We rode Mountain Highway 99 out of town alongside the mighty Kern River which led us to M-50 and eventually M-90 aka the Great Western Divide Highway, which we would enjoy quite a few miles on throughout the afternoon. The trailhead for the Trail of 100 Giants is right off of the main road, so we parked the bikes and walked the trail, checking out some absolutely massive trees! 

The Trail of 100 Giants, located in California’s Long Meadow Grove, was designated as a public interpretive trail in 2000 after President Clinton protected the area under the Giant Sequoia National Monument proclamation; the grove itself has been home to giant sequoias for over 1,500 years and was historically traversed by Indigenous peoples and early settlers.

It was a bit gloomy out and a few sections of the trail were closed, but we checked things out for a bit then made our way back to the bikes, riding the GreatWestern Divide Highway to Highway 190 which was one of our favorite stretches of road from the trip. It started off with some sweepers before the turns got tighter and tighter as time went on, wrapping around mountains surrounded by trees in the gloomy forest. We eventually landed at Pierpoint Bar & Grill and decided to check it out and rest up for a bit. It was definitely a local watering hole and although it was packed and the one waitress was working overtime, the service was good and the food was even better. We got a mix of burgers and patty melts and left there feeling good!

From there, we still had a good stretch of road to cover on 190 before turning on Wagner Rd and Yokohl Valley Drive (M-296) which were both incredibly beautiful rides through mountains, valleys, and open stretches of farm land. It felt like the entire day was spent riding roads like this and it was never ending! Eventually, Highway 198 took us into Three Rivers, where we found some grub at the Riverview Grill & Bar for, you guessed it...more burgers and chili. Aside from the blaring live music while we ate, it was a good way to end an epic day of riding before we headed up to the AirBnB for the night.

Stay tuned for the rest of the journey into the giant sequoias and more!