Sometimes, having almost no plan is the best. In this particular case, all we had in mind was a long weekend, a destination, a map, and the need to be back sometime on Monday. Really, that's all you need for a perfect weekend of riding in California. On our route to Yosemite National Park—which is on the western side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Central California—we sampled the best twisty back roads we could find, plus an assortment of dusty trails. Along the way, we had the opportunity to feel small in a grove of Giant Sequoias, rummage around a historic mining town, and then soak up the sunset as we cruised south through Malibu on the way home. California truly is the Golden State, and there's no better way to appreciate it than on two wheels, specifically a BMW R1200GS Adventure and a KTM 1190 Adventure R. Enjoy the photos.
Joe McKimmy on the BMW R1200GS Adventure in the wind farms of Tehachapi, California.
Tehachapi wind farm.
Joe negotiates a twisty back road en route to Kernville.
Jeff Allen running out of lean angle on Caliente-Bodfish Road.
One of the many uncrowded back roads in Kern County.
Water break.
Mountain road in the Greenhorns.
?Trail of 100 Giants? grove of Giant Sequoias. These trees are among the oldest living things on earth. Many are more than 1,500 years old.
The Giant Sequoia is the largest tree on earth. I believe it.
Half Dome viewed from Glacier Point inside Yosemite.
Yosemite Valley.
Joe McKimmy.
Jeff Allen.
Half Dome.
That?s the El Capitan vertical rock formation on the left, with Half Dome in the distance.
Long tunnel inside Yosemite National Park.
?Merica.
Magnolia Saloon in Coulterville is a favorite rest stop along Highway 49.
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