Polar Bear 7 Ride

CE – THIS IS A CLOSED RIDE TO THE PUBLIC. MEMBERS MAY BRING TWO GUESTS WITH THEM.

PLEASE ARRIVE 20 – 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE PRE-RIDE BRIEFING! (This will allow you time to visit other riders, use the restroom, fuel up, get a cup of coffee, etc.)

PLEASE BRING YOUR SM HOG MEMBERSHIP CARD FOR CURRENT STATUS!

Ride Rating: Moderate

So, it is almost Christmas and all of the stress from shopping has you wanting to just get away for a day or so on your Harley….so why not go on a ride?  I am leading a ride to Oakhurst near Yosemite and would like for you to join me!  This is going to be the Polar Bear Ride 7 and we will spend one night of socializing and relaxation before the Christmas Season at the Best Western Plus Yosemite Inn in Oakhurst just outside Yosemite National Park.  This is one of my favorite places to go and for several members this place has created some great memories.  Everyone that went on the last few Polar Bear rides have had an absolute BLAST!  So, let’s make some more great memories this year!  Earlier in the year we stayed at the Yosemite Sierra Inn due to the high hotel prices at the time of this ride.  To me they gouged but….we have no control over that.  So….I’m trying the Best Western Plus Yosemite Inn again.

I have not blocked rooms.  You will need to call and make your own reservation.  You DO NOT need to mention SMHOG as they will not know what you are talking about since I did not block rooms.  If you are not a Best Western Rewards Member then I suggest you join, it’s free, and you will get great rates.  You can also make your reservations online and you can look at other .com reservation sources such as Hotels, Expedia, Vio, Booking, GoSeek, etc for possibly better rates.  As we know sometimes the actual hotel we stay in does not always have the best rates.

Call the Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn at 1-559-683-2378 while rooms are available…..do not hesitate as you can always cancel by 4 pm 24-hours before check-in if something comes up if you get the flexible rate.

https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotels-in-oakhurst/best-western-plus-yosemite-gateway-inn/propertyCode.05422.html

After our pre-ride briefing, we will head north from Santa Maria Harley-Davidson on Highway 101 to Highway 46 west Chevron / McDonalds and pick up north county riders, take on fuel and take a break (58.6 miles).  For those riders I will provide a pre-ride briefing before we continue on.  After our break we will continue north on Highway 101 for a short distance to Highway 46 east.  We will continue east and turn off on the Highway 41 exit to Fresno and we will make our next stop at the 76 Station in Kettleman City topping off the tanks (57.4 miles).  We will grab a bite to eat here at Carl’s Jr. or Taco Bell across the highway or you can go to a different local fast food place.  But, when we are ready to go….we are ready to go so keep that in mind.  We are having a quick bite here so we are not eating so late by stopping in Fresno and end up having a late dinner in Oakhurst.  From Kettleman City to our exit off Highway 41 and onto Highway 99 north is 53 miles.

We will continue north on Highway 41 through Fresno.  I am going to change this ride up at this point from what I have done in the past.  When we hit Highway 99 north we will travel 7.2 miles and take the N. Golden State Blvd / Exit 138B and travel through a couple traffic lights as we head to W. Shaw Avenue.  We will then make a right onto Shaw and travel 1.7 miles to Fresno Harley-Davidson.  We’ll spend about 30 minutes here before we continue the ride.

ROUTE CHANGE DUE TO CONSTRUCTION AT AVE 12 OFF RAMP:  From the parking lot we will head east on the Frontage Road and turn left on N. El Capitan Avenue and then make a right at the traffic light and head east on W. Shaw Avenue.  We will stay in the right lane as we head east to Highway 41.  We will hit eleven (11) traffic signals (last one will be at just after the N. Blackstone Avenue light) on our way to Highway 41.  We will go 4.8 miles and follow the cloverleaf entry ramp and get on Highway 41 north.  From here it is 41.2 miles to Oakhurst and our destination the Best Western Plus Yosemite Inn.   We will then be traveling from the plains and we will start getting into some twisties, elevation changes, start seeing lots of rocks and a lot more trees as we head through Coursegold and on into Oakhurst and our destination. We will stop at the Chevron Station on the right as we come into town and before we go to the hotel, so we don’t have to fuel up when we leave on Day 2 and we will head to the hotel.  The Chevron Station can get a little busy as well as the challenge of trying to get back out onto the main road to head to the Best Western so after you fuel up please continue on to the Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn and check in.  Total mileage: 232

We will discuss dinner activities after we settle in, socialize, and relax at the pool / hot tub.  Some like to eat at the restaurant on the property while others like walking a short distance to the Smokehouse 41 BBQ.  Both have pretty good food.

Oakhurst Grill& Whiskey 41 Lounge Menu

After breakfast on Day 2 we will head back south on Highway 41 and head to Lemoore where we make a fuel stop at the Chevron Station in off the Bush Street exit and just before crossing Highway 198.  From here we will get back on Highway 41 and continue to head towards Paso Robles passing through Kettleman City.  We will stop off at the Highway 46 west Chevron / McDonalds for a break, fuel up, and say our goodbyes as we head back to the Santa Maria area to terminate the ride.

Now….I just hope it is cold for the Polar Bear Ride!  If you have any questions, please let me know and you can contact me at 805.757.9202

Phil ‘Rain Man’ Rietz