Sierra passes open/closed?

Just picked up the news -

Sonora Pass and Ebbetts Pass will be open this weekend
Tioga will be closed.

wheredjagettanews?

CalTrans doesn't say much... what was your source? Only asking because I need to go from Oakhurst to Bishop this weekend.

+1

hhmmm,a little blast up 108 and back on 4...hhmmm.

My source is the Daily Union Democrat, the local Sonora newspaper. A side joke is the while these days they call themselves the Union Democrat, from 1860s-1980s is was called the Daily Union Democrat, or Dud.

Anyway, these passes are vital to the local economies. The day these passes will open is front page headline news, as is the day they close for the winter.

And don't forget the Walker Burger! Can't come all that way and pass up the treat.

Then I dug a little, and came up with a couple of references, one in the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/21/SPGMDIVF071.DTL

Ah yes, the place with a picture window view of the water tanker airplane exploding in mid air. I was there the day before, saw the fire start and the guys who started it (rode right by them......military guys on "patrol")

We reported it at the restaurant. The rest if history. Dumb asses.

I doubt 108 will be open, but we can hope.

Thanks

it's looking good.


Passes to open in time for holiday
Published: May 24, 2006



By LENORE RUTHERFORD

Mountain passes in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties will be open in time for the upcoming three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend, state transportation officials said yesterday.
Sonora Pass over Highway 108 is expected to open early tomorrow afternoon, and Ebbetts Pass over Highway 4 is expected to open tomorrow evening, Caltrans spokesman Bob Boswell said. Caltrans crews based in Long Barn, on Highway 108, and Camp Connell, on Highway 4, have been working on opening the passes since early April, only stopping during the height of snowstorms.

What is this "Walker Burger" of which you speak? And where can I get one?

That is really good news. This is the start of my second DS season, and I am totally jonesing for some Sierra time (that involves "crossing over.")

as of 11:50 am today from the CalTrans site:

SR 108
[CENTRAL CALIFORNIA & SIERRA NEVADA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.

[EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.

Any news on Tioga? And I second the question about "Walker Burger".

Tioga isn't open, and not likely to be open prior to June 30.
The town of Walker is one Hwy 395, about halfway between the intersections of Monitor Pass/395 and Sonora Pass/395. Therein is the Walker Grill, home of the Walker Burger.

Walker Burger has been a fixture on 395 going back longer than I can remember. It is on the east side of 395 at the south end of town. From the street all you see is a small burger joint, but you walk under the arbor into the eating area and you enter a wonderous park: grass, trees, picnics on the grass alas and birds. And Walker Burger is old school right down to their real milk shakes and big fat krinkle fries. They are only open from May to October.

Now Walker Burger's Walker Burger is 1/3 pound of locally grown and butchered free range beef. You can get it as a cheeseburger, bacon burger, bacon cheeseburger, ortega burger, ranch burger, chilli burger, chilli cheeseburger and a few burgers you never heard of. My favorite is the Walker Bacon Cheeseburger with a large order of fries and a large Root Beer Shake - oh yea they have most every flavor shake you'd want any of which can be malted. Now, if after all of that, if you still have a hunger you top the feast off with a large srawberry-dipped 50/50 cone.

This is Walker Burger. An Oasis in a Desert.

Gents..was going to Mexico this weekend but with the passess opening I am reconsidering. Used to live in Minden and miss Ebbets and Monitor badly. Does anyone have a plan to ride the passes and possibly DS Pinenut? Let me know and I will reroute.

What he said

I'll be up there Sunday.

There is a neat bit of DS between the passes on the west side. If you are heading west on Ebbetts, as you pass Camp Connell start looking for the signs taking you to Board's Crossing. Coming west over Sonora Pass you are looking for the turn off to Beardsley Resevoir. If you know how to find it, the nasty route is to find the road down to the inlet of the resevoir, cross over and then take Hell's Half Acre Road back to the top, if they've opened the gate. In between is a neat little network of dirt roads, a few old logging camps to find, some old cow camps.

On the south side of 108, Herring Creek, Cascade Creek and Niagra Creek all have little networks of roads the circle back on themselves. Heading west of 108 again, just after the Herring Creek turn off on the south side you will see a dirt road. If you take it, and keep going beyond what looks like the end you should be able to drop into the dirt road network that comes out down in Columbia on Italian Bar Road. And there are a few spots out behind Twain Harte where you can get across to Ebbetts Pass by the Camp Nine Road. Lots of great DS riding between the two highways.

Burger, lg fries and a soda. Don't forget a large dipped cone for desert.