2022 Pashnit Touring on a Hayabusa
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Highway 108 - Sonora Pass | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Sonora Pass across the Sierra Nevada Mountain, California Motorcycle Ride
www.pashnit.com
The elevation drops quickly, and we're in the Eastern Sierra
I'm not hard to find if you ever make it out this way.
2023 Pashnit Tour Dates
Feb 17, 2023 - EL DORADO
Mar 10, 2023 - DEATH VALLEY
Mar 24, 2023 - SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS
Apr 14, 2023 - CHINA PEAK
Apr 28, 2023 - PARKFIELD
May 05, 2023 - SEQUOIA
May 26, 2023 - RACE TOUR
Jun 09, 2023 - SIERRA NEVADA
Jul 14, 2023 - COAST RANGE
Aug 04, 2023 - THE PACIFIC
Aug 18, 2023 - CLASSIC NORCAL
Sep 08, 2023 - SOUTHERN SIERRA
Sep 22, 2023 - MYSTERY TOUR
Oct 06, 2023 - YOSEMITE VALLEY
Oct 20, 2023 - CENTRAL COAST
Nov 03, 2023 - MARIN
Someone who was interested in these motorcycle tours once asked me how long do we ride before we stop and take a break. They had recently done a group ride, and the lead rider never stopped. He said they rode hours before anybody pulled over to take a break. We rode right past all these cool things I wanted to check, he said. We don’t do that, I replied. Not only that, but we’re here to check out stuff. Explore. You see that mountain over there, I motioned to a distant mountain peak barely visible in the haze 60 miles away. We’re going up there. Where I was gesturing towards just happened to be the highest paved road in California, well technically one of the highest by a few feet but who’s counting. I only know of two or three places to ride paved roads in CA over 10,000 feet. That’s where we're going. Let’s go see what’s up there.
The fellas giving me the stink eye. Let's ride.
We based from Mammoth on this ride, the town of Mammoth Lakes is at an elevation of 7800 ft, so we're sitting atop a mountain. They can get crazy amounts of snow here.
This 2023 winter, they've already gotten 30 feet of snow.
This pic is from a few days ago at the local Wendy's in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
But I digress...
Everything you do in the Eastern Sierra is based on one road - Highway 395. This road connects the Mexican border with the Canadian border & runs up the edge of the California-Nevada border and also through eastern Oregon & Washington. Sometimes it's four lanes, sometimes two.
However, we're bikers, the goal is to get off the main highway as much as possible.
This is the original road before the route was bypassed. No one is ever on the sideroads.
www.pashnit.com
The fellas giving me the stink eye. Let's ride.
We based from Mammoth on this ride, the town of Mammoth Lakes is at an elevation of 7800 ft, so we're sitting atop a mountain. They can get crazy amounts of snow here.
This 2023 winter, they've already gotten 30 feet of snow.
This pic is from a few days ago at the local Wendy's in Mammoth Lakes, CA.
But I digress...
Everything you do in the Eastern Sierra is based on one road - Highway 395. This road connects the Mexican border with the Canadian border & runs up the edge of the California-Nevada border and also through eastern Oregon & Washington. Sometimes it's four lanes, sometimes two.
However, we're bikers, the goal is to get off the main highway as much as possible.
This is the original road before the route was bypassed. No one is ever on the sideroads.
Lower Rock Creek Rd, Inyo County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Inyo County Motorcycle Roads, Eastern Sierra Nevada
www.pashnit.com
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Lower Rock Creek Rd, Inyo County | California Motorcycle Roads | Pashnit
Ride Inyo County Motorcycle Roads, Eastern Sierra Nevada
www.pashnit.com
Original wagon ruts in the ground are still there.
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Lower Rock Creek Rd ends near an old Tungsten Mine. It's just up a dead end road I've got to go check out someday. The mine is still there but long-since abandoned.
Just up the road also is the tiny company town of Rovana built for the mine employees.
Rovana was built in 1947 when the US Vanadium corporation acquired the Foreman Ranch near the base of Pine Creek Canyon and built a company town to house those who worked at the nearby Union Carbide mine. By the early 1950s, 135 homes had been built, all on streets that were the names of states matching the letters of Vanadium. Virginia, Arizona, Nevada, Alabama, Dakota, Idaho, Utah and Montana round out the street names. The town name comes from "Ro" for Round Valley and "vana" for US Vanadium.
Pine Creek Rd is paved for 10 miles to the abandoned Tungsten mine at the base of the Sierra Range at the 8000 ft level. The Union Carbide Tungsten Mine began operation in 1937 and operated through 1990. Tungsten is a heavy metal used to make things harder, it is super dense and almost impossible to melt.
Tungsten is used in hardening drill bits, munitions and heavily used in light bulb filaments since its melting point is well above 6000 degrees.
The Union Carbide Tungsten mine was known as an upside down mine. Tunnels at the base of the Sierra Nevada went 2-1/2 miles straight level into the mountain range and then extended upwards. Elevators lifted the miners up 2700 feet, into the center of the mountain, then dropping the ore down, rather than tunneling down into the earth like most gold mines in the Sierra Foothill Mother Lode regions.
Ore was then dropped into open vertical shafts over 1400 feet high where the rock tumbled down a hole deeper than the Empire State Building is tall. The ore was then processed to extract the tungsten, which resembles a white sugary substance when refined.
Tungsten is one of the heaviest elements: A 4-inch block of the metal, which can easily fit in the palm of your hand, weighs 41 pounds.
A 14x14 inch cube of Tungsten was recently sold for $250,000.
That 14"x14" cube of Tungsten weighs 2000 lbs.
Just up the road also is the tiny company town of Rovana built for the mine employees.
Rovana was built in 1947 when the US Vanadium corporation acquired the Foreman Ranch near the base of Pine Creek Canyon and built a company town to house those who worked at the nearby Union Carbide mine. By the early 1950s, 135 homes had been built, all on streets that were the names of states matching the letters of Vanadium. Virginia, Arizona, Nevada, Alabama, Dakota, Idaho, Utah and Montana round out the street names. The town name comes from "Ro" for Round Valley and "vana" for US Vanadium.
Pine Creek Rd is paved for 10 miles to the abandoned Tungsten mine at the base of the Sierra Range at the 8000 ft level. The Union Carbide Tungsten Mine began operation in 1937 and operated through 1990. Tungsten is a heavy metal used to make things harder, it is super dense and almost impossible to melt.
Tungsten is used in hardening drill bits, munitions and heavily used in light bulb filaments since its melting point is well above 6000 degrees.
The Union Carbide Tungsten mine was known as an upside down mine. Tunnels at the base of the Sierra Nevada went 2-1/2 miles straight level into the mountain range and then extended upwards. Elevators lifted the miners up 2700 feet, into the center of the mountain, then dropping the ore down, rather than tunneling down into the earth like most gold mines in the Sierra Foothill Mother Lode regions.
Ore was then dropped into open vertical shafts over 1400 feet high where the rock tumbled down a hole deeper than the Empire State Building is tall. The ore was then processed to extract the tungsten, which resembles a white sugary substance when refined.
Tungsten is one of the heaviest elements: A 4-inch block of the metal, which can easily fit in the palm of your hand, weighs 41 pounds.
A 14x14 inch cube of Tungsten was recently sold for $250,000.
That 14"x14" cube of Tungsten weighs 2000 lbs.
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One of the highlights of the Eastern Sierra - that can't miss place is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest at 10,000 feet atop the White Mountains. This is the highest paved road in California that we can ride to.
The trees up here are 4000 years old, the oldest living (non-clonal) things on earth.
A detour up Highway 168 is how you get there.
Everyone has Clearwater Lights on their bikes - they are super bright.
The trees up here are 4000 years old, the oldest living (non-clonal) things on earth.
A detour up Highway 168 is how you get there.
Everyone has Clearwater Lights on their bikes - they are super bright.
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The viewpoint is 9300 ft. The view of the Sierra Nevada Range is spectacular from this elevation.
www.pashnit.com
In the distance, the town of Bishop is 1 mile in elevation below us.
Didja bring your picnic lunch? You should have.
White Mountain Rd - Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest | CA Motorcycle Roads
Ride Inyo Count Motorcycle Roads, White Mountain Range
www.pashnit.com
In the distance, the town of Bishop is 1 mile in elevation below us.
Didja bring your picnic lunch? You should have.
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