Yosemite Area Info Please?? : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

driftgirl · 09-03-2009, 10:11 AM

Hi guys/gals

Hoping maybe someone up in that area can help me on some road info.

We are heading up that way this weekend. We are staying in Oakhurst and the plan WAS to go the 41 over to the 120 and then down to Bishop and hten head home to Huntington Beach on Monday.

But recent fire updates have said the 120 is now closed up to White Wolf through out the weekend.

So my alternative is to take the 49 to the 108 and then over, but I don't know this area.

Gas stops at the 49/108 junction, food joints on the 108, what is the road like ect.. ? Could I get some Info from some of you guys that live up this way?

Thanks
Linda

nvsteve · 09-03-2009, 01:21 PM

Parts of 49 are going to be twisty but a nice drive.
108 is a great drive with the last portion, mostly down hill, is twisty but absolutely beautiful. When you hit 395 it's less than
20 miles to the town of Bridgeport.
If you gas up in Sonora 49/108 you'll be fine.
Be prepared for very high gas prices on 395.
You can eat in Sonora, plenty of places. Only place I've eaten in Bridgeport is the Sportsman on the right in the middle of town.

driftgirl · 09-03-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvsteve

Parts of 49 are going to be twisty but a nice drive.
108 is a great drive with the last portion, mostly down hill, is twisty but absolutely beautiful. When you hit 395 it's less than
20 miles to the town of Bridgeport.
If you gas up in Sonora 49/108 you'll be fine.
Be prepared for very high gas prices on 395.
You can eat in Sonora, plenty of places. Only place I've eaten in Bridgeport is the Sportsman on the right in the middle of town.

thank you

we are wondering now if it will be just too darn smokey with the fire up there

we are trying to decided whether to cancel the weekend trip and do it another time, not sure when that would be though

thanks again

Linda

nvsteve · 09-03-2009, 04:00 PM

Let's put it this way, I live in Reno and our skys have been smokey from the fire. I'm maybe 200 miles away.
If you haven't been thru the park I think your wasting your time.
Check out the National Parks website and find Yosemite.
They probably have updated news. Or, maybe some of the local newspaper sites. Modesto Bee, or anything near Mariposa.

I'm leaving for a couple hours but will check in when I get back or pm me. There's a guy on another site that works in Bridgeport with the police and he may have more up to date info.

TheMrs · 09-04-2009, 06:35 PM

my parents live and work in the park. Conditions on most roads are in bad shape unless you take the 140 from Modesto. I literally just talked to her about possibly going up there this weekend. ALSO, its a free pass weekend, so you'll get in for free. 140 isnt as high, but it winds along the merced river and its very nice. Not as curvy as some roads. But you will beat the smoke. And yeah, gas prices SUCK up there, fill up in Merced before going on to the park. Its the last place for not so rediculous gas

driftgirl · 09-12-2009, 11:42 PM

It was totally fine up there and clear and not too crowded either, I dont know about free, we had to pay to get into the park if that is what you were talking about.

We got some pics of the smoke from the fire over the mountian, it had already moved over the ridge from the loop.

The sonora pass road was great until we got to the sonora pass 36% downhill grade, holy smokes scared the crap out of me on a couple of those turns going down ... Next time we go up from the 395 I think it would be better .... lololol .. we stopped and had lunch in Strawberry at the dinner there, great food and service.

There was a moto accident just east of the Donnell view point a sports bike rider, not sure what happened. He was taken out by a ambulance and when we got there the tow truck was pulling up to load his bike on it. His bike didnt look wrecked, wondering if he went into the corner too fast and went over the side not sure.

Off the 395 we took the 120 east to Benton and then the 6 to Bishop, man we only saw 4 bikes and 2 cars on that 120 east .. talk about riding the road by yourself.. so we pulled over and took a pic of our bikes out there by themselves ...

We can't wait to go back so we can actually stop more in Yosemite. We got up there around Noon and checked into the motel so we decided to go ahead and do the loop that day since it would be an all day ride the next day to get over to bishop since we had to go over the 108.

Thanks for all the input it helped out alot.

03GLIDE_ · 09-13-2009, 12:43 AM

If you are ever in the area again take the road up to Glacier Point. Awesome view over the valley. They used to let para sailors jump off right there. I used to go to Yosemite when I was a kid and they had fire falls. They built a giant bonfire and pushed it off a part of the mountain that was over the valley. It looked like a water fall of fire coming down into the campground.

driftgirl · 09-13-2009, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03GLIDE_

If you are ever in the area again take the road up to Glacier Point. Awesome view over the valley. They used to let para sailors jump off right there. I used to go to Yosemite when I was a kid and they had fire falls. They built a giant bonfire and pushed it off a part of the mountain that was over the valley. It looked like a water fall of fire coming down into the campground.

That is definately one we want to next time, we just didnt have time.