I need a break from what life. Looking for an idea of a place to stay for two nights. Ideally small town, cheap motel near good food and beer. Any ideas?
There is Bridgeport. The motels are not super cheap though. There are some good restaurants, but I don't know their beer selection. You could stay at one of the nearby resorts, such as Doc & Al's or Virginia Lakes. Virginia Lakes has their own store and restaurant. A little further south is Lee Vining. The Whoa Nellie Deli is supposed to be good. For a different type of town, you could do Virginia City, NV. It's all bars, casinos, and restaurants. You'll find more Budweiser there than anything else, but I'm sure they have more selection somewhere.
+1 on Bridgeport. The hotels are $$$, but it's a primo location IMO. It has a fun 'swinging door' saloon and the best single track I've ever ridden.
The Dow Villa in Lone Pine has rooms for $66 but no private bath. But the motel has a really nice big, deep outdoor swimming pool. http://www.dowvillamotel.com/ And the town has a couple of bars and several restaurants.
Lone Pine and Bishop are great this time of the year. Here is a web site that has GPS tracks for trails around the area and if you want some tracks for the Mammoth area give me a holler and I will email them to you. Bridgeport is nice but the hotels are very very high $$$$$ and the gas is the highest price in the state.......... http://www.sneakersmc.com/trailmaps.htm
The best riding in the eastern Sierra, Hwy 89/4/50, plus all of the open routes in Nevada. Since you missed the Rallye, you may find a new friend who can show you around... Or you can wait for this! carsontahoemoto.com Pointman
The Inn at Benton Hot Springs. Not super cheap, but the natural spring-fed hot tubs are great after a day in the saddle, and the Benton Cafe has OK food and very cheap beer. The Inn room rates include a decent hot-cooked breakfast. -dman
Do they still have HUGE portions? I remember stopping there as a kid with my Dad and Uncle after a long day of 4-wheeling. My Dad had the roast beef sandwich, which came open face. It covered an entire full sized plate about 3 inches deep. I ordered cherry pie for dessert, and got 1/4 of the pie, which was 4 inches deep. The waitress had to go grab the sun tea off the gas pump.
If you go to Bridgeport, stay here. If you go to Benton, stay here. If you end up in Walker, stay here and eat across the street here. That is all. Carry on.
If you're considering Bridgeport and want something a bit different, consider a ride up Twin Lakes Road until the end and stay at Mono Village. They have a restaurant, a bar, grocery store and some cabins to rent.
try el rancho hotel in bishop. that is the cheapest and cleanest hotel i've stayed so far along the 395 http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-rancho-motel-bishop it's owned and managed by a retired couple from burbank ca