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We recently returned from our long awaited week-long Sierra Pass ride and what a ride it was! Making the trip was Bob Howard, Scott Snyder, Bill Steele, Paul Bricker, Joe Bert, Terry Humble plus guest and yours truly, Jim Ayala. Once again, we have Bob Howard to thank for planning the route and each day's itinerary. When Bob plans a route, you can be assured that major highways will be avoided in favor of less traveled scenic routes. For example, our destination for day one was Pismo Beach and we got there via Palmdale and then country roads basically all the way to Pismo. Our destination for day two was Aptos, north of Carmel. The highlight of the day was getting to Hwy 1, south of Big Sur, by riding over the Santa Lucia Mountain Range via the little known Nacimiento Fergusson Road. This is the only road over the mountain range and, by motorcycle, it was a blast! On day three we made our way over the Golden Gate Bridge and then north east to Grass Valley, which is about 70 miles northeast of Sacramento. We were now ready for some fun twisty mountain roads through the Sierras. Day four took us to beautiful Lake Tahoe where we stopped for lunch and then it was on to Sonora. While the day's ride was amazingly beautiful, we were looking forward to day five and what may have been the highlight of the trip. The destination for day five was Oakhurst, which is south of Yosemite. However, we got there by riding over the Sonora Pass and the Tioga Pass and finally riding through the Yosemite Valley. What a day! On day six we hit the road for Kernville. Again, another day of beautiful sights. On day seven we hit the road for home, well before sunrise. We normally don't ride past sunset or before sunrise but after a full week of riding, we were a little saddle sore and anxious to get home. Everyone got back home safe and sound by late morning. Looking back on the trip, everyone agreed that Bob planned some spectacular routes, which made every day so enjoyable. However, a few additional items factored into making the trip so special. First, the weather was nearly perfect. Not too cold on some days and never unbearably hot on others. Second, we were amazed at the nearly perfect road surfaces just about every day of the trip. Nice to see our state road taxes at work. And third, the camaraderie. Traveling with a group of riders who genuinely enjoy each other's company is really special. Lunch and dinner conversations were never dull and lounging in the hotel pool at the end of each day recounting the day's ride was the perfect ending to the day. So glad I'm a member of the Four Seasons Motorcycle Club! ~ Jim Ayala, jimrayala95@gmail.com 54 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2019 Motorcycle club Another wonderful day of riding on the Sierra Pass Trip.… the picture speaks for itself Sightseeing in Downieville in the Tahoe National Forest Taking a break on the way to Sonora