The High Sierra Passes thread. Tales, photos, AND road status updates

Per CalTrans:

SR-4 over Ebbetts Pass is closed at gate #2 for snow conditions. No estimated time to reopen.

so...... 4 closed, 108 closed, 120 closed, and chains required on 88. Better check Caltrans if your going over the Sierras !

sigh. I’ll be down that way in 2-3 days and had hoped to ride over Ebbetts & Monitor but I guess not.

Weather is supposed to warm a bit by then, you may still get a chance. Good luck, it's a beautiful ride.

did it last year. Loved it!

now might spin past a fiends place in Half Moon Bay and maybe do the coast. We shall see...

89, 108 and 120 reopened yesterday.

... and 4 reopened today.

Go get it, Motorius!
(Pack electrics)

no electrics! Wearing 3.5 layers. A bit chill early on but things improve thru the day.

Left Roseburg OR this AM, in Marysville CA now. Will head up towards S Lk Tahoe and just do Monitor.

riding an R12R again. Swung thru Williams CA and did a seat swap with another inmate today.

Drove over 108 today, clean and clear---some gravel in the road construction areas though.

Monitor was great a couple days ago. Saw plenty of Harley type bikes heading over on 88 Sunday morning in icy conditions—no thanks!

Is down south, Kennedy Meadows and Sequoia National Forest, dusted with snow yet?

That far south, no.

some of you guys might get some good use out of this:
http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

Just rode CA-20 over from Marysville to Truckee.

a few patches of left over snow by the side of the road over 5000 ft.

and a bit brisk over Donner Pass.

the areas of road construction pose little to no delay.

We rode from 395 to Kernville over Sherman pass on Sunday. It was clear cold and the usual sandy spots. No snow.

There is hope. Will try to get out there in the next week. Hope the weather holds.

I went over Highway 4, Monitor Pass, and Highway 108 today. All those roads are completely dry, no snow, no slush, no nothing. As dry as in mid-summer. There is a lot of sand starting just above Cadillac Curve and it continues down the east slope.

There are paving "marbles" in the Elbow curves after the crappy repaving job they did.

Lots of road construction with multiple long stops on 108 from Kennedy Meadows westward. Bring your patience if you ride 108. Lots of marbles on the new pavement too.

Good info is available there, but that has to be one of the most non-intuitive and badly designed websites I have had the misfortune to use. Every other site that accesses that same information does it better and more easily.

i didn't find it that difficult, especially considering that it's a government site!

if you have better resources, please share!

Today:

Marysville to Truckee to S Lake Tahoe, then f’d up and rode around the south end the the lake not thinking about turning so ended up going down to Gardnerville instead of doing Monitor. I guess there’s always next year.

saw a bike down with ambulance & cop in one of the turns on the way down. Rider came in a little hot I guess. Stopped and asked the cop if I could help by moving the bike. He said riders dad was coming with a trailer and the guy wasn’t too bad off. Good to hear.

overall the roads today were good. The weather was rather brisk as 395-S is pretty high elevation for a good part of the ride.

Ate an early dinner at the Jolly Kone in Bridgeport and hustled down to Big Pine for the night. That sun felt really nice on me as I ate. Maybe the only real warm part of the day.

Even with a windscreen the R1200R is quite a breezy bike. my big mistake was not taking a huge windbreaker this year. I was wearing a thin reflective fleece coat, a thick Klim fleece, a Klim GoreTex jacket and a neon vest. The wind was still coming thru most of the time. I like to feel a little cool, but this was more than a little for most of the day. That windbreaker would have made all the difference.

other than that, 365 miles of nice riding today!