Motorcyle trip up White Mountain

Abhi Eswarappa was keen to discover how far he could ride into the abandoned Reward mine. Answer? Far enough to get spooked.

(Charles Fleming / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 10, 2017 6:30 AM PT

The road to Reward Mine is steep, rocky, rutted and narrow. A lesser vehicle might not have gotten us there, but the route proved no real challenge for the Nissan Titan XD.

(Charles Fleming / Los Angeles Times)

We thought dual sport bikes, like the Kawasaki Versys 300 (left) and the Honda CR250L Rally (right) would be perfect for this ride. They also looked good against a backdrop of the Eastern Sierras.

(Charles Fleming / Los Angeles Times)

We didn’t expect to see snow in July, even at 12,000 feet. Abhi expressed his enthusiasm by riding the Kawasaki directly into a drift, then lying down next to it.

(Charles Fleming / Los Angeles Times)