45 Days on a Gen3 Hayabusa - 2023 Pashnit Touring

[pashnit]

You can sort of make out downtown San Jose at center. This valley or basin is The South Bay.

You can't go inside. That's a bummer. Imagine the view from the top.

This summit is 3400 ft. Not too high, but it's got a 360 degree view from up here.

 

[pashnit]

When my buddy first told me about this place and started talking about the twisty ride to the summit, first thing I did was check my maps. No road existed. It's brand new he said, they just repaved it to the summit, the ride to Mount Um opened in late 2017.

If you are into mountain bikes, there are trails everywhere

No mountain bikes for me, just the Hayabusa. And that's a glimpse of the ride up here

 

[pashnit]

Hiking?

Bay Area NEXRAD weather radar still in operation up here

 

[pashnit]

San Jose down there and the urban sprawl of the South Bay Area

On a clear day with no haze, you can see the next 'sister' in the distance, Mount Hamilton, it's nearby, but all twisty roads to get there.

 

[pashnit]

Headed for the next 'Sister'

Headed out of the South Bay, can barely make out 'The Cube' on the other range in the distance

 

[pashnit]

Looking down on downtown San Jose, this time we're in the east bay

 

[pashnit]

Multiple hairpins, and they're steep!

 

[pashnit]

 

[pashnit]

Climbing up to Mount Hamilton, this region burned in a lightning-caused wildfire in August 2020. Very edge of the south Bay Area up against very populated areas. All this region is wide open now, it's just scrub here, not high enough for forests, still a very dry climate.

Only rains here in winter & spring. But the wildfire opened up all the sightlines. You can see a long way off as the road twists up the range, super twisty and tight turns with many hairpins. The Busa loves it. Fresh pavement too!

 

[pashnit]

The ride to Mount Hamilton is twisty. It goes something like this: 365 curves in 18 miles with multiple steep hairpins.

Very little traffic out here, but bicyclists love this route. Lots of bicycles.

 

[pashnit]

Atop Mount Hamilton is Lick Observatory

 

[pashnit]

Not many people up here - just me on top of the mountain

 

[pashnit]

Three Sisters is one of my new motorcycle tours for the 2024 tour season, we'll be up here again soon.

This mountaintop ride is just one of the sister peaks that surround the San Francisco Bay Area

People used to live up here, researchers and astronomers with their families. There was even a small school atop the mountain & they had their own zip code. In present day, the telescopes are all operated remotely now.

James Lick negotiated that Santa Clara County construct a "first-class road" to the summit, completed in 1876. This road to the summit was built for horse-drawn wagons. All of the construction materials had to be brought to the site on wagons pulled by horse and mules which could not negotiate a steep grade. To keep the grade below 6.5%, the road had to take a very winding and sinuous path, which the modern-day road still follows.

Tradition maintains that this road has 365 turns in 18 miles.

 

[pashnit]

It's currently fall and it hasn't rained in months, but come here in spring, and the grassy hills are bright green

Telescopes everywhere up here

After effects of the 2020 wildfire that reached all the way to the top of the summit.

Considerable effort went into firefighting and saving the telescopes & observatory. No buildings were lost in the 2020 wildfire.

 

[pashnit]

Mount Umunhum is our previous mountain top with 'The Cube'

 

[pashnit]

 

[pashnit]

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

I moved over here in 2017 so it’s been that long since I rode up there. Been up and over several times. Coming down the east side I used to stop at a lil hamburger stand that I think has disappeared now. Surprising how desolate it is up there considering the population of the South Bay just down the hill. Nice pics Tim.

 

[pashnit]

I moved over here in 2017 so it’s been that long since I rode up there. Been up and over several times. Coming down the east side I used to stop at a lil hamburger stand that I think has disappeared now. Surprising how desolate it is up there considering the population of the South Bay just down the hill. Nice pics Tim.

Terry, I think you're referring to The Junction. A tiny little restaurant <at a junction> in the middle of nowhere. I'd like to use this place as my lunch stop this coming tour season. And you are right, there's nothing out there, yet a zillion people live just a few miles away in the East Bay and the South Bay.

 

[Tenderfoot]

The Junction, Petticoat Junction! Sorry I had to.