May 22, 2005
Day 5: Madera to Merced River
What a beautiful ride out to Hensley Lake! Once I got into the foothills, the riding was so much nicer
I stopped for chocolate milk and cookies at the Raymond Mercantile. Raymond is clearly a ranching community - real ranching - with cows and hay and cowboy boots that have stepped in shit more than once.
After I left Raymond the road became brutal - with lots of steep climbs and descents. Maybe I should have gone through Chowchilla after all. I also started thinking that my gear ratio was not low enough.
About ten miles before Mariposa, a lady and her son were sitting on their porch and offered me some ice cold water. It sure helped restore my energy level.
Mariposa was disappointing this time through. The downtown had fewer people than in previous visits - plus, there were a number of empty storefronts. The Yosemite Association bookstore was no longer there. And the real kicker - the ice cream shop had been torn down. And I had been thinking about a big ice cream cone for hours. Oh, well. I stopped in at the grocery store and stocked up to avoid park prices. Then, I waited out the heat of the afternoon on a shady bench out front. Wrote a few post cards and chatted with folks coming and going.
Next up was Midpines Summit. I huffed and puffed and realized that I still had quite a few pounds to shed, but it was late in the day and the road was in the shade. Then I flew down the other side all the way to the Merced River, overshooting the Briceburg turnoff in order to avoid braking away all that speed. I camped on the abandoned rail line across the river just as it was getting dark. But it never got too dark because a full moon rose over the hills - illuminated the entire canyon. Moonlight and a rushing river - not a bad combination.
Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 260 miles (418 km)
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