rod mclaughlinOver the Sierras (10 mar 09)
From Ridgecrest, it's an easy slope up to 5000ft. through orchards of Joshua Trees that get bigger as you ascend - bigger trees live better in cold climates because they stay warm inside. But of course, Joshua Trees are not trees. I have crossed the Sierras at Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Tehachapi many times by car. On the way down to Las Vegas on this trip, I crossed at the Tehachapi pass. On the way back, I decided on the Kernville Pass route, the next one north of Tehachapi. It's very different by bike. The way I did it, I did two passes, one at 5000 ft. (the easy one) and one at 6000 ft. which has a 15° east side. Fortunately, I got a ride up that one. I camped by Lake Isabella (fortunately, it froze - freeze is better than fog when camping) then in the morning rode into Kernville Airport, which has three tiny planes and a café, where I ordered a coffee from a waitress who reminded me of Bette Lynch, the bossy, brassy, blonde barmaid in a daft soap opera about the North of England. The family who run were in the café, and John, the dad, had been on the big ride in Death Valley the week previously when I was there - I bumped into numerous cyclists there. Anyway, I showed him my intended route, and he pointed out that there is a 6000 ft. pass with a 15° slope (he actually said '17%', which for some reason is how America registers slopes) on that route (pronounced to rhyme with 'nowt'). The alternative, he said, is a high-traffic, no-shoulder road to Bakersfield. So he put me, the bike, his dog, wife and two-year-old son in his truck and took me to the top. This is the only ride I've had, and the only one I've needed or will need - I know the terrain the rest of the way home. Restored my faith in Californians (he's from Berkeley, she's from LA) (see about Death Valley http://rubyjunction.us/articles/24). The descent was f*** awesome. There is nothing like a long descent on a recumbent bike. Beats a conventional bike which is less comfortable, or a convertible car or a motorbike, both of which demand your attention. You just sit back and look at the scenery. It was like travelling from Northern Scotland to Southern Spain. At the top, it was snowy by the side of the road. At 5000 ft. were a few sheep. At 4000 ft. various types of cattle began to appear, in vast meadows with granite outcroppings, full of wildflowers, a sea of emerald green with white, purple and gold waves. Frisky foals and calves ran about like Roman Pavlyuchenko as I rode by. Eventually, I arrived in the orange groves of Porterville, and found a trashy but friendly campsite where I camped. Next day, I rode to Lake Keweah near Woodlake - again it froze, avoided the worst thing about camping by lakes, fog. It was 28° Fahrenheit at 6 am, first light in the morning dawn. Then I cruised through endless acres of cherry blossom to the outskirts of Fresno, using the back roads - again the easy grid system of the Central Valley. Talking of which, how my attitudes have changed! I wouldn't mind living here! Partly, it's me driving on the right, and partly, it's America turning sharp left. In the new Obamamerica the Latino population have kind of 'come out'. The occasional African-American in small rural towns is accepted as just another dude. America is now officially in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, but everyone doesn't seem greatly depressed. There again, my survey has missed out the North East, the Mid West, the South, Hawaii and Alaska. That'll be my next trip. Back
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