Pat and I did not stick together coming up the east side of the pass so no photos. Here Pat fights his way up the last yards to the pass.
This section is a 15% grade. There are several such sections right near the top, making it the most difficult part of the ride.
We rest. We eat. We put on arm warmers, leg warmers and shell. We say farewell to Sonora Pass. Time for some serious descending.
How quickly the Golden Staircase hurtles by.
Actually, we're the ones hurtling by.
This huge bulk of mountains offers us great challenge.
Yet do we rise to the level of the mountains? Hah. No way. We sneak up here for a day to slip over the pass on our clever little bicycles.
Here Pat plummets down the section just below the Gunsight.
All too soon we near the end of the descent. We speed through the grandeur of this vast wilderness . . .
. . . buzzing specs on an asphalt ribbon.
No more photos.
Pat and I rode past Kennedy Meadow, Dardanelle and then did the final climb of 3 or so miles up to Donelle Point Overlook. We arrived at 6:45. The truck was still there and we drove home safely.
The stats: 105 miles, 10,240 feet of climbing.