Last weekend was the Eastern Sierra Double ... my favorite double of all.
It has a lot to recommend. Great scenery, typically great weather, great climbs, and great descents. I'm an Eastern Sierrophile, so going was a no-brainer.
My family and I were up in Mammoth skiing over Memorial Day, and with the ESD coming up the next weekend, it made sense just to work from the vacation home. The good news there is that I had more than enough time to acclimate to the altitude.
When Friday finally came, I finished up my work and drove down to Bishop to meet with people as they arrived from SoCal. Jade got in at about noon, and that gave us enough time for a burger at Burger Barn, a look at Galen Rowell's photo gallery (Galen lived in Bishop before his tragic death), and a look at the narrow gauge rail museum in Laws. Here's Jade enjoying the old rail station
They had a lot of cool stuff in there. Perhaps coolest of all was this penny farthing ... painted Bianchi Celeste.
We love our ride volunteers!
As more people arrived we adjourned to Rusty's Saloon for happy hour and then to the Pizza Factory for dinner. What a great time.
Vodka Gummi Bears only $1
The vacation home is 40 miles away from the 5AM start, so we all had to awake VERY early to be on time. We got there with about 10 minutes to spare, but one of our group discovered a flat as soon as we arrived.
You know how it is, the more in a hurry you are, the longer something takes you. And Kurt was in a big hurry to change that flat before all of the 5AM starters took off. I offered to help and managed to get it changed ... but not before everyone was long gone. No biggie though.
The route sends us southeast along the Owens River, where we got to watch the sun rise on the Sierra. This beginning section of the route has never been my favorite, but I'm warming to it.
Wheeling around the swollen Owens River, we crossed US395 and started climbing the alluvial fans east of the Sierra.
Our first rest stop is near Rovanna, a small town built for the miners working at the tungsten mine. The mine was a critical source of the tungsten needed for carbide tools in WWII, but is all but closed now. We waited for Kurt, and when he arrived, he had Teresa for company. Knowing they were slower climbers than us, they told Ron and I to move on.
From there, we headed east on Birchim Road ... lined with beautiful cottonwoods. I used to wonder why they were called that, but catch them at the right time of year (like now), and the reason is plain ... the air was full of fluffy cotton.
Next is where the ride starts to get serious ... the Old Sherwin Grade. It all begins in Paradise, when you round a hairpin turn. There used to be a restaurant there that was built to straddle Rock Creek ... kinda cool to dine right above it. It's a private residence now ... which is a bit of shame.
There is almost no traffic whatsoever on the Old Sherwin Grade. The main highway is much faster and less steep. Ron and I began catching some of the 5AM riders.
One of the great things about the ESD is the weather. You begin at about 4500 feet, and the temperatures are typically in the 50s at the start of the ride. Just when it starts getting a little toasty in the Owens Valley, you're climbing out of it, and into a cool breeze (the cool air spilling out of higher altitudes). Another thing is the views of the Sierra as you're climbing. There's Mt. Humphreys (just short of 14,000 feet), and Mt. Tom ... sacred to the Paiute and the source of many legends.
Their version of Genesis has the Owens Valley completely covered in water, and the Paiute living at the top of Mt. Tom. One by one, members of the tribe tried to dive deep in the water and bring back soil from the bottom, and one by one, they dove in, never to surface. They finally cajoled Coyote, the cleverest of the group into making the dangerous attempt. Coyote remained submerged for 7 days, and they had all but given up hope when he finally surfaced with soil in his hands. He threw the soil back in the water, and the water began to recede, revealing a rich valley for them to inhabit.
I've always liked Mt. Tom.
We rolled through Swall Meadows, and area hit badly by fire last year. But many of the trees were already coming back, leaves springing from dead-looking branches. Nature is amazing.
The Old Sherwin Grade has a false summit, and it is a great place to get a pix of people finally reaching the top. After that, there is a downhill of 300 feet or so into a cool narrow valley with Rock Creek flowing through it, then a mild climb back out again.
Me finishing up the last of the Sherwin Climb
Ron and I caught more of our friends. Among them was Dee ... who would later remark that this was her favorite double (yea, it's mine too). We also caught Willy and Loren at the top. That was really surprising, as both of them are very strong climbers. Something must have been wrong.