June 9

Sorry for no update yesterday but we will cover two days of activities today. 

 

Yesterday, June 8 we drove to Yosemite Park then rode bikes around the “loop” within the park and took in the sights. 

 

For those who have not been there, it is a huge canyon like area with massive granite walls on three sides and a lovely meadow and forest floor.  There are several waterfalls falling from high on the walls with Yosemite Falls and Bridal Veil Falls the two largest.  With the heavy snow pack this year and the recent rains, there were running very full.  Several other smaller falls were also very impressive.  We were fortunate to get there early and so the traffic wasn’t too bad in the beginning but by about 1 PM, the traffic became very heavy and we were glad to be leaving. 

 

Total riding for June 8 was 20 miles. 

 

We spent the night in Fairfield CA

 

Today we drove over the hill to Napa and did a 60 mile bike ride around the Napa Valley and we were able to stop at a couple of the Wineries. 

 

We had a good late breakfast called Sarafornia in Calistoga.  We learned that the person who settled Calistoga came originally from Saratoga NY and came up with the name of Sarafornia and Calistoga by combining Saratoga and California.  It made us feel a little like home since we lived for 25 years just 15 miles from Saratoga. 

 

This ride was really fairly easy with minimal elevation change. 

 

Because the area Around Lassen Park is still closed and that is the main way out of the Tahoe and Truckee area, we chose to simply drive north and are spending the night in Yrkea CA.  Plan for tomorrow is to go to Crater Lake and hopefully if the roads are open, to do some riding up there.  Once again, our decision to do some driving appears to have been a smart one.  Part of the Sierra Cascade route passed over a portion of Shasta Lake on Interstate 5 and involved crossing a bridge sharing the highway but with little or no space for a shoulder on the road.  We felt very happy to not have to ride that section. 

 

One of the great views on the way to Yrkea is Mount Shasta which is totally snow covered and it rises well above all of the surrounding peaks.