Please join us as we travel to some of Mike’s favorite destinations. This year the ride takes us up to Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park.
I’m busy getting the route and maps complete and should have everything up on the site over the weekend.
Hope to see you all on this very special ride!
The ride must go on… First, I’d like to thank Seth (Rider_xXx), Randy (CRASH972) and of course Alan (abnab) for taking over the ride when I could not.
I found out late Friday that my sister had passed away and I knew that I would not be able to ride the following day. I didn’t know what to do, my first thought was to cancel the ride but I knew through the forum and also by talking to others around town that a lot of riders were planning to make the ride this year. I just couldn’t cancel the ride and let everyone down, so I sent a text to Seth asking if he and Randy would be able to lead the ride in my absence.
Seth and Randy knew the route as they have ridden it many times in the past and have helped me out on previous rides. I trusted them both as riders and knew that they would get everyone back home safe. Alan stepped up and handled all the after ride festivities himself, and from what I hear helped out considerably during the ride, although not being totally comfortable with the route. 🙂
Words cannot express how thankful I am to everyone who stepped up and made this year’s ride a success. I’ve been hearing stories from so many riders mentioning how much fun they had, and everyone stayed safe. The events that transpired on that day truly express the meaning of this ride; it’s not about how many stops we make, how fast we go, or how many riders are in the pack… it’s about the camaraderie that goes along with those that have that same passion and love for the sharing the open road with friends.
We had planned a more elaborate feast, with handmade hamburger patties and fresh homemade cookies but we had to opt for store bought instead. I’m sorry to those that were looking forward especially to the homemade cookies that usually accompany the ride, but I assure you all that we will make up for it next year. 🙂
Thank you for all the messages offering condolences for my loss. Losing a loved one is never easy, but the overwhelming comments I received made things just a little bit easier.
In closing, I would just like to say… Grab on to those you love. Grab on and hold them tight. Let them know how much you love them. You may never know when it will be your last hug, last kiss, or the last time you will ever hear their voice.
Even though we’ve been stuck in an unbelievably long winter this year, I decided to take a ride up to Mike’s Place at Glacier Point. I’ve been up here with my other bikes, and figure the little Hyosung was due for its pictures from the top of the world. Had a friend join me for the trip and even though it snowed up at the point only a few days ago, we decided to give it a shot.
The roads were actually pretty clear, with a lot of snow along side. After chilling a bit going up Glacier Point road we were greeted with summer type temps when we reached the point.
We took Hwy 140 down through Mariposa on the way home. Running along the Merced river I could see the water sloshing and peaking much higher than normal. The amount of runoff from the snow fall this year is incredible and it was pretty cool checking it out on the way down the mounting.
Thanks for joining me today Doug, it was truly a great ride!!!
We will be running the usual route that so many of you have become familiar with. The weather this year has been full of surprises, I’m hoping for some cooler riding weather again this year. More info to follow!!!
Glacier Point denied!!! I found that the roads leading up to Glacier Point were being worked on and unsuitable for taking a large group up to the point. So, my plans to bring Friendship Ride back to the point were thwarted. Not to worry, we ran the standard loop and will have to save the trip up to the point for another year.
The weather was perfect, the roads were clear but unfortunately we had a little bad luck when a motorist backed into one of our bikes while at our first gas stop. Thankfully there was very little damage and the rider was able to complete the ride with the group.
Finishing up again in Oakhurst for a BBQ of burgers and dogs and much needed rest from our journey. Thanks again to all those riders who make the trip every year, and thanks to Michele and my other friends and family who continue to donate their time and effort to make this ride sure a treat.
I took a pre ride up to the park to see how far the construction had gone. I had heard reports that it was still west of the Glacier Point turn off and I was hoping to take 140/41 all the way up with out any problems. Unfortunately, we found that the road turns to gravel just outside the tunnel, unsuitable for taking a large group up to the point. So, my plans to bring Friendship Ride back to the point have been thwarted. 🙁 Not to worry, we will be running the standard Friendship Ride loop and save the trip up to the point for another year.
Here are a few pics from the trip, as you can see, gas prices in El Portal are pretty expensive, the road conditions on the way to the point, and the yummy treat waiting for us at Happy Burger on the way back.
I’ve updated the The Ride page with our estimate itinerary for Saturday’s ride. I’ll be doing a pre-ride this week to firm up the plans, but you can get an idea of the route we will be taking.
>> Ride Gallery
We had a great ride last year and I this year is looking even better. For 2010, we will be riding the original loop all the way up to Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. One of the local businesses has offered to host the after ride BBQ, I will update the site as I firm up the plans. This year looks to be the best yet, I hope to see you there!
I updated the gallery with pictures from the ’08 ride. Thanks to Thayne from our local forum centralvalleyriders.com for the bulk of these pictures. Seems I was too busy talking to everyone to take many pictures this year. 🙂
>> Ride Gallery
I hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as I do.
Another great year, another great day! The temperature stayed cool enough for everyone to enjoy the day without too much heat. We had some old familiars on the trip as well as some new faces in the pack. We had a few problems along the way but nothing too serious and the group moved on without too much bother. Ending up at the cool and shady park in Oakhurst was a great way to end the ride.
Thanks to My wife Michele, Skip, Elaine, Heather, Jodi, Chris, Trasi for setting up for the BBQ while the rest of us were out enjoying the ride.
