200 miles in the High Sierra...lotsa pics!

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Had the riding bug bad and gave in yesterday for a 200 mile jaunt through a treasure trove of the local scenery. I am an "Outrider" at heart. I like the solo runs throught the High Sierra around my home in Georgetown, CA.

I saw all of this and more (didn't want to bore anyone with too many pics) in the course of this 'little' ride. Here are some representative photos of the highlites...

The first shots are from a secret spot just off Icehouse Rd. I can see the road from here, but the road can't see me! I can also see the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada, which forms the western rim of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The prominant pointy peak to the right is Pyramid Peak, which towers just above Hwy 50 near Echo Summit.

The Corona truck is heading north away from hwy 50. I'll buy lunch for the first person to correctly locate this secret spot!

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That's the American River and Hwy 50, looking easterly from Icehouse Rd. The last shot above is the gas pump at Icehouse Resort. You might want to fill up down the hill somewhere. Only the left side of the pump has a hose. Guess that's why the other side is cheaper

Moving right along over Echo Summit, I reached my second secret photo spot to capture these views of the south Tahoe Basin. The poor quality pano of the cabin resulted from improper camera technique

You can just make out the casinos at Stateline and the Tahoe airport is to the center.

The switchback is the route to the picture spots and the cabin is at the top of the grade. Once again, lunch for the first rider to find the secret spot...

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I was ready for lunch so I stopped in at the Downtown Cafe right near the junction of 89 and 50 in Meyers. The owners, Billy and Barbera are the greatest, if a bit photo shy, but they let me take pics of their trained bear. The cafe is closed Monday, but they have terrific specials every day they are open. You can eat on the deck out front or inside the dining room. Beware, there are bears in the area, tho they seemed friendly. Also I saw one howling coyote!

The pic of lunch was taken just after the first bite, yummy and the pasta salad is highly recommended

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Leaving Meyers, I rode south on 89 over Luther Summit, my second pass of the day and down into Hope Valley...

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After a brief gas stop in Markleeville (2.79 regular UL) I encountered my only construction of the day, about 2 miles south of the East Fork Resort which is a few miles south of Markleeville on 89.
Yecchhh! little black sticky things all over the road. I haven't looked at what stuck to the bike yet.

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Following 89 south up to Monitor Pass, I detoured to secret spot #3 for some incredible vistas. No matter which way I looked, there are Sierra peaks that stretch from horizon to horizon. This gave the Canon Powershot Pro1 a workout. Any defects in the photography are me, not the camera, it's still smarter than me...

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There are some cool dual-sport roads up here in God's country...here are some teasers for the DS crowd...

the shot with the bike is the road to Secret spot #3. the next is unknown roads to somewhere, can't you hear the roads calling "follow me"? There are miles of em, some marked, some are just ...there.

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This is the last clue to secret spot #3, a Div. of Highways marker, heehee, I'll buy lunch for the first one to find this spot.

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I think I got the panorama to work on this shot. It looks something like this in any direction you turn. One of my favorite places just to sit and breathe,

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Reluctantly I tore myself away from these awe-inspiring views, and returned via Hwy 89 when I spied these rafters floating the East fork of the Carson River. This pic taken at Hangmans Bridge a bit outside Markleeville.

Then on to Hwy 88, which I followed west to secret spot #4 of the day. Hint: this is somewhere west of Carson Spur, but east of the Mormon Immigrant Trail turnoff.