These two roads used to be my stomping ground when I was still a newbie. Never any traffic, and the scenery was always worth the ride there.
Since it was sunny out today, I decided to revisit them, as it's been months since I last went there.
There's good news and bad news with Altamont Pass. Apparently, since I last did the road, its slightly bumpy section got a major repave, starting at the second underpass heading eastbound, all through the end. That's the good news, cause basically, this fast road is even faster now with the repave.
Bad news is that the speed limit remains at 55mph. So whereas you could be 20-30mph over the speed limit prior to the repave, you can now find yourself easily over 30-40, even 50mph over the speed limit, easily.
Meanwhile, Patterson Pass never fails to make you back off the throttle and just admire its scenery.
I swear, you don't ride Patterson Pass for the thrill of the bends; you ride it whenever you start wondering what it must feel like to ride a motorcycle on a paved road in Tolkien's Middle Earth.
