Sorry to leave Richelle and “La Casita,” as we call our little house, but ready to get on the road, I get out early enough. It’s a restart of the trip, a full nine days on the bike.
Today’s Route:
- 210 out of Montrose-La Crescenta to the gas station on 2. The station is engulfed in a swarm of big sport bikes, angry bees seeking pollen for the ride up Angeles Crest, one of the legendary driving roads in America.
- Up 2 to 3NE through the San Gabriel Mountain Range to Palmdale. I am followed by, and get out of the way of, a stunning Ford GT, its exhaust crackling in the tunnels. I’m pretty slow and he heads off.
3. 140 out of the mountains into the windy desert. Some buffeting but even through Mojave the heat is not bad. I stop for gas and the Harley riders at the station complain, their bikes creaking under their loads of possessions. The Steed has not burned a drop of oil from Colorado.
4. 140 turns into 395, and I pull into Bishop. The gas station is grimy, but the clientele is now all young and lean, shaped by rock climbing and mountain biking. I’m way ahead of schedule. Amy, from LA but now on the pump one over and headed to Tahoe, tells me that Lee Vining is a speck of nothing on the map.
4. Out of Bishop the road changes dramatically. We gain elevation and lose temperature. It’s alpine now, twisting and turning beneath the Sierra Nevadas. Lee Vining comes up quickly, a charmer of a strip.
5. I’m early to check in and Patricia sends me away for an hour. I eat the lunch special at Nicely’s (followed by pie!), and decide I must have a jade encrusted Ram’s skull and a set of bracelets for Richelle and Helen, but the chain on my wallet doesn’t loosen up. I leave empty handed.
6. I check in at EL Mono Da Latte, the cutest Motel possible. Separate entrance with a shared bathroom, $100. Can’t beat Lee Vining.
Now it is time to grade.
LA to Lee Vining, 324 Miles.
Onwards! 