Monday, May 31, 2010

Cycling on Tioga Road




There really is an exceptional quantity of snow in the high country: roadside snowbanks 6-8 feet tall, Tenaya and Siesta Lakes frozen over, lots of runoff, and persistent avalanche danger: a 6-foot granite slab slid onto the road above Yosemite Creek. A mild, sunny day had lots of bird activity: sooty grouse booming, Williamson's sapsucker drumming, and hermit thrush, olive-sided flycatcher and mountain chickadee singing. Marmots were up and about, despite 80% snowcover in the Olmsted Point area.
Skiers could park as low as the White Wolf area and make some runs at Siesta Cirque. The district ranger figures it may be a couple more weeks until the road can be opened to cars.
A couple warm days means the Merced River has leapt from around 1500 cfs at Pohono Bridge to 2800 cfs last night; it should get even more exciting over the next few days.

5 comments:

  1. oh it will be exciting.....really exciting. want. to. be. there.

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  2. Where can you park you car when you get on your bike?

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  3. Last weekend, the road was closed to cars at a spot called 'Walker Party' about 4 miles up from Crane Flat, a mile before you cross the South Fork Tuolumne. Plenty of parking, and a toilet. Next weekend may be different; it may even be open to cars all the way....

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  4. Can you cycle the whole Tioga Pass Road (if you want to cycle from California to Nevada)

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