Hello, this vid is really OUTTA SIGHT! Towards the beginning, the New Priest Grade is the single most radically noticeable change in elevation. The rest of it heading up to the Pass, is much more subtle, your only clue being the changes in vegetation, topography, and scenery. Past the Pass, you have a small dip until you go past Ellery Lake, then it becomes radical until you reach the floor of Lee Vining Canyon and Meadows. For when you're out Central California way again, I would like to suggest even more ways to have fun with S.R. 120. The first is to turn South at the 120/395 junction, and drive this concurrency for about 10 miles, then turn left/East on 120 as it splits off. Then you're skirting Mono Lake's South Shore; then through an extensive Jeffrey Pine savanna close-in to cinder cones; past a variety of rimrock; and, finally, into the tiny hamlet of Benton, where 120 ends at U.S. 6, having driven for 50 or so miles from that other junction. You're now very close to the Nevada border. Here's another way to have fun. On 120, let's start at the little city of Oakdale at the East edge of the San Joaquin Valley, where 120 shares concurrency with S.R. 108, until you reach 120's cutoff taking you into Chinese Camp and thence into Yosemite and beyond. But, we want to drive north on the 395 from the junction, through Lee Vining; up Conway Summit; through Bridgeport and Devil's Gate; and finally, drive West on the 108. THIS, then takes you up over the Sonora Pass at 9.6K'. Landmarks along the way include the United States Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Training Center and the Dardanelles Valley of the Stanislaus, which remarkably resembles Yosemite Valley. Then you go through Strawberry, Miwok Village, Twain-Harte, East Sonora, Jamestown, and finally meeting up with that concurrency with the 120 heading back into Oakdale once again. You'd probably want to finish the vid here--who knows--on a seperate vid, you might want then to do the reverse drive. I've looked at RUclips search results for "Sonora Pass", done in a fashion like yours, and the results were shoddy. The best I could find was taped out of a dirty windshield. The camera work was horribly jiggly; blurred-out at times; aimed at the dashboard(!) many times; too many selfies of both passenger AND driver, leading to potentially dangerous driving on mountain twisties; and the conversation was terribly inane, VULGAR, snide, and narcissistic, none of it which bears repeating. There was even a little twinge of road raging by the driver, directed at a car ahead, who had poor mountain driving skills. So, it's high time for a HIGH QUALITY vid of the route as ONLY folks such as you can accomplish, with PROFESSIONAL PRECISION. And now, here's another more sterling suggestion. Drive California State Route 4, for most of its length and then some. Commence taping in Stockton. Go through Copperopolis. Go through Angels Camp. Go through Arnold. Stop at Calaveras Big Trees and do some short walk-through taping of the Giant Sequoias. Drive past Mt. Reba/Bear Valley. Drive past Alpine Lake. Surmount Pacific Grade Summit. Drive through the Hermit Valley of the Mokelumne. Surmount Ebbetts Pass. Drop down through a traverse of one of the Carson River Canyons. After 15 + or - miles, get on California State Route up over Monitor Pass, then drop down to the junction with the 395. You can stop taping here, as any further taping would be redundant to what you've already produced. One more suggestion, for now, involving our old friend, the 89. this highway has a short concurrency with I-80 through the small city of Truckee, where it strikes out on its own, in East Truckee. Drive over Little Truckee Pass. Drive through Sierraville. Drive through Sattley. Drive through Calpine. These three hamlets are all part of the great Sierra Valley with S.R. 70's Beckwourth Pass. Drive through Quincy. Traverse one of the upper canyons of the Feather River, thence up Indian Creek Canyon. Drive along Lake Almanor. Now, for the GREAT CLIMAX of driving the entire length of the 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park. Leaving the Park, continue through the lava lands until the junction with S.R. 299, where a short jog West takes you into the tiny city of Burney. We could end the vid here--or--we could drive all the way to 89's End, at MOUNT SHASTA!
Thanks for all the info and suggestions! We always love it when we find ourselves in the beautiful state of California, and we're alway on the lookout for new fun and scenic routes to share so your comment is greatly appreciated!
I just keep watching your video. Please roam throughout USA and upload lot of such videos. I will watch all of them.
We certainly plan on it! Thanks for watching!
Hello, this vid is really OUTTA SIGHT! Towards the beginning, the New Priest Grade is the single most radically noticeable change in elevation. The rest of it heading up to the Pass, is much more subtle, your only clue being the changes in vegetation, topography, and scenery. Past the Pass, you have a small dip until you go past Ellery Lake, then it becomes radical until you reach the floor of Lee Vining Canyon and Meadows.
For when you're out Central California way again, I would like to suggest even more ways to have fun with S.R. 120. The first is to turn South at the 120/395 junction, and drive this concurrency for about 10 miles, then turn left/East on 120 as it splits off. Then you're skirting Mono Lake's South Shore; then through an extensive Jeffrey Pine savanna close-in to cinder cones; past a variety of rimrock; and, finally, into the tiny hamlet of Benton, where 120 ends at U.S. 6, having driven for 50 or so miles from that other junction. You're now very close to the Nevada border. Here's another way to have fun. On 120, let's start at the little city of Oakdale at the East edge of the San Joaquin Valley, where 120 shares concurrency with S.R. 108, until you reach 120's cutoff taking you into Chinese Camp and thence into Yosemite and beyond. But, we want to drive north on the 395 from the junction, through Lee Vining; up Conway Summit; through Bridgeport and Devil's Gate; and finally, drive West on the 108. THIS, then takes you up over the Sonora Pass at 9.6K'. Landmarks along the way include the United States Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Training Center and the Dardanelles Valley of the Stanislaus, which remarkably resembles Yosemite Valley. Then you go through Strawberry, Miwok Village, Twain-Harte, East Sonora, Jamestown, and finally meeting up with that concurrency with the 120 heading back into Oakdale once again. You'd probably want to finish the vid here--who knows--on a seperate vid, you might want then to do the reverse drive.
I've looked at RUclips search results for "Sonora Pass", done in a fashion like yours, and the results were shoddy. The best I could find was taped out of a dirty windshield. The camera work was horribly jiggly; blurred-out at times; aimed at the dashboard(!) many times; too many selfies of both passenger AND driver, leading to potentially dangerous driving on mountain twisties; and the conversation was terribly inane, VULGAR, snide, and narcissistic, none of it which bears repeating. There was even a little twinge of road raging by the driver, directed at a car ahead, who had poor mountain driving skills. So, it's high time for a HIGH QUALITY vid of the route as ONLY folks such as you can accomplish, with PROFESSIONAL PRECISION.
And now, here's another more sterling suggestion. Drive California State Route 4, for most of its length and then some. Commence taping in Stockton. Go through Copperopolis. Go through Angels Camp. Go through Arnold. Stop at Calaveras Big Trees and do some short walk-through taping of the Giant Sequoias. Drive past Mt. Reba/Bear Valley. Drive past Alpine Lake. Surmount Pacific Grade Summit. Drive through the Hermit Valley of the Mokelumne. Surmount Ebbetts Pass. Drop down through a traverse of one of the Carson River Canyons. After 15 + or - miles, get on California State Route up over Monitor Pass, then drop down to the junction with the 395. You can stop taping here, as any further taping would be redundant to what you've already produced.
One more suggestion, for now, involving our old friend, the 89. this highway has a short concurrency with I-80 through the small city of Truckee, where it strikes out on its own, in East Truckee. Drive over Little Truckee Pass. Drive through Sierraville. Drive through Sattley. Drive through Calpine. These three hamlets are all part of the great Sierra Valley with S.R. 70's Beckwourth Pass. Drive through Quincy. Traverse one of the upper canyons of the Feather River, thence up Indian Creek Canyon. Drive along Lake Almanor. Now, for the GREAT CLIMAX of driving the entire length of the 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park. Leaving the Park, continue through the lava lands until the junction with S.R. 299, where a short jog West takes you into the tiny city of Burney. We could end the vid here--or--we could drive all the way to 89's End, at MOUNT SHASTA!
Thanks for all the info and suggestions! We always love it when we find ourselves in the beautiful state of California, and we're alway on the lookout for new fun and scenic routes to share so your comment is greatly appreciated!
Even on TV it's scary to watch a trip through the mountains.
It’s really not bad, as long as you drive carefully.
I love Yosemite! Great video!
It’s so beautiful there! Thanks for watching!
Good job
Don Pedro Reservoir looks low AF.
Agreed