May 27, 2005
Day 10: Middle Fork Stanislaus to Mono Lake
What good fortune!! Just as I was leaving the campsite, a truck pulled in to the "facilities" and the couple offered to take my panniers to the top of Sonora Pass. It's a good thing, too, because with 27% grades and no better than a 1-to-1 low gear, I would have been pushing my bike a lot.
Even so, I huffed and puffed my way up the pass, zig-zagging back and forth on the road to reduce the incline. There were also frequent cookie stops to keep up the energy levels. The snow started at about 8000 feet. Usually it was only two or three feet deep, but occasionally the drifts were over my head.
I stopped often to quench my thirst with snow dug out from the snowbanks. The sky was a perfect dome of deep azure - the sunlight was golden - and the wet rocks glistened in the sunlight. When I got to the top there was no place to chill out - just a little indentation in the wall of snow next to a tree. The folks who had shuttled my panniers had wrapped them in my blue tarp so they were easy to spot. I had a snack, loaded my panniers on my bike, and then struggled to find a little privacy to pay the water bill.
After all the exertion going up, the ride down was a brake-clutching, squeally experience. Boy, do I hate having to brake away all of that energy. The views of the Walker River Valley were stunning - the amount of snow on the eastern slopes, sobering. It would have been a tough slog snowshoeing across Tioga Pass, no doubt.
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I really needed to refill my water bottles. My water filter was waiting for me at the post office in Lee Vining. So, I just found a stream coming out of the snow and drank to my heart's content. Personally, I believe that all the giardia stuff is overblown - plus, I grew up drinking the tropical parasites of Puerto Rico. Maybe I have greater resistance. Anyhoo, the ice-cold water sure tasted great.
It was a fast ride into Bridgeport with a light tailwind and a big downhill stretch after Devil's Gate Summit.
Bridgeport's setting is spectacular. Lush, green meadows are fed by the many streams flowing out of the snow-capped Sierras to the west. I stopped by the library to catch up on my e-mail, had dinner at a cafe, then got back out on the road for a late ride to Lee Vining.
It seems that I am always getting in to my destination late, but this time it was worth it. When I reached Conway Summit, Mono Lake was bathed in rose and lavender light - the Sierras on the horizon topped with pink icing.
Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 466 miles (750 km)
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