Rain brings out Yosemite beauty for motorcyclists

Dramatic storm clouds and the color brought out by rain make many people's conception of a "picture-perfect day" pale--literally--in comparison. So it is that our EagleRider tour of writers and photographers arrived in Yosemite this afternoon to some particularly glorious views of this glorious park.

Did I mention it was raining?

No surprise there. It was raining when we left Carmel this morning. It rained on us periodically throughout the day, and this time some of it was real rain, not just a drizzle. That's why we have rain suits.

We left our hotel this morning and took a short jaunt to the Monterey pier, having suited up before the first bike fired up. On the pier, however, a patch of blue and a bit of sun encouraged us that this day would finally bring an end to the rain.

We headed north on Highway 1, connected with the 101, and continued north to Gilroy. There we turned east on CA 152 and as we climbed up Pacheco Pass the clouds did, too, and suddenly there it was, honest to goodness blue sky and the sun. Yahoo! By the time we stopped shortly afterward at San Luis Reservoir, however, the wind had become a torrent. It slacked off, though, as we went lower into the heart of California's agriculture, the Central Valley, I believe. And who knew they grew so much cotton in California?

We turned north on CA 59 and it was a quick stop in Merced for lunch because storm clouds were blowing in. We made our way east on CA 140 to Mariposa, after which we the small hills started turning into much bigger hills. That was when it really started coming down. And it was a cold rain. Of course we rode on.

We followed the Merced River upstream along a beautiful, narrow canyon. On the bends to the left I could see 15 or so bikes ahead on this windy little road and it was a sight to see. We reached our stop for the night, the Yosemite View Lodge, right outside the park, but didn't even get checked in. It was growing late and there was no time to lose if we were to see the park.

Up we climbed some more and the scenery grew ever more beautiful. Once in the park we made our way to the Tunnel View viewpoint, which offers a stunning perspective on El Capitan and the towering cliffs that surround this valley. Right at that point the clouds had not closed in on the view and there is no way a cloudless blue sky and bright sunshine can create an image as striking as that created by the storm clouds. And then as we were leaving the clouds came in and obscured the cliffs. Perfect timing.

We cruised on down to Bridal Veil Falls and checked that out and then Gunter Kykillus, EagleRider's main man for Germany, who was riding in the Mustang convertible chase car, orchestrated a rolling photo op. On the one-way road we were just about to ride he set us up to ride two and three abreast while he shot pictures, then the lead row would pass the car and the next row would move up for its photos. I look forward to seeing these.

Then it was back to the motel to actually settle in and prepare for dinner. That's in about 5 minutes so my timing is good today. I may join in on the party tonight.

And tomorrow it's on to San Francisco. We'll be staying in the city but of course we have to ride the Golden Gate Bridge before turning the bikes back over to Eaglerider. And wouldn't it be great to do that in the sunshine?

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Rain brings out Yosemite beauty for motorcyclists 
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