Day 14: Into the Woods of Yosemite and the Sci-Fi Skies of Area 51
Yesterday was a ride of absolute extremes. We began our morning carving through the cool, dense pine forests of a legendary national park, climbed over high-altitude mountain passes, and wrapped up the day bunkered down in a single-wide trailer on the edge of the world’s most famous top-secret military zone.
From park pass confusion to sonic booms and close calls with military airspace, here is how the run from Oakdale to the Little A’Le’Inn went down.
The Morning Log: Pine Needles and Park Pass Roulette
We cleared out of Oakdale around 8:00 AM and immediate intercepted Highway 120. Almost instantly, the landscape shifted into deep, rolling forest with thick trees framing both sides of the blacktop. At one point, the pavement sweeps into a massive, gorgeous loop entirely around Don Pedro Lake. The air was a crisp 77°F, and the closer we crept to Yosemite, the tighter and more technical the road became. The air had a phenomenal woodsy, piney, fresh-water smell—a totally different vibe than the riding we do back home in the Ozarks.
Because Highway 120 cuts directly through Yosemite National Park, entry rules are incredibly strict, requiring a hard-to-get vehicle permit. Blake had managed to catch the reservation window opening up the other night, and Pete helped us jump online to secure our slots.
When we rolled up to the ranger station gate, things got a little interesting:
[ PARK GATE LOG: THE NAME GAME ]
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The Setup: The ranger asks the crew for IDs to cross-reference our reservations. I pull mine out, and he writes out my entry pass.
The Shuffle: Blake takes off to park his rig while Dean and Pete pull up behind us. The ranger verifies Dean’s info (Dean and I have annual park passes anyway), but then gets stuck on the third reservation.
The Confusion: The ranger is staring at his clipboard, squinting, and says, “I see Peterson on here… but I don’t see William? Is there any other name it could be under?”
The Save: Pete looks at him and says, “Try Blake.” The ranger’s face lights up: “Oh yeah, here it is!” He hands over the final pass, and we’re officially in.
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Yosemite Sweepers and the Camera Antics
Yosemite is an absolutely jaw-dropping stretch of asphalt. The geography is so massive and overwhelming that it’s actually frustrating to ride through—you want to stop and take photos at literally every single turnout, but if you did, you’d never clear the park. I already can’t wait to come back out here with the family to really take it all in.
We found a killer set of curves, pulled the bikes over, and set up a camera on the ground to snap some action shots of the rigs leaning through the bends. Dean was laying flat on the dirt adjusting the camera angle when Pete suddenly yelled, “Dean!”
Dean bolted upright like he’d been shot, thinking a rattlesnake was about to strike. Turns out, he had just laid directly into a hill of aggressive ants. As he was frantically jumping around trying to brush them off his clothes, he accidentally racked himself in the process. We couldn’t stop laughing.
Mono Lake and the Nevada Desert Sprint
Leaving the eastern gates of the park, we stayed on Highway 120 as it swept around the eerie, glassy waters of Mono Lake before transitioning into Highway 6 and crossing the state line into Nevada.
We passed through Groveland, which looks like a fantastic little historic mining town. It was a bummer to see it so quiet—there are tons of cool shops and local spots that would’ve been a blast to explore if local restrictions hadn’t kept everything shuttered. Just on the outskirts of town, we rolled past the infamous Clown Motel. If you play Call of Duty, it’s a surreal sight—the game developers mapped this place out down to the exact placement of the car wash right across the street.
We hammered the throttles all the way across the desert floor until Highway 6 hooked a right and dumped us directly onto the legendary Extraterrestrial Highway.
[ THE PCH 2025 ATTRACTIONS: AREA 51 ]
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* The Destination: The world-famous “Little A’Le’Inn” in Rachel, NV.
* The Lodging: As we rumbled into the dirt lot, Dean looked around baffled and asked, “Where is the hotel?” Blake grinned and pointed to the faded single-wide trailer parked directly behind the main cafe.
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Sonic Booms and Laser Target Acquisition
We went inside the Alien Cafe and ordered a round of burgers. Just as we walked back out to our trailer, a massive, thunderous sonic boom rattled the desert floor. The sky was alive with heavy military air activity and jet training exercises, so we kicked back outside to watch the planes tear across the desert and talk shop.
Our trailer neighbor had a dedicated radio and frequency scanner running, allowing us to clearly hear the fighter pilots communicating with control in real-time.
As night fell, the desert sky turned pitch black, revealing an unbelievable blanket of stars. Pete pulled out a high-powered green laser pointer that could shoot for miles, using it to point out different constellations to the crew. Dean eventually got his hands on the laser and (completely by accident, of course) started shining the beam up toward the military aircraft.
Knowing our neighbor was sitting right there listening to the live fighter pilot chatter, we were entirely convinced the next words over the radio speaker were going to be a cold, robotic: “Target acquired.” Fortunately, no black helicopters swarmed the trailer park.
The Room Verdict: Let’s just say these aren’t the greatest accommodations in the world. But the roof was dry, the desert air cooled down, and I opted to sleep fully clothed on top of the covers. It’s an incredibly weird, fascinating place, and the perfect way to wrap up a wild day.
Next Stop: Crushing the desert miles further east into Utah! Keep the shiny side up, and watch out for the green lights in the sky.