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Tioga Pass officially open today

Started by 395fun2drive, June 29, 2017, 08:40:34 PM

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395fun2drive



Max Rockatansky

I'm heading over next Thursday and I already have my hotel booked in Mammoth.  I'm really looking forward to not only Tioga but Bodie in addition to some eastern Sierra roadways I haven't tried yet like Whitney Portal.

gonealookin

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 30, 2017, 02:35:06 AM
I'm heading over next Thursday and I already have my hotel booked in Mammoth.  I'm really looking forward to not only Tioga but Bodie in addition to some eastern Sierra roadways I haven't tried yet like Whitney Portal.

Tioga Pass Road is a gorgeous drive, but the view directly out your windshield is almost always of the rear end of Fred and Ethel's Winnebago.  Don't expect much of an average speed on that route.

Mammoth Lakes is a pleasant town, very busy in the summer.  The National Park Service extension of CA 203 down to Devils Postpile remains closed, indefinitely, due to winter storm damage.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: gonealookin on June 30, 2017, 12:49:58 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 30, 2017, 02:35:06 AM
I'm heading over next Thursday and I already have my hotel booked in Mammoth.  I'm really looking forward to not only Tioga but Bodie in addition to some eastern Sierra roadways I haven't tried yet like Whitney Portal.

Tioga Pass Road is a gorgeous drive, but the view directly out your windshield is almost always of the rear end of Fred and Ethel's Winnebago.  Don't expect much of an average speed on that route.

Mammoth Lakes is a pleasant town, very busy in the summer.  The National Park Service extension of CA 203 down to Devils Postpile remains closed, indefinitely, due to winter storm damage.

Hence why I usually leave Fresno at 330 AM on a Tioga Pass day....I usually cross half a dozen times a year.  :-D   Really I have the Bodie via Tioga part down to a science at this point, makes for a wonder little day trip IMO.  I'm thinking that I'll head south through the Mojave and take Walker Pass maybe to get back the day after.  I'm more interested in photo clinching 203 this year, the Postpile is almost not worth the effort with the summer shuttle buses.

NE2

Quote from: gonealookin on June 30, 2017, 12:49:58 PM
Tioga Pass Road is a gorgeous drive, but the view directly out your windshield is almost always of the rear end of Fred and Ethel's Winnebago.
So drive the same speed as the Winnebago but some distance back. Duh.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

sparker

Quote from: NE2 on June 30, 2017, 03:47:26 PM
Quote from: gonealookin on June 30, 2017, 12:49:58 PM
Tioga Pass Road is a gorgeous drive, but the view directly out your windshield is almost always of the rear end of Fred and Ethel's Winnebago.
So drive the same speed as the Winnebago but some distance back. Duh.

If said Winnebago is traveling at a reasonable and appropriate speed, then yes, that's a solution.  Unfortunately, too often Fred and/or Ethel are quasi-paralyzed by fear of the mountainous road and are effectively functioning as "road boulders" (hint: if you're frightened by such roads, don't drive on them!).  This might be minimally tolerable if they took advantage of the plethora of turnouts deployed for exactly that purpose -- but more often than not, whoever is driving is staring straight ahead, transfixed by what's 10 feet in front of them and oblivious to such niceties as turnouts or passing lanes.  And this observation is being written by (technically) a senior citizen!

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on July 02, 2017, 03:25:01 AM
Quote from: NE2 on June 30, 2017, 03:47:26 PM
Quote from: gonealookin on June 30, 2017, 12:49:58 PM
Tioga Pass Road is a gorgeous drive, but the view directly out your windshield is almost always of the rear end of Fred and Ethel's Winnebago.
So drive the same speed as the Winnebago but some distance back. Duh.

If said Winnebago is traveling at a reasonable and appropriate speed, then yes, that's a solution.  Unfortunately, too often Fred and/or Ethel are quasi-paralyzed by fear of the mountainous road and are effectively functioning as "road boulders" (hint: if you're frightened by such roads, don't drive on them!).  This might be minimally tolerable if they took advantage of the plethora of turnouts deployed for exactly that purpose -- but more often than not, whoever is driving is staring straight ahead, transfixed by what's 10 feet in front of them and oblivious to such niceties as turnouts or passing lanes.  And this observation is being written by (technically) a senior citizen!

The real tricky thing is that most people who aren't from the West Coast don't even know what a pull-out is, much less what they are purposed for.  Tioga Pass isn't exactly a "treacherous" road in my opinion, the only daunting views on the modern road is in Lee Vining Canyon...but even still you are pretty far away from the cliff-face.  The speed limit in Yosemite for Tioga Pass Road is usually pretty generous too with plenty of 45 MPH zones instead of the draconian constant 25/35 MPH that the Wawona Road presents.  That being the case I've usually found it fairly easily to pass RVers on Tioga Pass Road whereas on Wawona you stand little to no chance.  Tioga Pass Road has a lot more overlook/view points that draw people off the road, whether they be the RVer in front of you or indeed yourself.  Nonetheless, the further you get from Yosemite Valley the further the head count for other drivers drops dramatically.

Roadgeekteen

God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

sparker

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 02, 2017, 11:24:37 PM
It does not open untill
July! Why?

Extraordinarily heavy snowpack this year results in lots of water weight on muddy slopes (particularly with canyon roads carved out of hillsides); this subsequently causes mud flow as the snow melts, taking the loosened upper layer of mud with it downslope.  Roads that were covered with snow now are covered with a mixture of slush and mud; this year this layer is thicker than most and will take time to clear away.  The configuration of the Tioga road makes it particularly prone to this sort of occurrence; thus the late opening date. 

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on July 02, 2017, 11:55:19 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 02, 2017, 11:24:37 PM
It does not open untill
July! Why?

Extraordinarily heavy snowpack this year results in lots of water weight on muddy slopes (particularly with canyon roads carved out of hillsides); this subsequently causes mud flow as the snow melts, taking the loosened upper layer of mud with it downslope.  Roads that were covered with snow now are covered with a mixture of slush and mud; this year this layer is thicker than most and will take time to clear away.  The configuration of the Tioga road makes it particularly prone to this sort of occurrence; thus the late opening date.

Not to mention that there was some active avalanche zones that were a problem towards the head with the heavy snow pack.  Really I'm surprised that it got open by the holiday, seemed like it was kind of questionable given how much water will be on the roadway.

kkt

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 02, 2017, 11:24:37 PM
It does not open untill
July! Why?

It all depends on the snowpack.  It's more typical to open in late May.
Here's a list of past opening dates, back to 1980:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm


Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kkt on July 07, 2017, 03:49:00 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 02, 2017, 11:24:37 PM
It does not open untill
July! Why?

It all depends on the snowpack.  It's more typical to open in late May.
Here's a list of past opening dates, back to 1980:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

Speaking of Trans-Sierra routes, it looks like CA 4 over Ebbetts Pass finally opened up as well, that was the last route this year:

http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

sparker

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 07, 2017, 04:46:53 PM
Quote from: kkt on July 07, 2017, 03:49:00 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 02, 2017, 11:24:37 PM
It does not open untill
July! Why?

It all depends on the snowpack.  It's more typical to open in late May.
Here's a list of past opening dates, back to 1980:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

Speaking of Trans-Sierra routes, it looks like CA 4 over Ebbetts Pass finally opened up as well, that was the last route this year:

http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

Well, the passes are all open -- in time for this year's premature and particularly dangerous fire season -- which will in all likelihood close more than a few of them over the course of the summer & fall!

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on July 12, 2017, 01:30:54 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 07, 2017, 04:46:53 PM
Quote from: kkt on July 07, 2017, 03:49:00 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 02, 2017, 11:24:37 PM
It does not open untill
July! Why?

It all depends on the snowpack.  It's more typical to open in late May.
Here's a list of past opening dates, back to 1980:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

Speaking of Trans-Sierra routes, it looks like CA 4 over Ebbetts Pass finally opened up as well, that was the last route this year:

http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

Well, the passes are all open -- in time for this year's premature and particularly dangerous fire season -- which will in all likelihood close more than a few of them over the course of the summer & fall!

I haven't looked into the Forest Service website but I would have to imagine that the Schaeffer Fire either has or likely will shut down Sherman Pass Road at some point.  The smoke from that fire pretty easily seen from Lake Isabella on CA 178 the other day:

IMG_2125 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr



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