I've done a lot of traveling in my life, but nothing I've ever seen compares to the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada range.
I rode the Sierra Fall Classic century in the beginning of September 2005. Absolutely stunning scenery that defies description, and a wonderful ride.
The weather was clear and sunny, with a steady light wind in the morning The temperature started out in the low 40's but climbed into the mid 60's by noon. The ride involved three major climbs into passes that were all at 8,000' or better, so it was fairly arduous (but thoroughly enjoyable) ride for me.
Over the course of the ride I broke three personal records:
Max Speed: 56.2mph
Slowest speed: 2.5mph (actually got the speedo to register 0.0 momentarily!)
Longest time "on saddle": 8hrs 5mins
I attained the 56.2mph on one of the most exhilarating decents I've ever had, on the flip side of Sagehen Summit. Smooth, gentle esses with unlimited visibility and no traffic in sight - just an endless and stunning high desert vista. The slow climb was on the way to WildRose Summit, where the road, always steep, pitched up wickedly for the last 100 yards or so. I was actually doing ok until on my average speed until about 75 miles into the ride, when the wind came up for real. As I made the 20 mile run for home, the head wind became vicious and unrelenting - at times the best I could muster was 7-8 mph on flat ground - it was the most horrible wind I've ever had to battle with.
Wind aside, I had a great time. If you've never seen the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, you need to. An amazing place.
Sample pics:
