Mammoth Lakes 9.26.06

Mammoth Lakes, CAThis has been a spectacular adventure.  I've lived my entire life in California and until now had never visited the Mammoth area, except to pass through towards another destination.  I always think of skiing when I hear someone mention the place, since it's so well known for the sport, and since there is a developer that is hellbent on turning it into the winter sport mecca of the world, or at least North America.  Upon closer inspection, I've found that there are other activities that draw people to the scenic beauty of the area.  Those would be hiking, fishing, and motorcycling.  Who could blame them?  The surrounding mountains contain a vast assortment of rock formations that one could ponder for hours and air that is so clean and fresh that I wondered how anyone survives in the muck of the central valley.  My lungs rejoiced!  Wildlife is abundant-squirrels and birds are everywhere and deer became a common sight as we explored the back roads surrounding the numerous lakes and streams.  Lucky for us, Beemerman is a skillful driver and managed to avoid hitting a doe that decided to bound out in front of us.  Her more timid fawn had, thankfully, waited until we passed to make its way across the road.  Bear crossing signs were frequent and I had hoped to catch a glimpse of one of the many black bears that inhabits the region.  No such luck, though the locals in Mammoth stated that bears are commonly seen prowling the streets in the evening in search of inadequately secured garbage bins.   The beauty made up for the frigid early morning temperatures that hung around the 30 degree mark.  Of course, once we were cruising along the highway turned to somewhere in the 20's.  Once one is acclimated to the colder temps, it doesn't have quite the same impact.  Unfortunately, the climate in the central valley hasn't gotten into winter mode yet, so the cold just seemed to reach into our bodies and settle for a while.  After the sun had been up for an hour or so, the days warmed to a comfortable 65 degrees.  I'm so glad I layered my clothing.On the podcast we talked about Highway 120.  It is worth the drive to Mammoth just to do that road.  I was sooooo much fun!  We've encountered roads with the, shall I call it "upsy-downsy", sort of  humps in them, but none as big and numerous as these.  Those of you that remember the individual tickets for rides at Disneyland will understand when I say this was definitely an "E" ticket ride.  You've got to check out the video footage I took from the back of the bike while we road them.  Hwy 120 Roller coaster RideI found out that Mammoth's road crews are great about clearing the roads of snow, sand/gravel is used instead of salt, so if one dared to brave the much colder temps of winter, riding would be possible.  Of course, that sand/gravel mess would probably create some possible road hazards, but the scenery would be awesome.  Hmmm...I may have to buy some warmer gear and check that out.