Final Descent to the Valley on Big Oak Flat Road
Ride Stats: 42.81 miles, 1,846’ Ascent, 5,966’ Descent!
Only our second day on the bikes with more than double the distance to reach the Upper Pines campground at the end of the Valley. We were now wise to the fact that “mostly downhill” didn’t mean there weren’t long stretches of hills to climb - it was going to be a long day, but our spirits were high. The smoke from the Dome Fire had dissipated, almost as quickly as it had appeared, restoring our hope for clear skies down below.
The landscape had dramatically changed from the day before. Granite mounds receded into the distance and the expanse of lodgepole pines rose up around us, some standing tall, and others blackened shards of their former selves. As we rode along hillsides covered in charred remains, we wondered how long their recovery would take in these persistent drought conditions. It certainly made me feel thankful for our fire-fighters, for every tree still standing tall, and all those young starts waiting for their chance to rise up alongside their kin.
At Siesta Lake, we checked our watches and realized in a little over two hours we had only covered 10 miles, once again climbing about as much as we had descended. It was almost noon and we still had over 30 miles left. The “mostly downhill” needed to start soon or we might not make it in time for our celebratory pizza in Curry Village!! So what did we do…propped our bikes on a fallen tree to capture the intense and vibrant beauty of the fall colors carpeting the ground around the lake, of course!?!
Fortunately, just past the lake, the descent commenced with fervor, as the road dropped into a beautiful ravine for miles. Finally, an eye-watering, armchair view at speeds tempered only by the intensity of our grip on the brakes. Well…that, and the number of motorists lined up behind us, only then would we ease our way into the next pullout, before reclaiming our place in the middle of the lane. Just as we were about to take off from another pullout, we spotted a bike-packer hammering his way up the hill, his mate not far behind. They made their way across the road to greet us and marvel at our “setup.” Full of youth and vigor, with not even half the amount of gear, they were here from Germany to ride through the Americas, starting in Anchorage, ending in Ushuaia. I still wonder at what age, we will finally check that box….that unfinished business up North still tugs at my soul.
Near Tammarack Flat campground, a pullout with sitting rocks and unobstructed trees to lean our bikes was all we required to take a brief respite for a meager refuel. In the last 14 miles, we had finally dropped over 2,000’ and reached our halfway mark at just past 1:30pm. After finishing the last of our crackers and jerky - the mere thought of pizza felt euphoric, and we just might make it after all!
After what felt like endless roller hills, just past the Tuolumne Grove we arrived at Crane Flat fuel station and the intersection onto Big Oak Flat Road. Excited to have finally reached our last big descent of the day (2,346’ of descent in 9.5 miles), we were also a bit anxious to discover the road conditions along this next stretch, anticipating our return trip, four days later to camp at Crane Flat on our way out of the park.
To our surprise, the intersection was snarled in lines of traffic from both directions with a flagger in between attempting to regulate the flow. We assumed there was road construction in the direction we were headed and began snaking our way along the edge of the road to the start of the line. From there it was shockingly evident this was not road construction, but some serious forest clearing on both sides of the road! It wasn’t until we reached the Valley that we found the sign explaining crews were thinning the forest as part of fire prevention and restoration efforts. For what felt like miles, tractors, diggers and stacks of freshly downed trees lined the road. Not knowing what was taking place, it was unsettling. Even though the flaggers meant we had breaks in the flow of traffic coming up behind us, the road, itself, compounded my ill ease. There was almost no shoulder, certainly none on the inside lane, and very few pull-outs, rough patches of tarmac, and rock walls around tight corners. By the time we reached the scenic viewpoint, I was convinced we had to find another way to return to Crane Flat.
Needless to say all of my “worry” dampened my elation at our first sighting of Half Dome, but I did recover…eventually, after pizza…
Past the viewpoint, just as we entered the first tunnel, a cyclist on a road bike shot past us at lightening speed. I couldn’t believe it when Nivaun started bombing ahead to catch him as we exited the second and longest tunnel. Then I saw he had stopped just ahead, apparently waiting for us? Strangely enough, it was the guy we had contacted on “Warm Showers” who lives just outside the park. Somehow, he made the connection as he shot by us on his way into the Valley. Such crazy timing…only on a bike….
We managed to survive the rest of our descent, and arrived at the Valley floor just after 4 pm, with only 7 miles of flat road between us and our reward ~ pizza and beers! But, hanger aside…
It didn’t take long for the magnitude of our surroundings to take hold. The granite cliffs towering some 5,000’ above our heads filled us with immense gratitude to finally be here in their presence. Along the way, we stopped at Fern Spring, another recommendation from the climber we met in Tuolumne, to fill up our drink bottles with pristine Yosemite snowmelt presumably from the ribbon of liquid gold still plummeting over the cliff at Bridalveil Falls. Then, a brief and sobering stop at the sign, marking where Muir spoke with President Roosevelt in 1903 about preserving “priceless remnants of America’s wilderness.” At this point in history, it was a hit to the gut. Even decades later, the fight is not over.
