My neighbor Dale and I, both having a deep love for motorcycling but sometimes lacking in incentive, agreed to try and turn around our off-roading hiatus by signing up for a beginner-level dual sport ride through one of the most beautiful places on earth, Yosemite Valley. We chose Family Off-Road Adventures Yosemite Adventure Tour 2017. http://www.familyoffroadadventures.com/schedule/yosemite-adventure-tour
So we loaded up our noble steeds and set out for our wonderful adventure together. We stayed in Buck Meadows with 150 other riders, one of which was riding a fully loaded Harley Davidsen towing a trailer! As you can see, this was a fun ride, not a race. The next morning, we all gathered for the Event Staff kickoff speech, checked our GPS units for accuracy, and headed on down the road
We were encouraged to explore on our way to the lunch spot in Coulterville, so we surely did. Within 30 minutes, Dale and I found a friend named Stuart who was riding a KTM 1190. He had lost his posse, and so we let him join with us. He was quite a skilled rider as he kept up with us no problem. We took him onto some quite challenging terrain that tested our ability to lift the KTM beast over a downed tree amidst a landslide blocking our progress.
We finally made it to Coulterville, but we lost Stuart along the way to a flat front tire caused by a bent rim. Lunch was provided, and good conversation was everywhere as like-minded people shared stories.
On our way back, we found some great vista points.
I unfortunately ran out of gas on the way back, and Dale had to save me by transferring gas from his tank to mine via an old Budweiser can. Right on cue, 4 riders came out of nowhere to provide some good-natured ribbing, making comments about how KTMs run on Budweiser. That evening was a BBQ and raffle was held at Tuolumne Trails, an amazing camp for disable teens and adults.
Day Two: Today was all pavement riding, but that was OK because we were going to be entering Yosemite Park. Dale and I made a side trip to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and were very glad we did.
After Hetch Hetchy, we hit the road for Yosemite Valley. This was one of the most memorable locations I have ever ridden a motorcyle. The Valley floor was only opened the Monday prior to our arrival due to flooding, but this same water content made for some amazing waterfalls (some 200 or more I heard on the radio).
After a long day of riding, we began our long drive home. I highly recommend this Family Fun Ride to all rider levels that are looking for a nice, easy weekend. They are throwing the same exact ride in the Fall if you are interested.
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