Last couple of days I was wrestless and needed to get out...get lost... recharge my batteries...it is going to be long 2 weeks at work...

I desided to get to the high country and see how much snow we had this wnter....

You will see several pictures in this post that has this Orange...it is placed there for a reason - Foto Assigment #50 - Think Orange

Ok let's me get you up to speed what is going on here. I left Merced around 10am couple of hours later I was turning on Sky Ranch road (also marked as USForest Road 10) and headed up in to the mountains...

At around 6000ft I encountered snow....a lot of snow...I mandged to cross several snow drifts (just like in this video - Click Here) but the higher I got the snow drifts got larger and deeper too...untill it just covered entire road as far you can see...

The country here was beutiful...sunny sky, fresh air...not a single soul for a miles...

So I spend some time just walking around, kicking back and taking pictures...

I walked down the road to see how deep the snow drifts are...at some places it was still up to my chest and that is way too deep for me or my bike....

So I took my Orange Picture and headed several miles back to try a different road...

At the intersection where the roads split I stopped to confirm the direction on my map (old school - map and compass) and noticed....

...that my Suppertrap dummy exaust is not straight...

At the closer look I find out that I lost one of the bolts bolts and the bracket is snapped from the tention and vibration...

So I finished to brake that stupid bracket off. I was glad it did not happened while I was driving...and saved me from backtracking and looking for it all over the mountains....

Here is another shot...

So I strapped my exaust to the back (god bless the person who came up with bungy coard) and continued my trip...

...just to find out that this road is also covered by snow...

I was not excided about going all the way back where I came from...but I did not had any other options...

But my luck turned upside down and after several miles I found another forest road that acording my map should take me straight to the Bass Lake...

6S40 turned out to be nerrow, twisted and rocky road but it was at much lower elevation and exept large water puddles and mud it did not had a snow...so I reached Bass Lake in no time...

Another rest stop ...

..some pictures and I was on the road again...

From the Bass Lake I drowe to North Fork and from there I headed East, back to the mountains....

The last spring poppies...soon all the hills willbe dry and dead..

My destination was a Mile High Vista point...it has a spectacular views of Sierra Nevada range...

Mammoth Pool Reservoir

I took another Orange Picture... turned my bike around and headed back West...to the great San Joaquin Valley, town in the midlle of nowhere called Firebaugh to meet my wifeat here moms to celebrate Mothers day...

Next morning I got up, got some coffe...udjusted my brocken eaxaust that was still strapped on the back of my bike and headed Weast to the Coastal Range Mountains...

The views here are totaly different...

..I do not have to worry about the snow drifts here....

Later in the morning it got actualy hot...and I could only dream about shady forest, cold snow and ice cold streams running left and right...meanwhile I was riding in the dust cloud and grinding the sand in my mouth....

Cool old sign...

I stopped at Mercey Hot Springs to rest for a minute in the shade...drink some water and eat my Orange...

From there I drove back to the hills to play...

This one was one steep hill...I stopped for a minute on the top...and almost turn around...

...almost...

I spend several hours riding throught a maze of the roads up here...

Discovering all sort of wierd stuff....like this strange "thing" with a little bunker next to it...

...or this "thing"...strange...very strange....

...and then this ...hey! That is my own bike... I better get back before I lose my mind or get upducted by some aliens....

Last stop on the way home...CA Aqueduct pumping station...this aqueduct delivers drinking water to 20,000,000 people....