This is what the Trophy was made for, riding through beautiful mountains to see amazing things. I was not disappointed in the trip or the bike. In a word, FANTASTIC! The only problem I had with the bike was that it didn't want to stop to let me take pictures. She just kept her nose into the wind.
Of course, when you are in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, I did manage to coax her to stop for a shot or two. The first day was a ride through Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia National Park. Sequoia is known for somewhat biggish trees.




The second day was to have me cross the Sierras. It was my intention to ride through Yosemite National Park but a very large fire was burning north of the park and would have potentially blocked my exit, so I changed plans and crossed the Sierras on CA Route 4. What a LUCKY change in plans. Route 4 was amazing. The road wound its way up, decreasing from a dual four lane road, to a two lane, and the finally to a narrow, tight, winding, stunning strip of asphalt up and over the mountains through Ebbett's Pass.




The Air Races were the destination and I really enjoyed them but the journey was the highlight. While at the air races, there were not only the planes racing but lot's of demonstration flights and static displays. Since I ride a Triumph, it was only fitting to take a shot or two of the Spitfire.







The ride back was past Lake Tahoe, through the Sierras and then down the western foothills. All along the foothills, I was riding through gold rush era towns.



Here is a link to the photos on Flickr. There are a couple more and of course in full resolution. The trip (
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99876629@N02/sets/72157635774062275/) and the races (
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99876629@N02/sets/72157635774863406/)
And since I am an engineer, here are a few statistics: (normal people can stop reading now)
Total Miles = 1428.7 actual, bike trip odometer reported 1412.9 (a little over 1% low)
Total Gas = 30.5 US gal actual, bike trip computer reported 28.9 US gal (about 5% low)
Average MPG (US) = 46.8 actual, bike trip computer reported 48.9 (5% higher)
Time in saddle: 31.2 hours
Average MPH: 45.8 actual, bike trip computer reported 48.7 (this is the well understood speedometer reads high. In my case, about 6% high)
It was fun.