Kit Carson Pass

The motorbike road trip on the El Camino de Sierra has been a grand bridge back to reality, but after months of rollicking good times my traveling compadre and I had to get on that road back to Alaska.

Carson Peak Is Not Near Carson Pass?

We started by checking the weather on line. The temperatures appeared to have been warm enough to melt most of the snow. Next, we made a few select phone calls to find out just what was happening at home. On one such call a friend told me that the sun was shining and the temperature was in the 50’s. However, calls on the next day revealed that yes indeed it was raining, and no surer sign of summer in the north exists that the steady rain of summer.

Summer Time In The North

We got up earlier than usual as my traveling compadre had a long ride ahead of her, back to Beatty, and then on to Bolder City. I only had to get over the Sierra Nevada and into the foothills to the town of Jackson California, after breakfast at Nicely’s we headed back to Murphy’s to finish packing, and get on the road, which we did one going south and I heading north to the nearest open pass over the Sierra Nevada range Carson Pass.

Because of winter snow all the nearby passes. Sonora, and Ebbetts  were still all closed, and because of that  I had to ride almost all the way back to Lake Tahoe on a clear warm spring morning, on smooth paved roads without any traffic. Tough morning.

I found highway 89 Carson Pass right where it used to be, and after a left turn off 395 I bid farewell to the El Camino de Sierra, and started to directly climb up to the summit.

With the other passes being closed I was worried that I might encounter snow, and cool temperatures, but the east facing mountains were almost clear, and I didn’t even see any of the white stuff till I was up on top, and with the sun shining it was a very nice ride.

Up in Hope Meadows the wild flowers were blooming and the yellow carpeted the meadow.

Hope Meadows

Going through the upper Sierras is where I encountered snow but it was far enough away where you could get a good look at it if you wanted to.

Red Lake Looking More White Than Red

Most of the lakes were still frozen over. Not many people fishing.  

On down into Jackson I rode and arrived in plenty of time to look around, and found the surroundings nice enough that I could have spent another day, but wouldn’t stay at the Best Western again  as it was rather dated and my room smelled like it had once been a smoking room. Gee when will these places ever get the word to remove the carpet?

Traffic into The City  would be the order of my last day on the road, getting around it, and  between it was as exciting as always, and I even paid the bridge toll just because I was glad to finally find it.