I awoke at a decent time for once, and busied myself with packing. And repacking. The new compression sack was wonderful, and I was downright giddy about it. Unfortunately, the resulting cylinder, while smaller than my dry bag, was too oddly-shaped to fit inside it. Boo! Eventually I gave up and left the dry bag with Ramsey. I’d need to find another way to keep my clothes dry. He suggested that I seek out a waterproof duffel bag from a military surplus store, and thus I gained a quest for the day.
Yosemite! (Oct 24th)
October 24, 2012 at 11:47 pm (Livin' on a DR650)
Ramsey decided to give us a guided tour of his park. Awesome! We piled in the car, and after a brief side trip to some local thrift stores, we were underway. It was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the scenery as a passenger, free from the frustrations of the road, but I’ll admit that a part of me missed it too. We pulled up to the gate, and it turns out that my annual pass is valid regardless of what vehicle I’m in, so we all got in for free! Score!
First up was another stop by Tunnel View. It was a bit overcast, but I feel that it adds to the scenery. There were far fewer tourists than usual, perhaps frightened off by the recent bad weather. A new dusting of snow covered the mountaintops.
A Dog Covered in Bees (Oct 23rd)
October 23, 2012 at 10:59 pm (Livin' on a DR650)
The skies were overcast, but it did not seem too likely to rain, so we decided to go on a day trip to a nearby forest called the Nelder Grove to enjoy a nice walk. Feeling sorry for lonely Pepper, trapped outside and in the hallway the previous day, we decided to take him with us. He could probably use the exercise anyways.
It was paved most of the way there, but there were some gentle dirt roads near the end. Pepper was SO EXCITED to be out of the house! I didn’t know an older border collie could pull that hard! We decided to just let him off the leash, and he busied himself with sniffing and urinating on all the forest had to offer. Luckily, he never strayed too far. At one point he dove right into an ice-cold creek for a drink.
Tioga Pass and Oakhurst (Oct 21-22)
October 22, 2012 at 9:02 pm (Livin' on a DR650)
After a breakfast of granola bars and kettle chips, I set out to begin my day’s journey. The scenery was fantastic, and it was nice to get a good look at it. I’d missed a lot, riding this way in the dark. Owens Valley is nestled in between two sets of mountains. I found it interesting that people seemed to be farming near the foot of this one. In the desert, it must be a unique challenge.
Truckee to Bishop (Oct 19-20)
October 20, 2012 at 10:47 am (Livin' on a DR650)
I awoke late, but it was still chilly. I decided to build a fire with the all-you-can-burn buffet someone had left behind. Thanks, mystery person! This was a rare treat! Camping for free, I usually don’t have a fire ring, and with the dry summer weather, no fire ring means no fires.
