EPIC (yes, I used the word epic) Labor Day climbing weekend with pics!
I planned a secret trip for George (vireo) and myself, up to the Sequoia's (National Park, National Forest, Giant Sequoia National Monument) this weekend.
Saturday:
We left the house at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning to drive up. George had no idea where we were going until the signs on Highway 65 gave away our destination. We arrived in Springville early Saturday morning and started out on our first climb of the day.
Balch Park Road Loop started out at 1000 ft elevation and went up to 6400 ft. We took a little detour off of the main road and ended up with 5700 ft. of gain for this climb.
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We went back to Springville and had lunch at the cafe, which has been there since 1897. Service was a little on the slow side, so we were off of the bike longer than we anticipated. While at the cafe, we stared at the thermometer which read 100+ degrees. IN THE SHADE!
Highway 190 out of Springville started at 1000 ft and I made it to 5500 ft, while George made it to 6300 ft. It was over 106 degrees when we left (with 4 bottles each) on our second climb of the day. Though I'm getting better about riding in the high temps, I still overheat fairly easily and the Tule River was calling my name. George was back taking pictures when I decided to pull off of the road and take a dip in a beautiful pool of water. He indulged my diversion from the plan and I shed my gear for a little skinny dipping. :thumb: This put us behind schedule and losing daylight, but it was well worth it. I'm sure George would agree. ;)
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Sunday:
From our motel in Porterville, we drove up to Three Rivers.
Mineral King Road was our climb for the day. From a starting elevation of 800 ft in Three Rivers to an ending elevation of 7800 ft at the end of the road, we gained over 7200 ft on this climb. The road was narrow, steep, sometimes unpaved (not hard packed dirt...but SAND!) and is reported to have over 698 curves. Totally awe inspiring. The views were breathtaking.
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Pics in the next post! :)
