Skibolds and Surfdogs Do Kernville and More! 4/17/2009

Skibolds and Surfdogs Do Kernville and More! 4/17/2009

Skibolds and Surfdogs do Kernville and more!

---

   Mr. and Mrs. Skibold mentioned they were going for a ride up Kernville way and would we care to join them if possible?   Lucky for me my work calendar was clear for that weekend and so Dee and I met up with them at the 178 and Hwy 14 on Saturday morning. They would be riding until Tuesday and we only had the weekend but it was well worth it We made our first stop at the McCambridge Lodge in Kernville to leave some of our gear before tackling Caliente - Bodfish Road and returning on Breckenridge Road. Here’s the view from our rooms.

Once we unpacked we hit the new local barbeque joint and with our stomachs a little heavier and our bikes a little lighter we headed for Caliente- Bodfish road. The flowers were everywhere making for a bright yellow and white carpet!

One last parting shot from Caliente-Bodfish.

Then we were going to make the return loop on Breckenridge Road. We were surprised to find the hills were brown at the lower elevations but it wasn’t long before we were back in the green and flowers and we learned the true meaning of goat road!

It was my understanding that Skibold had it on good authority (i.e. Law Dawg) that the way should be clear for us on Breckenridge Road but alas such was not the case!  We began to encounter a strange slippery white substance.

This substance leads to my first spill on this bike (If anyone finds a chrome throttle grip cap some where above pine flats please let me know!). I was humbled when the rest of the group made it thru unscathed. Lucky for us a pickup was behind us, and the driver was able to let us know that we only had 2,000 feet in elevation left to climb . So began our descent.   We made a run back to Kernville on 178 wondering if we had enough petrol left to make it there.

The next morning we had a hearty meal of oatmeal and oranges and headed up the 99 toward Johnsondale where we heard that the road was closed. It was. but with Ken pointing out the way there was never any doubt we would find a way thru.

From there we headed south and rode the most beautiful 155 toward the valley where we parted with Ken and Gail who continued their ride while we headed home.

It’s amazing how many great roads there are to ride in these areas. It makes me look forward to the ride to the Pashnit gathering even more!
Looking forward to see Ken and Gail's photos added to this post soon!