Thursday, October 4 - Sunday, October 7
Road Captain: Phil
Departure Time: 8:30 am
Departing From: Santa Maria Harley-Davidson

CE - Closed Event. THIS RIDE IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

Map & Proposed Route to Oakhurst:
http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.com/rideplanner/share/455646

PLEASE ARRIVE 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO RECEIVE A PRE-RIDE BRIEFING!

PLEASE BRING YOUR SM HOG MEMBERSHIP CARD FOR CURRENT STATUS!

We will depart from Santa Maria Harley-Davidson at 8:30 am and head north on Hwy. 101, stopping along the way in Arroyo-Grande for additional riders that have signed up at the K-Mart parking lot (if needed) and then ride to Paso Robles where we will take Hwy. 46 and onto the 41 east on to Oakhurst with stops in Kettlemen City and Fresno (Mathews Harley Davidson and Fresno Harley Davidson). I will be making reservations at the Yosemite Gateway Inn which is a Best Western Plus.

For more on the hotel you can visit: http://www.yosemitegatewayinn.com/index.html

Right now on day two the plan after breakfast is to head to Yosemite National Park and make the several stops while in the park. We are 14-miles from the south entrance to the park. Entry fee into the park is $10 unless you have a National Park Pass. First we will head to check out Mariposa Grove with the Giant Sequoias. Back on the road to our next detour to Glacier Point and Badger Pass. This will offer us a birds eye view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome and the High Sierra. From here we will head towards Yosemite Valley. Along the route we will pass through the 'Tunnel View'. This viewpoint offers a beautiful panorama of Yosemite Valley with El Capitan on the left, Bridalveil Fall on the right and Half Dome in the center. The lookout is located on Highway 41 at the western end of the valley. From here we will head towards El Capitan. Rising 3,593 feet from the valley and 7,569 feet above sea level, El Capitan is a breath taking sight. Favored by expert rock climbers from all part of the world, El Capitan is the largest exposed granite monolith in the world. In fact, El Capitan Yosemite is almost twice the height of the rock of Gibraltar! After we tour the 'Yosemite Loop' with stops at the Ahwahnee Hotel, the Visitors Center, and Museum we will head out of the park on Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) and work our way back to Oakhurst for the evening. This year we will leave the Yosemite loop earlier than last year so we don't get hung up with all the other people trying to get out of the park at the same time! At least that is the plan....

Day 3 we'll head back into Yosemite and head across Highway 120 (Tioga Pass Road)...weather permitting...and over to Mono Lake, north on Highway 395 to Bridgeport, to Sonora Junction where we will pick up Highway 108 and we'll go through Strawberry, Twin Harte, Sonora and into Jamestown where we will make a stop at Jamestown Harley Davidson. Leaving Jamestown on Highway 108 we will turn south onto Highway 120/49 and back to Oakhurst.

Day 4 will be an easy ride back home traveling on the same route that got us there.

Visit this link to Yosemite: http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

Day One destination / termination point for the ride: Oakhurst
Day Two destination / termination point for the ride: Oakhurst
Day Three destination / termination point for the ride: Oakhurst
Day Four destination / termination point for the ride: Santa Maria area

Friday, October 5th Ride:
http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.com/rideplanner/share/428536

Saturday, October 6th Ride:
http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.com/rideplanner/share/435165

PLEASE ARRIVE 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO RECEIVE A PRE-RIDE BRIEFING!

Please contact Phil at 805-717-0714 or email me at Philip.Rietz@verizon.net if you have any questions.