winding single tracks, rocky & occasionally soft sand to keep you on your toes. Warm temperatures & interesting trails where you needed to keep alert for sand & rocks, made an enjoyable ride. At one stage the trail had us riding a levee on the side of a dry man-made water system. This must have been for drainage as there were no crops in the surrounding area, just scrubby desert plants & we had crossed quite a few dry riverbeds which looked like they could be raging torrents after heavy rain. On the way through this area we visited Manzanar which was the site of a Japanese American internment camp during WW2. Spread over a huge area it was home to around 500 during this period. Most buildings are gone but there were a couple of rebuilt examples of accommodation blocks which looked spartan but reasonable accommodation.

The scenery here still had the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop but closer in there were huge piles of rocks that created an eerie landscape. Apparently this area has been used for many movies – probably westerns. Into Lone Pine after around 216kms (slightly less for me) – a good days riding.

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Comments

[Richard Vinsen]

Looks great riding

[Richard Vinsen]

Looks great riding