It's Not All Bikes

Well, we got some snow the other day. And I had the day off. So it was either go for a ride, or go for a hike...

Can you tell if we're riding or hiking?

When we set off, around 8 am, the snow level might have been 4,000 feet along the front face of the San Gabriels. Looking up San Antonio Canyon towards Baldy, it looked like the snow reached lower. But driving up Mt Baldy Road, it wasn't till just before the school that we saw serious snow. 4,000 sounds just about right. That's also around where we started our hike.

Reminds me of a donut...
...powdered.

Bear Canyon trail starts just up the street from the Baldy Lodge. Street is an overstatement, as you could easily think it's a driveway. I prefer to think of it as the doorway to a magical land... The photo above shows that it is magical, indeed. The photo below shows 1.8 miles into the trail. 6 miles in would be the summit of Baldy, so you know it's pretty steep.

I'm really trying to make this an interesting post, but there's not much I can say. You had to be there. Or maybe you can go there soon!

Clouds are where the snow comes from...

Get that tree some Head and Shoulders!

Kinda seems like they hand out blogs to just anyone, doesn't it?

Camping Time!

Well, my so-called "training" has entered a new phase. Gone are the days of riding all over town eating at gas-stations and convenience stores. Granted, those are important skills to develop. But now, I am now riding out of town, laying down a bed roll, then riding home the next day. The Periodization crowd would say I have left Around-II and entered Out-I. I still do my cheap-carbohydrate drills. But new exercises--like falling over exhausted and landing on  a thermarest--are finding a place in my highly-regimented training schedule.

It was perfect timing when I met this fellow below. Milton is actually in his Keep-II phase. Each day, when he wakes up, he keeps going in the same direction as yesterday. Despite the fact that Milton is further along in his training than I, he took the time to spot me with my bedroll training. In the picture, you can see him towing a small house, in case my bedroll fails.

This guy had a trailer...

Although Milton had a road ride planned (and a road bike to do it on), it turns out that it is legal to ride a mountainbike on the road. The converse is not always true. Riding a road bike on the trails may result in a citation for "cyclocross."

This guy had several small trailers
attached to various parts of his bike...

So, Milton, Mr Two-Handlebar-Bags-Two-Seat-Bags, and myself, all headed out of town. As you can see in the photo above, it was a beautiful sunny day. So we headed to the coast to get out of all that beautiful sun.

We swung by the beach...

Once we hit the Pacific Ocean, we turned right. I guess that means we were heading north.

There was fine dining al fresco...

Dinner was at 5pm in a parking lot. We had pulled over primarily to switch the trailer. Milton was a stud, to be sure, but we all took a turn pulling. I mean why should he get all the fun. And by "fun" I mean that stretch of PCH north approaching Pepperdine University. 

It got dark, so we had to camp...

After eating at the first sign of food in Oxnard, we packed up some pan dulce for the road and for the morning, and looked for a spot to become supine.

Team "Robbin' Bank"

In the morning, I handed off the team colors to Josh and set off on a southerly heading.

Polaris, but no Cavendish...

I got to see some of the sights we had missed in the dark. For example, there is a Missile Park at Pt Mugu.

I think this one is called "Ficke"

I think the scene below looks nice, but if you've ever ridden there, you probably see nothing but a headwind. I think I preferred Pepperdine Hill. Going south was fun, however. I don't often get to coast uphill!

Much nicer in the light of day!

Superman Dirt

Somehow or other, they just had a cross-country race at Bonelli. Only two days earlier, I went to Bonelli after the rain to check out the Superman Dirt. If you've never been to Bonelli after a rain, I am not talking about that sweet tacky moist dirt that makes you an invincible downhill pro. I'm talking about that clay that bonds to your tires in such a way that even Superman would need to eat his Wheaties before trying to pry it off.

Sure enough, after a few miles, my tires had transformed from 2.2 inchers to 3.0 inch earthenware monstrosities. I took no photos on the ride, but perhaps this photo can give you an idea. My tires looked at least this ridiculous:

In case you aren't familiar with north-eastern Los Angeles County riding, the photo above was taken near Marshall Canyon. Next time it rains, head there rather than Bonelli...

Ice Cream Time Trial

Add a comment with your best guess. What is an Ice Cream Time Trial?

Lunch Time!

What's wrong with making lunch plans at 10am? Nothing, normally. But imagine, if you will, two rogue mountainbikers sitting in Starbucks in San Dimas, fueling up for a ride. (On a day best described as "Damn hot")

"Today would be a good day for a beach ride." 

"Yeah, but I've got the wrong bike for that. I'd need gears." 

"Why don't we get lunch in Wrightwood?" 

"Cool, let's do it."

You can do any ill-advised ride you want...
...as long as you're flying the Jolly Roger!

So, I'm not sure when we left exactly. But I know it was 12:30 when we left the Off-Highway-Vehicle  Staging Area on Highway 39. In case you are unfamiliar with the area, that's about the last shade we'd see for an eternity or two. We were about an hour away from what we call "Spongebath Falls." Can you guess what we always seem to do at those falls?

Excellent. We wouldn't want cool weather when climbing the switchbacks. Or any possibility of finishing before dark...

This will help me get down to my "race weight"...

One of the best things about remote mountain areas is how much they are able to charge for food. And how willing even a broke-ass like myself is to pay. And how good it tastes. You could probably sell me strips of cardboard for $10 after I rode 60 miles. And if they are moist and greasy enough, I'd come back next week for more.

See, be seen, or don't be seen. It's your choice at the Evergreen Cafe...

In fact, I did go back to this place the next week. And not for cardboard, this food was top-notch! Despite the "Racoon Saloon" on the sign, they didn't seem to have any pitchers to fill with water for me. But they were nice about bringing me refill after refill...

I hope this guy isn't dead!

 Another bonus about remote mountain cycling destinations--you'll find plenty of patients to practice your EMT skills on...

This picture is from another ride...
But ain't it purty?

I have no idea how to end this post. Except to say, " Ride it like you stole it" And by "it," of course, I mean the mountain range.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Something's wrong?

Well, obviously, if you're going to go all the way up there, you'll want to get some snow in the photo:

That's Better!

Crystal Lake

Now that Hwy 39 is open all the way to Crystal Lake, it's easy to explore the trails up there. While I don't normally like driving to a trailhead, I'm glad we did. With the thin air at 6,000ft, and the fact that I am horribly out of shape, fresh legs were the only thing I had going for me...

First, I must admit that this post has a misleading title. I have no pictures of Crystal Lake. Mostly because I have yet to see the thing. In my defense, would you know where I was talking about if I said South Mt Hawkins? Also, our trip did begin in the parking lot of Crystal Lake Campground.

We headed up, north, and in the direction of Windy Gap, until we saw the start of 3N07.

The trail we took up

It was amazing how much hotter it was when we entered the area ravaged by bark beetles...

Where's the greenery up above?

The road could use a little work. It was pretty easy to get over the half-dozen or so downed trees. But there were also two wash-outs.

We had a little of this...

...because there was a little of this.

The thing I liked most about the trip was the view. I saw a few things I've never seen before. Like most of Glendora Ridge Road right in front of my face to look at. Unfortunately, the air was not clear enough for good pictures. But here's a picture that did come out.

What mountains are these? I can't tell...

Ooops, I didn't recognize Mt Baldy from this angle!

For me, it was extraordinary to look to my left and see Mt Baldy, then turn to my right and see Mt Wilson. Unfortunately, Mt Wilson, being further and lower, did not photograph. You can take my word, or better yet, go look for yourself!

I also saw a flower that you don't often see. According to a Forest Service web-site, "Snow plant is difficult to confuse with other plants, and indeed stands a better chance of being confused with a misplaced piece of meat." That is a sentence I did not expect to read!

If you follow the link above, you can read all about how snow plant is a parasite living off of a fungus that lives symbiotically on the roots of conifers. Kewl!

Is that a steak?

But perhaps the wildest thing we saw was the fire lookout on South Mt Hawkins...

Guess what happened...