Water stop on Old Priest Grade
. . .and later, on the newer, safer roadCopyright 2008 Lydia Hinshaw
YOSEMITE, CA -- Two roads diverge between Groveland, CA and Chinese Camp. Most drivers prefer the newer, wider, less steep version of California 120. The fearless might choose Old Priest Grade, which climbs the other side of the canyon.
The new road gains (or loses, depending upon which way you're going) 2,450 feet in six miles. The old road covers the same elevation difference in 2.7 miles. You do the math.
Old Priest Grade is one steep, narrow, twisting challenge. We decided to try the uphill version on the way back from an R&R junket to Sonora, an old Gold Rush town we'd visited while vacationing in this area four years ago.
At several turns along Old Priest, kindly folk have left jugs of water for any unfortunate driver whose vehicle overheats.
The Element made it to the top of the grade without budging its temperature gauge much at all, although it smelled hot when we stopped to take the picture of the water jugs.
Soon after we got back on CA 120, I snapped this windshield shot of a vehicle whose driver had encountered some difficulty. Behind the truck, emergency personnel can be seen working on a victim.
A few miles down the road, we pulled over for a CHP trooper with lights and siren, speeding toward the accident scene.
One of these days, I'd like to do Old Priest Grade in the other direction. On my bicycle.
The new road gains (or loses, depending upon which way you're going) 2,450 feet in six miles. The old road covers the same elevation difference in 2.7 miles. You do the math.
Old Priest Grade is one steep, narrow, twisting challenge. We decided to try the uphill version on the way back from an R&R junket to Sonora, an old Gold Rush town we'd visited while vacationing in this area four years ago.
At several turns along Old Priest, kindly folk have left jugs of water for any unfortunate driver whose vehicle overheats.
The Element made it to the top of the grade without budging its temperature gauge much at all, although it smelled hot when we stopped to take the picture of the water jugs.
Soon after we got back on CA 120, I snapped this windshield shot of a vehicle whose driver had encountered some difficulty. Behind the truck, emergency personnel can be seen working on a victim.
A few miles down the road, we pulled over for a CHP trooper with lights and siren, speeding toward the accident scene.
One of these days, I'd like to do Old Priest Grade in the other direction. On my bicycle.
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