Kings Canyon 2006

It's not hard to get up early on a weekend I'm riding and camping. Unfortunately, I have to get a little work done first, but I manage to get on the road a little after 7 am. Most of the group going to Kings Canyon have found alternate riding partners and routes. The only one I'm aware of who is as depraved as I am is Ted and he is meeting me in La Cañada. Still, I feel compelled to stop by the first meeting point in San Juan Capistrano just in case someone was waiting but forgot to let me know. There are no bikes parked out front of Dietrich's, so I roll at 7:30.

Getting across town is relatively painless as traffic is unusually light. I arrive at the Shell Station on Angeles Forest at 8:45. I check the bike over and wait for Ted. We had planned on departing at 9:30, so I have plenty of time. In the meantime, a young rider with the strangest earrings I've ever seen arrives on a Yamaha R6. We exchange greetings. He asks if I do very much touring on my Beemer. I point to my odometer (which reads in excess of 78k miles) and he nods. Of course, he has no idea how old the bike is. For all he knows, the Beemer could be older than him. I omit the part that the bike is just slightly over four years old. He then asks where I have ridden. I unfold my AAA California map and tell him that I've only ridden the orange roads. Of course, on the southern section of the map is nearly entirely orange. The northern section is about half orange. I ask him if he went to Laguna Seca. He replies "no". I'm sensing this young lad on his R6 has probably not left the county yet.

Ted arrives, we exchange greetings and we are away at 9:25. We start our adventure on Angeles Crest Highway before turning onto Angeles Forest Highway to Highway 14. As it turns out, Highway 14 will be the only divided road we will be on the entire day. Before we reach Lancaster, we catch up to three of our future campmates, Tom Dave and Stephanie. We ride at the rear for a few miles before we (okay, I) realize our preferred pace is a little quicker than theirs. Not long after we pass, Dave catches up to us to let Ted know that one of his panniers is unlatched. We pull over to the shoulder to correct the problem. I suspect it was a ruse to keep us from passing. That would be the last time we see them until the campsite.

We continue north on Highway 14, including a rather "brisk" segment through Red Rock Canyon, until we reach the turnoff to Walker Canyon (Highway 178). This route has become my preference when going in/through Kernville. I've ridden Caliente/Bodfish so many times, it was getting old. On this weekend, it turns out this choice was particularly advantageous in that Caliente/Bodfish was closed or at least interrupted due to construction. Hopefully the county is filling potholes.

With the exception of encountering an excessive number of 18 wheelers, Walker Pass was a wonderful ride. We take the cutoff at Weldon and arrive in Kernville just in time for lunch. We have a leisurely lunch and get gas. Our stop is an hour, but we are not in a hurry to get anywhere. We continue north following the Kern River on Mountain Road 99 to Johnsonville then on Mountain Road 50 to Springville. There's a section where a road crew is repaving and there is some residual gravel. This beckons more patience than I had planned on consuming. Fortunately, this condition doesn't last long and we are once again massaging our clutch plates. We turn right onto Yokohl Valley Drive (CR-107). This road has deteriorated over the years and it's unlikely to get attention anytime soon since it's mostly used by ranchers. What a shame. It's such a nice road with tight twisties.

We emerge near Visalia and pick up Highway 198 to Sequoia National Park. On the way, we stop in Three Rivers to top off the gas tanks because gas is infrequent in the parks. We enter the park, pay our fee and work our way through the tourists on the tight, winding road. The road opens up shortly near Giant Forest Lodge and we arrive in camp around 5:30. Both Ted and I expected everyone else to be in camp before us but, to our amazement, we were the first to arrive. Of course, my first thought is either my directions were flawed or someone had a problem on the road. As Ted made a fire for dinner, I walked to Stony Creek Lodge a quarter mile up the road and used the payphone to check messages. There were no messages, so I can only guess that either they were lost or took their time getting to camp. I called Nancy to let her know we had arrived safely. While at the lodge, I seized the opportunity and took a (four dollar) shower.

By the time I returned to the campsite, everyone else had arrived. As it turned out, both groups (Tom, Stephanie and Dave in one with Ralf, Ed and Claudia in the other) took long stops along the way. Tom, Stephanie and Dave took essentially the same route we did, but were a little geographically challenged south of Lake Isabella. Most of us had dinner at the campsite. We were up pretty late (for BMW riders) reliving the day. We didn't hit the sleeping bags until 11 pm.

Friday's Route

We rose to the celebration that no bears had invaded nor destroyed our campsite. We all agreed that it was colder the night before than we expected. It was probably in the low to mid 40s. Tom had his griddle going making pancakes. I brewed Starbuck's. Our plan was to ride to the next lodge (Montecito) for breakfast after those who didn't shower the night before took the opportunity to do so. The first problem with this plan is that the showers were not open until after 9 am. Not wanting to wait that long, the group agreed to leave for breakfast. The second problem with the plan is that, unfortunately, we arrived at the Montecito Lodge at 9:30 and they had stopped serving breakfast at 9 am. We ride into Grant Grove and have breakfast consisting of an overpriced buffet, served by a rude waitress who automatically adds an 18% gratuity to our bills.


The group at General Grant Tree		The group at our campsite

Wow! That's a big tree!	Morning Coffee		The twisties in Kings Canyon
photo by Tom Hooper	photo by Ralf Tuchman		photo by Tom Hooper
click on image for larger version

After breakfast, we visit General Grant Tree as we all strain our necks checking out some of the world's largest trees. We then take a nice ride to Cedar Grove, enjoying the view of Kings Canyon. On the way back, our original plan was to visit Sherman Tree, but, due to the time of the day, I decide to stop at the campsite to give us all a chance to relax a few moments. We soon debate where we are going to have dinner and, considering that there aren't many choices in the area, decide to cook in camp. Showers and relaxation trump the trip to Sherman Tree and we enjoy the rest of the evening relaxing in camp.

Ralf is the first one up and is the first one packed. I set the alarm so that I can make coffee a little earlier today. Even so, I am the last one to be packed up, with the exception of Ed and Claudia who are leaving later. Tom is gone before we know it. Ralf, Dave and Stephanie are off to Tioga Pass. Ted and I depart at 8:30 taking the North exit. We follow General's Highway (180) towards Fresno until we reach Highway 245. This is a very narrow road with pretty tight twisties. There is also some debris in the road and, with the morning shadows, is difficult for me to see. Adding to this is the fact that I'm a little tired from having two nights of light sleep which has translated to a little more difficulty in holding a desired line than I normally have. I decide that today is not the day for aggressive riding and I sit back, relax and enjoy the road and scenery. Ted and I arrive in Visalia, find a nice cafe and have breakfast. Ted decides he would like to take the quicker route home, Highway 65 to Hwy 58, to Hwy 14. I decide to take Sherman Pass. We ride together until we reach Porterville where I turn off at Highway 190.

Not long after I'm on Highway 190, I stop to soak my sweatshirt. It's going to be a warm day and there is no reason to suffer through it. Taking Highway 190 has allowed me, once reaching Springville, to backtrack our Friday's route with the exception of Yokohl Valley Drive for which I have no regrets. The route is cleaner than it was on Friday and traffic is still very light. I stop at the turnoff to Sherman Pass to experiment with my GPS. Preferring paper maps, I only plan to use it in emergencies and at night, but I need to ensure I know how to work it when I do need it. After a bit of fumbling with the PDA's Bluetooth connection, I decide I need more time in the manual. I fill my Camelback and begin my exploration of Sherman Pass.

While the view and the route are spectacular, the condition of the road takes away the majority of the pleasure. There are so many potholes even the nimble Beemer can't miss them all. There are also several sections of sand on the road. I find one section that I just cannot miss and find the fully loaded RT with neither tire touching asphalt. I let the handlebars float (like I learned in dirt bike school) and feel like I'm riding a GS. Unfortunately, the sand I encounter is in a curve and I am riding towards the edge of the road beyond which is only blue sky. Fortunately, there is just enough pavement between the sand and the Edge of the World for me to test the incredible braking system this bike has and I remain in full control without leaving the pavement. I do take note that my pulse rate is probably higher than my tire temperature.

By the time I reach Kennedy Meadows and then 9 Mile Canyon (puleese, don't ask me how long it is), it's hot again, but I don't want to stop to take off my now bone-dry sweatshirt since Pearsonville is not far away. I get gas and have a sandwich in Pearsonville. I call Nancy to let her know that I'm running later than I had expected and it should take me another 3-1/2 hours to get home. I depart at 4:30.

It's Highway 395 for quite some time. Hot. Straight. Weekend traffic starts backing up before I reach Adelanto and continues through the Cajon Pass. I stop at the intersection of I-15 and Highway 138 to give Nancy a progress report. The traffic on I-15 varies between 0 and 15 mph. There's a reason I ride with City Lids on my panniers and this is it. I lane share until the I-15/I-215 split where traffic eases considerably. Soon, the traffic is back up to full speed and I arrive in the driveway at 7:45. Eight hours to go the first 247 miles and three hours, forty five minutes to go the last 197 miles.

Return Route