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Yosemite and DV in 2012

I've done the Yosemite trip via motorcycle a week before Memorial Day weekend and did it during the week. It was awesome. I camped at Bass Lake which is right off 41 south of the Park's south entrance and had the entire section of campgrounds to myself. Virtually no one there! I used that as my base and rode the park for 2 days and did loops up 41 into the park, out on 120, and hit 49 back to Oakhurst to return to Bass Lake.

The Park and Valley Floor were not crowded at all at that time. I would definitely separate the DV trip to another time in April, perhaps. There's so much to see in both locations that you don't want to cut yourself short at either location.

I'd be up to tag along on both trips. Carrizo is in my backyard, so to speak.
 
HFNY indeed!!

See y'all next year!
 
LET ME KNOW EXACT DATES ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS AHEAD of TIME SO I CAN FILE MY LEAVE . DOWN 2 TOUR ! JUST DO IT ! ((( swoosh ))) :ride
 
rodr said:
Sounds like DV around April will be the first order of business. :party
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April could be "late" for DV. OK for daily temps...but Late for Desert Bloom.
Get in the habit of checking the DV National Park site, to see what the conditions are there.

Be ready to spring like a Mountain Cat :laughing When the moment is right.
 
Jenn said:
If you think Yosemite is crowded - try Yellowstone! I will probably never go back to Yellowstone or make it a destination in a trip. It was the most awful, congested, crowded place I've been.

Granted, trails were closed because of bear attacks so everyone was limited. Personally, I think the bears and hooved jerks should have at the humans because we're obviously too many!

There are places in Yosemite that aren't always super crowded - if you go up high instead of to the valley floor, way fewer people.




Exactly.

Plus, there are hot springs that you can soak in, instead of just LOOK at (like Yellowstone).
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:thumbup Yep, Yellowstone can be Hell...Thanks to family's that never visit a park, and then come up with..This Year we are going to...And Yellowstone is the one they choose. Pack up the Station Wagon, or rent an RV and not only is there a steady stream of vehicles in the park..the stream hits log jams, and stops.

Any place a Bear or Bison or Elk or any living Wild animal is seen near the road, it's full stop, get the camera out...And even want to get the kids there, like the Wild Animals are sent to a Park sponsored behaviour school.

This ain't Disney Land....City folks.

But....If a non conjestion time, is hit...Yellowstone visited and seen as a Super Volcano with it's history, and over due for it's next eruption that would "kill" America this time. It should be seen...and being there, opens up seeing The Grand Tetons, and just a short hop over to Glacier National park in Montana.

Lots of "short" hops ...Oregon ....Columbia River Gorge...Oregon everywhere, Washington Mt Saint Helens and Mt Rainier....There is no where to stop or say that's all there is to see.
 
Did not find Yellowstone that crowded other than sitting to watch Old Faithful and the lodge immediately after.

Bison are big hairy tanks. Most times wandering about the serene setting at a slow leisurely pace. But if you are on a bike, you will lose a confrontation.
 
[continued threadjack]
Yellowstone in January on a snow machine is teh awesome. No crowds, no sulphurous stink, snow is typically deep enough that the fences around thermal features are buried so you can at least pretend that the setting is all natural.
 
Here's one route to Saline via Carrizo.

But if we do this in April, what passes are likely to be open for getting home? Are we gonna have to back-track?

[gmap]<iframe width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=I-80+W&daddr=35.40233,-120.20187+to:Soda+Lake+Rd+to:35.1530705,-119.8068737+to:35.120149,-119.744892+to:35.077366,-119.666204+to:36.37514,-117.67791+to:S+Warm+Springs+Rd&geocode=FdyoQQIdtNS1-A%3BFVoyHAIdct3V-CnrGIweTYLsgDEEGIRGHM2oKA%3BFfPDGAIdZWPb-A%3BFa5kGAIdZ-Tb-CmJWgch7pXrgDGqvtl-upNsFg%3BFRXkFwIdhNbc-CmvF_iXpr_rgDH5VSNbfH7-pQ%3BFfY8FwId5Ane-Cn7tcy648brgDGOWIs217JZ1w%3BFWQKKwIdqmD8-CnnvxHwcpHAgDHCEO_2zWSWNA%3BFQ6pMAIdnS76-A&sll=37.894363,-122.291565&sspn=0.430238,0.703125&vpsrc=6&hl=en&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=11&via=1,3,4,5,6&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=36.483141,-120.025635&spn=4.239573,7.03125&z=7&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=I-80+W&daddr=35.40233,-120.20187+to:Soda+Lake+Rd+to:35.1530705,-119.8068737+to:35.120149,-119.744892+to:35.077366,-119.666204+to:36.37514,-117.67791+to:S+Warm+Springs+Rd&geocode=FdyoQQIdtNS1-A%3BFVoyHAIdct3V-CnrGIweTYLsgDEEGIRGHM2oKA%3BFfPDGAIdZWPb-A%3BFa5kGAIdZ-Tb-CmJWgch7pXrgDGqvtl-upNsFg%3BFRXkFwIdhNbc-CmvF_iXpr_rgDH5VSNbfH7-pQ%3BFfY8FwId5Ane-Cn7tcy648brgDGOWIs217JZ1w%3BFWQKKwIdqmD8-CnnvxHwcpHAgDHCEO_2zWSWNA%3BFQ6pMAIdnS76-A&sll=37.894363,-122.291565&sspn=0.430238,0.703125&vpsrc=6&hl=en&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=11&via=1,3,4,5,6&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=36.483141,-120.025635&spn=4.239573,7.03125&z=7" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>[/gmap]
 
Yep, still open as of 1/1/12! Saw this posted on another board. Apparently, traffic was heavy as people wanted to be the first ones over the pass on 2012.

ny20121080982.jpg
 
jc2ducati said:
Yep, still open as of 1/1/12! Saw this posted on another board. Apparently, traffic was heavy as people wanted to be the first ones over the pass on 2012.
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Yeah the passes are open right now but we're talking April. Looks like we oughta have 2-3 different return routes planned, and pick one when the time comes. If the passes are open then, Yosemite might still even be an option.

This is looking like about a 5-day deal. One to get to Carrizo, one to get to DV, one to play in DV, 2 more to get home.
 
Jenn said:
I think Carrizo should be a separate trip from DV.

Also - there are so many things in that area -

Alabama Hills
Bodie
Long Valley hot springs near Mammoth

Dammit. I just want to run away from home and go camping - between this thread and reading the "Lightweight Hiking & Backpacking" book by Ryan Jordan, I'm getting some seriously itchy feet.
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Well here's the thing. If the passes are closed, as seems likely, and you don't want to slab it down 5 or 99 (I don't), then Carrizo seems very much "on the way" to DV. That's what appealed to me about it. It wouldn't be the primary attraction, rather a neat place to ride through and maybe camp at.

That said, I'm really wide open to ideas. Would you like to propose something? :)
 
OK, the really cool thing is we're not married and trying to negotiate a vacation together. :rofl

So... anyone got a truck and trailer and want to go down there with Jenn? The rest of us can do the moto touring thing and meet y'all there. :ride
 
If you're going to take two days getting to DV, make the ride interesting. Maybe something like this.

You'll regret not spending more than one day in DV.

http://g.co/maps/q2mhm
 
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luckett said:
If you're going to take two days getting to DV, make the ride interesting. Maybe something like this.

You'll regret not spending more than one day in DV.

http://g.co/maps/q2mhm
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Haha, I originally thought my posted map was going down 25. Anyway I think either 1 or 25 is best, doing one of them down and the other back (if the passes are closed).

Jenn said:
That's what I've been saying!
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So we have the question of how many days folks can be away for this... any comments about that?
 
Looks like the vast majority of colleges have spring break in March. Dunno about high schools... some googling suggests the first 2 weeks in April for those but it's not clear.

And I have to be home the last weekend in April. I'm thinking the week of the 15th would be good for this.
 
Still a lot to figure out, and so much I don't know about DV!

Now some folks may not want to do much (if any) camping, or might want to eat in restaurants and take a shower every once in a while. :laughing

I see there is a resort not so far away called Panamint Springs. Hotel, restaurant, bar, wi-fi, good stuff like that. :) Rates seem reasonable. Anyone been there? What's it like?
 
Jenn said:
Panamint Springs Hotel is actually not that close to Saline Valley - esp if the South Pass is closed. I did not have a good experience when I stayed there - for what we paid, the room was beyond shabby and in complete disrepair, smelly, dirty stained carpets, walls and non-standard construction. I observed that the camping spaces are pretty close to the road and I'd rather sleep in the rough than go back to PSR again.

It was the ugliest dump - everything was overpriced, room, food and beer - and I will never go there again.

In fact - the owner seems to have had my Yelp! review deleted so I am going to rewrite my review of that place now.
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LOL. OK, scratch PSR. How about Big Pine? This motel seems to have good reviews. I know it's about 50 miles from the campground, just looking for options.... :)
 
Gotcha. Yeah Google says 3 hours for that drive.
 
Anyone else like to chime in and talk about what they'd like to do?

Sounds like Jenn wants to spend a few days at Saline romping in the dirt and soaking in the springs. That sounds like fun but I'm not as dirt-oriented, won't have knobbies, and need to be in touch with the outside world every once in a while. So I'm thinking (for me) maybe one night camping near Carrizo, one night at a hotel in Big Pine, 1-2 nights camping in Saline Valley, and on with something yet to be determined from there. So we may not all be in the same places at the same times.

Thoughts?
 
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