Sonora Pass 2001 Home  Map
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Ron smiles here but note that he’s putting his shell back on. The rain was back though not at all heavy. Ron repeated his comments about hitchhiking and surprising me with how quickly he’d have a ride back to the car.

 
I was having none of it. I insisted that if he was to hitch a ride he would surely do better at the junction with Highway 108. Ron wanted to rest and figure out what to do. Pat had lagged behind us. When he came by I got on his wheel.

 
Pat and I rode to the junction. I half expected to see Ron waving at us from the back of a passing truck.

 
At the junction we waited a while and Ron finally rolled up. The rain had stopped, the shells came off and strangely there was little discussion about pressing on, we just did. Again, note the 26% sign. I shake my head at it.

 
We followed some rolling terrain through a valley and then got onto the climb proper. I had planned to escort Ron all the way up, but there was this one steep ramp near the bottom that I'd noted earlier on the way down. I could not back off on that one.

 
Very soon Ron and Pat were well behind me. I kept going and on the way encountered a man photographing wild flowers by the side of the road. I tossed him my camera.

 
I looped back a couple times so he could get all these shots.

 
This was my rest on the way up.

 
The guy handed the camera back to me along with some Christian literature which I stuffed in my pocket. I waved and called out “Bless you!" as I rode off.

Onward