Editor’s note: I am preserving Leland Sheppard’s PC800-related content after his passing. This is one of his pages that I felt the PC800 community would want to have preserved. Leland may be on his final Iron Butt ride but he is not forgotten.
In addition to my fleet of Honda Pacific Coast motorcycles, I also have these:
This is a 2002 Honda Goldwing GL1800. I bought this from a man in Abilene, Texas in February of 2007. This bike has every bell and whistle known to man including, I’m convinced, the kitchen sink. I just haven’t found it yet. This is truly an amazing bike. It weighs 792 pounds dry or, with a tank of gas, over 840 pounds. Yet the minute I start moving, all of that weight is gone. It feels like a big Pacific Coast. And handles like one as well. I rode the back back from Abilene to Placerville, a distance of about 1760 miles in about 48 hours. I got 36 to 45 mpg riding at 76mph. I set the electronic cruise control on the bike and just steered. My plan for this bike is to pull a popup camping trailer with it and do long trips that way instead of with my motorhome. (As long as gas prices are as high as they are, I simply can’t afford to drive the motorhome very much.)
This is a 1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy cafe racer. I bought it earlier in 2006 from a man in Michigan who owned it from the time it was new. This is probably the best handling motorcycle I have ever ridden. This little bike takes tight winding corners and simply straightens them out. It is designed to look like the cafe racer’s of the 50s and 60s and, in that spirit, I wear a Davida puddin’ bowl helmet and goggles when I ride this bike. The exhaust makes it look like a twin but, in fact, it is a 500cc single. A thumper. The riding position is such that I can’t ride it for more than an hour or so before my back and neck begin to go. But since I got it mainly to ride the twisty roads in this area, that works out just fine. It is pure fun to ride. Update: I sold this bike to a fellow in Auburn, CA who is using it to commute…
My Davida helmet and goggles. From the side it looks like a bowl…
This is a 2002 Ural Patrol with a custom paint job. It has a reverse gear, selectable 2wd (sidecar wheel is driven), a parking brake; all unusual features for a motorcycle. Even more unusual is the fact that all wheels (spare included) are interchangeable. The steel used in this bike makes me think of the way autos were built in the US in the 30s and 40s; it’s VERY sturdy. The Ural is made in Russia and was originally a clone of a late 30s BMW.
This is a 2002 Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500ES with a Cozy Rocket sidecar mounted. This bike has been built in India for the last 50 plus years. Royal Enfield stopped producing motorcycles in England in the late 60s, early 70s. It is basically a 1955 design with a few updates. The Cozy sidecar is also made in India.
I no longer have the Enfield. It has been sold to a man in Connecticut who is giving it a great home.
This is from the inaugural trip for the GL1800 pulling the camper. Here the camper is being packed.
Here we at the top of Monitor Pass on CA89 on the way to Lee Vining and Bodie for Bodie Day 2007. The GL barely reacts to the fact that it has a 500 pound trailer behind it, either in terms of acceleration or braking.
This picture shows the camper set up for the night.
Besides my motorcycles, I have a hot rod:
It is a 1997 Seadoo Speedster with twin 85hp 2-cycle Rotax engines. The boat is 14 feet long, probably weighs less then 800 pounds and has enough horsepower to push me back into the seat when I open the throttles. Its home is in the Sacramento River which gives me a thousand miles of waterway to explore.
My other “toy” is my coach:
My coach is a 1992 Bounder motorhome, 31 feet, Ford chassis with a 7.5 liter V8 and 4 speed EOD transmission, dual air conditioners, 7.5kw Onan generator, Mountain Tamer exhaust brake by Decelomatic, and more.
Shown here leaving on a trip in 2002 pulling one of my PCs and my little motorboat on the second story of the trailer.
My copilot:
Miss Bailey, half German Shepherd, half Golden Retriever. She has taken over the driving duties as you can see.
Editor’s note: I am preserving Leland Sheppard’s PC800-related content after his passing. This is one of his pages that I felt the PC800 community would want to have preserved. Leland may be on his final Iron Butt ride but he is not forgotten.
Date of trip: I have taken this trip a number of times, both solo (one day) and two up (two day with a stay at Lee Vining overnight). You can only take this trip from late May (if the winter snow was light, otherwise Tioga will still be closed) until the middle of October. Before and after that, one or more of the passes (particularly Tioga) are likely to be closed. There is a link to Cal Trans Road Information at the bottom of this page.
The route:
Starting from Placerville, head east on US 50.
Take the Sly Park Exit in Pollock Pines. Turn right (south) at the foot of the ramp onto Sly Park Road.
Continue on Sly Park Road for five miles past Jenkinson Lake/Sly Park Reservoir to the junction with Mormon Emigrant Trail. Turn left (east) on Mormon Emigrant Trail.
Stay on Mormon Emigrant Trail until it dead ends at the junction with CA88. (Warning: This stretch is about 33 miles with NO services of any kind.) Turn left (east) on CA88.
Continue on past Silver Lake, Kirkwood and a real little gem, Caples Lake:
Continue on CA88 over Carson Pass, past Red Lake, through Hope Valley, past the junction where CA89 from Lake Tahoe joins CA88, to Woodfords where the junction where CA89 turns off toward Markleeville. Turn right (south) on CA89.
Continue south on CA89 through Markleeville to the junction with CA4. Turn left (east) on CA89.
Continue on CA89 over Monitor Pass to the junction with US395. Turn right (south) on US395.
Take US395 south through the Walker River Canyon, through Bridgeport to the turnoff to Bodie (CA270) just south of Bridgeport. Turn left (east) on CA270.
Continue on CA270 for 10 miles to the end of the blacktop. The next/last three miles is washboard gravel. It is rough but negotiable. I usually run about 15-20mph through this section.
Bodie is an absolutely fascinating gold-mining ghost town. No services except for bathrooms and some bottled water if the museum is open. Well worth the trip. $2.00 per person admission fee; it’s a California State Park:
From Bodie go back the same way you came. (There are alternative routes out but most of them require a 4WD vehicle to negotiate). When you get to the junction of CA270 and US395, turn left (south) on US395.
Continue south on US395, past Mono Lake, to Lee Vining. This is about the half way mark. Food (and lodging if you are doing this trip in two days) are available here.
From Lee Vining, continue south on US395 for about 1 mile to the junction with CA120. Turn right (west) on CA120.
Continue on CA120 over one of the most spectacular stretches of road on the planet, in my view, over Tioga Pass (9945 feet) to the Yosemite east gate:
The entrance fee is either $10 or $20, even on a motorcycle, to get through the park. Save your receipt for when you exit the park.
Continue on CA120 west through Yosemite past Tuolomne Meadows, Tenaya Lake to Crane Flat. Turn left (south) at the stop sign at Crane Flat and go down into Yosemite Valley to see Half Dome, El Capitan, etc.
Continue down into the valley to the stop sign at the junction with CA140. Turn left (east) and continue on into the valley.
For a spectacular view (from “Valley View”), turn right (south) at the junction with CA41 (Wawona turnoff). Just before the tunnel, turn into the parking lot on either the right or the left side of the road. Watch out for buses, tourists, kids, dogs, etc. This spot is called Valley View and is world famous for its view of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls and Half Dome. It is also very busy. It is worth the stop, I think:
When you leave Valley View, go back down hill the way you came. You will go past Bridal Veil Falls (viewable from Valley View) and rejoin the road into the valley. Continue on into Yosemite Valley.
I usually make a stop at Camp Curry for a soda, potty break, etc. I then tour around through the valley, past the campgrounds, past the Ahwanee Lodge, through Yosemite Village and back out the way I came in. Gorgeous scenery; usually a lot of traffic, too (in the valley).
On the way back out, turn right at the junction of CA140 and CA120. Turn right (north) on CA120 back out past Crane Flat.
Continue north on CA120 past Buck Meadows, through Groveland, Big Oak Flat, down a 5 mile nothing-but-curves stretch called Priests Grade, past the Moccasin power plant, past Don Pedro Reservoir.
Continue on CA120 to China Camp and the junction with CA49. Turn right (north) on CA49.
Continue on CA49 to the junction with CA108. Turn right (east) on CA108/CA49.
Continue on CA108/CA49 through Jamestown, past Railtown 1897 (worth a visit if you have time and like trains), to the junction with CA49 just before Sonora. Turn left (north) on CA49.
Continue on CA49 through Sonora. When you get to the deadend at Main Street in Sonora, turn left (north). That is CA49. Sonora is a neat town if you have time to stop.
Continue on CA49 through the gold rush towns of Columbia (slight side trip if you have time – stage coach rides, etc.), Angels Camp (of “celebrated jumping frog” fame), San Andreas, Mokelumne Hill, Jackson, Sutter Creek (neat little town), Amador City, Dry Town, Plymouth (in the heart of the new “wine country”), El Dorado, Diamond Springs and, finally, Placerville.
Gasoline:
You are in the boonies. Gas stops are few and far between. You need to plan your stops fairly carefully, depending on the time of year. The earlier in the spring and the later in the fall, the more distance between gas pumps, particularly in Yosemite.
You will find gasoline in:
Placerville Camino Pollock Pines outside of Sly Park Reservoir at Kirkwood (this is about 40 miles from Sly Park and is VERY expensive – at least a dollar more per gallon than the prior station). just beyond Woodfords (about 2 miles south of town at a store back in the woods on the right side of the road; don’t blink or you will miss it – 1 pump, 87 octane only) sometimes at Markleeville; one time the station is open, the next it is not… at Walker on US395 (this is about 40 miles beyond the pump near Woodfords) at Bridgeport at Lee Vining (this is 51 miles after the last station if you took the side trip to Bodie) at Tuolomne Meadows in Yosemite during the summer season. at Crane Flat in Yosemite most of the time (this is 71 miles from Lee Vining; it is about 40 miles into Yosemite Valley and back to Crane Flat – no gas available any more in Yosemite Valley). Buck Meadows Groveland Big Oak Flat China Camp Sonora Jackson all the gold rush towns north of Jackson except Drytown which really is dry…
Food:
There are stores in a number of locations and restaurants and cafes in most of the towns, villages and hamlets along the way except for Bodie.
Lodging:
There are resorts, motels and campgrounds in many spots along the route except for Bodie.
Speed, time:
Allow plenty of time. Except for a couple of stretches on Mormon Emigrant Trail and along US395 and CA120, most of this route is winding and fairly slow going. Many stretches are very winding and down to 30-40mph. I can do the whole trip in 14 hours if I stop for 30 minutes at Bodie, 45 minutes at Lee Vining, 20 minutes at Camp Curry and not much else. If you are doing the trip in two days, Lee Vining is about the perfect half-way point. The whole trip is about 450 miles.
Cautions:
Gas stops can be few and far between. Heed the gaps in the above list and you should be OK.
The scenery is so drop-dead gorgeous, I have to be careful not to run off the road. I also have to be careful not to stop too often or I will never get anywhere. Every other corner is a photo-op. You are in, around, over and through the Sierra Nevada mountain range for most of this trip.
You will be going from about a 1000 foot elevation to 10000 feet. The temperatures, even in the summer can range from the high 40s (at Bodie and Tioga Pass) to the 90s (in Yosemite Valley and going north on CA49 through the gold rush towns); you will need to dress accordingly.
Because of the long stretches without services, I usually carry liquid for drinking with me.
Most of the passes on this route are closed in the winter so it pays to check with Cal Trans Road Information before going to be sure that the roads are open.
Summary:
This is a wonderful trip. Gorgeous scenery, wonderful motorcycling, tons of western US history. It is a visual feast. I’ve been over this exact loop 6 or 8 times and never tire of it.
Although the trip can be done in one fourteen hour day, I would recommend doing it over two days. The Honda Pacific Coast is the only motorcycle I’ve ever owned that was comfortable enough to ride that many hours in one day.
Editor’s note: I am preserving Leland Sheppard’s PC800-related content after his passing. This is one of his pages that I felt the PC800 community would want to have preserved. Leland may be on his final Iron Butt ride but he is not forgotten.
Description:
Except for a 3 or 4 mile stretch up on Georgetown Divide on CA193, this loop is almost all corners and is a bunch of fun. I take it every chance I get.
The map reflects the fact that I usually start and end at my house which is just a few miles from this route.
A good place to gather and start from is the cluster of businesses on CA49 just past the American River Bridge in Lotus. There are places along there to stop for refreshments and a break and enough parking spots for bikes to gather.
The perfect time to try this loop is on a Sunday afternoon about 1PM. There will be almost no traffic anywhere on the route at that time (major grin).
Try it. You might like it!
Cautions:
Be careful in the winter. There are sections of this road that see very little sunshine and will be damp after a rain and could be slippery if the temperature is low enough.
The Route:
Start from CA49 just past the American River Bridge near Coloma and Lotus.
Head northwest on CA49, toward Auburn, Cool and Pilot Hill.
Turn right on Marshall Grade Road toward Garden Valley.
Go through Garden Valley. At the end of the main street, Marshall Grade Road takes a ninety degree bend to the left and narrows considerably. This is still Marshall Grade Road.
Continue on to the stop sign in Georgetown.
Turn right onto Wentworth Springs Road.
Go to the stop sign about a block up the road.
Turn right on CA 193 and head south toward Placerville.
Continue on down into the American River Canyon and up the other side, past Chili Bar, toward Placerville.
At the stop sign with CA49, turn right and head toward Coloma and Auburn.
Continue on CA49 through Coloma to the starting point just past the bridge.
