by Doreen Pankow

HIGH SIERRA GRAND TOUR

Story by Doreen Pankow Photos by Bill Hallier

Agroup of 15 excited members started a driving adventure from Golden Valley Road in Santa Clarita, looking forward to three days of driving our Porsches through the High Sierras. Many of us had not traversed the roads outside of Lee Vining and Bridgeport before; we were looking forward to seeing some beautiful scenery and driving some challenging roads.

We headed north on CA-14 and after two hours connected with Hwy 395 N, stopping for lunch at Aaron Schat’s Roadhouse in Bishop. We were now in the High Sierras and the cloud formations in the sky were spectacular as we continued our drive northbound. The clouds were massive; all shapes and sizes, and some sat right on top of the various mountain ranges. At about 300 miles, many of us stopped for fuel as we turned onto CA-120 toward Tioga Pass. We drove about nine miles to Lake Ellery, which is before the entrance to Yosemite Park. It had started raining lightly so we only stopped long enough to view the lake at several spots before turning around and heading back to the 395 to complete our journey to the Walker River Lodge in Bridgeport. That evening we enjoyed dinner together at the Bridgeport Inn.

On Tuesday morning, Jeff Parker led the group as we continued north on the 395. The fun began as we turned west onto Hwy 89 towards Markleeville and Monitor Pass which crests at an elevation of 8,314 ft. With its breathtaking scenery and light traffic, this route offers some of the best motorcycle riding and sports car driving in the Sierra Nevada range. We continued on our drive to Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway, which reaches an elevation of 8,730 ft.

John Ebbetts, a fur trader turned guide for California Gold Rush Forty-niners, claimed to have led a string of pack mules easterly over the Sierras in the vicinity of the pass back in April 1851. Today, Ebbetts Pass is one of the least traveled passes in the Sierra Nevada. There is a 23-mile stretch between Lake Alpine and Centerville Flat that is narrower than two lanes and lacks a dividing line. It has very steep sections and many hairpin corners. The eastern slope is particularly difficult, as many of the hairpin corners are blind, and steepen suddenly at the apex, making it necessary to shift to first gear in most vehicles.

We arrived in the town of Murphys in time for lunch at The Watering Hole and a much-needed stretching of our legs, not to mention our arms and hands that had been gripping either the steering wheel or the armrest. After lunch, the group drove to Jamestown and enjoyed an interesting tour of the museum at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park near Jamestown. History comes to life here with vintage steam trains, a working roundhouse, and the timeless Sierra Railway Shops.

Opposite: The majestic Sierras accompanying us on the drive to Bridgeport. This page: On the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway.

From Angels Camp we continued west through the town of Sonora towards Sonora Pass for a challenging 82mile drive with lots of 10-mph hairpin curves over a descent of 3,000 ft. from the crest. Sonora Pass is the second-highest pass in California at 9,264 ft., just 321 feet lower than Tioga Pass. It’s considered a scenic, mountain recreation thoroughfare, but the highway over the pass is extremely steep, exceeding 8% for most of the traverse, and up to 26% grades in some locations. Finally, with Leavitt Meadows to our right we knew we were through the challenging parts. We arrived back at the Lodge late in the afternoon. There was a lot of entertaining conversation over dinner discussing the day’s excursions.

Wednesday morning, participants left the Lodge at various times in smaller groups as some members were continuing northbound to Lake Tahoe to enjoy a couple of extra days while the rest headed back home via various routes.

We all want to thank Lionel Neff for organizing this fabulous driving tour of the Sierras, with incredible scenic views of beautiful forests, lakes, and meadows. It always refreshes our souls to spend time in the great outdoors.

Footnote: There were several car problems encountered on this trip, including my 993, but we are truly blessed with members who are caring and supportive of each other when any of us encounter problems. I would like to thank Jeff Parker, Bob Clarke, and Dennis Power for all their helpful mechanical advice and moral support and, in my case, for making sure that I got home safely. It’s truly a pleasure to be part of our wonderful Porsche club!

Doreen Pankow has been a member of PCA since 1997. She is past president of SBR, past Activities Chair, and remains active in club events, Doreen drives a 1995 Carrera in Midnight Blue.

Top: The first night's dinner at the Bridgeport Inn. Middle: One of the historic engines at the museum in Railtown 1887 State Historic Park, Jamestown. Photo by Gloria Hallier. Left: Fearless leader Doreen Pankow with her 993.