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April 14 Update:
Here is the scoop on the camping at Indian Grinding Rock, including details on Friday night camping: There are two sets of sites. One is a group site at the north end of the park. It is about ¼ mile down a narrow gravel road that comes in from the right a hundred feet of so before the park entrance kiosk (look for the words “authorized only” and turn there anyway). This is an environmental site which means 1) its gorgeous and secluded, 2) you get to walk with your gear from the gravel parking turnout, about 200 yards 3) you take whatever water you will need .This site is rented for Saturday night only. At this location are a bank of picnic tables, and seven bark huts about nine feet in diameter to be used for sleeping. Bring a ground cloth as the floor is hard-pack. The use of tents is discouraged and you may not be able to find a spot to pitch a two-man shelter.
The main campground is on the south side of the park and the sites are accessible by paved road. If you would like Friday night camping email me by noon the day of and I will “assign” you a site which you should be willing to share. The sites are not reserved so we will need to have four nailed down for Friday night. I will reimburse club members for up to four sites ($12 each), so scope out the situation if you arrive after other riders. A couple members plan on arriving early.
The 5 p.m. meeting will be held at the group environmental site at the north end of the park. Take the trail on the north side of the main campground, bear left and follow it around the west edge of the meadow to the environmental site.
To GS/Adventure riders: How quickly things change. The county came in and repaired the crossing on Hawver near Jesus- Maria Road. What was a wild stream now runs tamely through culverts underlying the concrete road bed. The rocky exit has been repaired and graded. The road as a whole is not difficult for the average GSer and the views are not to be missed.
Email me if you have any question or would like Friday night camping.
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Our April meeting will be held at the group camping area at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, located approximately two miles north of Rt 88, nine miles east of Jackson. Camping will be in two different locations in the park and Friday night camping will be available upon request. Be sure to see the website update mid-month for further information regarding these sites. Please determine which type of site you would prefer to inhabit….and read the prospectus carefully before investing. (A hint for experienced/GS riders- think gravel road, secluded, and environmental).
We will depart at 9 a.m. from the Buttercup Grill at 660 Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek, CA 94596. (phone 925-932-2763).
Since we can’t get there from here, upon departure, we will first circle the block (excited already, eh?) and pick upYgnacio Valley Road heading east. We will find Clayton Road, hang a right, and continue as it merges into Marsh Creek Road. At that point we will free ourselves from most suburban congestion as we continue on and pick up Camino Diablo. We will cut north on the Byron Highway and pick up Rt-4 , taking it to S Fresno Ave on the west side of Stockton.
The first break will be at the Valero on the northeast corner there. We will continue north on Fresno Ave, hop on the Cross-town Freeway (Rt 4), and exit at SR-99 N. and take SR-126 east. SR-126 merges with SR-12. We will take that combo 8.2 miles to SR-49 N. From here, lunch will be a bounce away in the town of San Andreas at the Patio Drive-In. There are at least two other restaurants in town for your dining enjoyment.
For the afternoon portion of the journey we will set out from “The Patio” and make a quick left onto Main Street, heading north out of town. We will pick up Gold Strike Road for several miles and return to SR-49 N towards the town of Mokolume Hill.
Experienced GS riders will appreciate this side trip: Off Gold Strike Road take Hawver Road north and continue as it becomes dirt and gravel. This single-lane track winds around several miles of lush open hillside (great views) and is not well maintained. Due to the inconsistent melting of the Sierra snow pack, I cannot vouch for the depth of the wide stream you will encounter just before Hawver rejoins the tour route at Jesus-Maria Road. Rosary bead are optional, but be prepared for rocks on the exit!
The K and I will be leading all others out SR-26 from M.H. and picking up Jesus- Maria, to Railroad Flat Road, Ridge Road, and back up the hill onto SR-26/104. There is an adequate supply of foliage along this route and we may take a break somewhere in this area. From 26/104 we will make a right at Joyce Road and take it to Rt 88. If you wish to get to the camping site early you can bail out here, make a left and follow the signs to the park. The rest of us will be continuing on the most scenic part of the ride, up 88 E as it winds up the mountain side to Fiddletown-Silver Lake road. With a left there, and a merge left onto Shake Ridge Road, we will cut couth on Charleston Road to the picturesque town of Volcano, CA. We will take Pine-Grove Volcano Road to the park The 23-site campground is a mile and some down the road, at the second (southerly) entrance to the park.
As always, new riders and non-members are welcome to come to our tours and meetings. Email me at lenij@comcast.net with any questions. Generally we meet for breakfast about an hour before departure. If you are among the first to arrive, please request a table where a dozen of us can sit together. We will start the ride with a short meeting to go over safety rules and to distribute maps and directions. Please be on time, and as always leave with a full tank and an empty…..well, you know the drill. Please ride within your limits.
Please contact me with any questions:lenij@comcast.net
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