Slow Sunday scenes from the Village...

Seeing as how I tend to take a goodly number of photos during these slow Sunday's I have decided to try something new. I will show a few of the better or more interesting ones here and provide the link to the more complete slideshow, for anyone who might be interested.

Classic leather saddle.

Riding in from the Colleges.

Elder brother. My own KHS Flite 500 is a 2009 model, the owner of this one peaking around the end of the building said it was the 2002 model.

Flower photo of the day.

Framed.

Move On protest in the Village.

An accessorized statue at the Colleges.

Bent...

If you have noticed a recent racing and training oriented bent to my posts lately, you would not be mistaken. I blame it on the new KHS. While my older Basso may have started out in life as my racing steed in the early 90s, it has grown slow with age, and unable to keep up with the young guns. That's right I lay it all on the bike. The introduction of new, light-weight components staved off the inevitable for a while, but the new bike is much more nimble, much more quick [and much more able to bunny hop a candlestick?] Well, maybe that last part doesn't hold; point is it has helped to further rekindle my interest in, and commitment to, racing again. That does not mean that my interest in advocacy, commuting, etc has diminished, but those things will be sharing space here more often now than they perhaps did in the past.

For a little comparison...

with yesterday's Highway 39 ride, I present you, today, with Glendora Mountain Road (GMR):

As with many good climbs, the bottom of GMR starts unassuming enough, within the city of Glendora. Many people will park here and ride up, but I, glutton for punishment, took the opportunity to get a longer ride in and rode over from home. Just in the distance is a fire station where the road make an upward turn. This is just a preview though and a relatively short rise, after which the road levels out again, passes by the turnoff into Big Dalton Canyon, enters the National Forest, makes a 90º turn at the small parking area for the Monroe Truck Trail (in my opinion the best mountain bike single track in the San Gabriel Mountain front range). But that is a story for another day.

From the lower Monroe TT, the GMR is a succession of upward sloping switchbacks, gentle curves and panoramic views. There is little wonder that on a typical day there will be any number of cyclists making the climb along this road. The first part of the route is the steepest, you gain the most elevation in the shortest distance. Look off across the canyon to your right and you can see the Monroe TT climbing the next ridge over. 

Eventually the GMR switches over to the north side of the ridge it has been climbing and you now are overlooking San Gabriel Canyon, and looking down on the two reservoirs I mentioned in yesterdays post about Highway 39. You get a very dramatic view of just how much climbing GMR makes in its first few miles as opposed to Highway 39 as it traverses the canyon far below.

I thought I got off to a nice (relatively) early start, but even so there were quite a few riders already headed down, either railing the turns or taking a more relaxed descent.

In due time I reached the upper end of the Monroe TT, my designated turn around point. From here you have an expansive view to the northeast to Mt. Baldy and can spot the GMR heading down toward East Fork. It is just past the point where I stopped that the Glendora Ridge Road branches off the GMR. This road heads on to Baldy Village and would have made a nice loop for me, and a much easier all downhill end of ride. But I stuck to the out and back plan.

The way back is when you get the best views down into San Gabriel Canyon so I stopped for a few photos. Different perspective that is for sure. Anyway I let the new bike run a bit back down the mountain, and best of all no front end wobble at all, woo hoo. Two good mountain days now in a row and the bike has worked out at least as well as I had hoped - climbs with ease, and descends with stability. I feel almost like the climber I was ten years ago. Distance from Claremont to upper Monroe Truck Trail and back 38.3 miles.

My Favorite Routes III: Highway 39, Part 1...

I guess I first discovered this ride some 15 years ago while living in Pasadena; Highway 39, San Gabriel Canyon was just one of those San Gabriel Mountain rides that anyone who considered themselves to be a climber had in their repertoire of rides. As far as these mountain road rides go, I had moved progressively east over the years starting with the Big and Little T's (Big Tujunga and Little Tujunga Canyons), and Angeles Crest and Angeles Forest Highways, while living in Burbank. Then came Big Santa Anita Canyon to Chantry Flats. Next in order should have been San Gabriel Canyon (aka Azusa Canyon), but I momentarily skipped it to conquer Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) and Glendora Ridge Road (GRR) due to a race along these two. But the Highway 39 climb was always talked of in almost epic terms, as if you were not someone until you made the trek to Crystal Lake. During the mid-1990s this became a regular training ride of the team is was riding with, as well as when out by myself.


So where to begin? How about Duarte, it is as good a place as any, maybe better since the first two miles of this route takes you up the San Gabriel River Trail to its end at the mouth of the canyon. Actually since they extended the path a number of years ago you can stay on it for a bit further, or exit at the visitor center and take to the road from there. I split this ride into two parts mostly because the first half is so different from the second. The grades down in the lower portion of the canyon are more slight, and the gradual upward trend is broken by occasional short sections of descending. Anyway, take your eyes off the road ahead from time to time and you will notice the river rolling along off and down below to the right. It actually looked and sounded like there were a series of rapids along portions today, I suppose because they had the floodgates open below the lower dam, so there was a lot more water than normal rushing down river.

last bit of SGRT

San Gabriel River, framed

turning up

Morris Dam

was it not cool of the bridge designers to provide these little windows to frame the view

Morris Reservoir

how cute, they cut the mountain to match the dam

Mt. Baldy

East Fork Bridge

It isn't long before you crest out (momentarily) at said first dam, the Morris Dam. If you are new to the canyon, congratulate yourself on reaching this first landmark. With the blue waters of the reservoir down below to your right you descend for a bit, but then start climbing again. Signs along the road warn you not to trespass or loiter, so keep the wheels spinning. Not too far beyond Morris Dam you may notice the concrete ramp perched above the water edge; this is a little of what remains of an old naval weapons testing base which began operations in World War II. Submarine-based weapons systems were developed here, things like torpedoes, and even the Polaris rocket. The base was decommissioned I believe in the 1990s. From here you enjoy a little more descending, before another climb, this time to peak above the second dam, San Gabriel Dam. Unlike Morris Dam, which is concrete, San Gabriel Dam is an earthen dam. Again you will ride along with the reservoir down below to the right until one final short descent brings you to the East Fork. If at the bridge you take a right and cross over you can eventually hook up to the GMR mentioned earlier and make a loop. But we will stay the course along Highway 39 which is mostly level for a bit now. Pass the OHV area and the Rincon Fire Station, tackle a short hill, and arrive at the West Fork. This is a popular fishing area and staging area for mtb trips along local trails.

the various fishing platforms along the West Fork are named for the fish that can be found there

wet pavement

deeper into the mountains

Glenn Camp

color coordination

the river road

all's well that ends well

Since I arrived here having hardly broken a sweat, I decided I would ride along the West Fork for the seven miles it takes to get to Glenn Camp. This is a paved road, closed to traffic (though there may be occasional Forest Service or utility vehicles) so don't completely let your thoughts wander to the surroundings, as compelling as that may be. The 14 mile round trip West Fork is as easy a paved ride in the mountains as you will find. Watch for an upcoming "Bring Out Your Bikes" series ride taking place here, to be posted soon. Glenn Camp near roads end was my turn around point, and getting back was just a matter of shooting back down canyon. The wind today, did not seem to want me to leave, and kept trying to push me back up canyon. I won out though, hard not to when heading downhill. Friday traffic was light, especially returning; expect weekend traffic to be heavier, but still not bad considering how many people live in the city down below. By the way traffic tapers off dramatically beyond the West Fork, for whatever reason you may only be passed by a handful of vehicles on some days. Total distance for this first half of the Highway 39 ride was 38.3 miles, I rode it in 2.5 hours, though that included many stops for photos and the cruising speed West Fork section. Part two will cover the section between West Fork and Crystal Lake, the much steeper, more epic portion. One additional note on the road - like most mountain roads this one is not for the timid, there are sections where the pavement crumbles away into the dirt right at the white painted lane line, and you will be riding in the lane. The rewards are well worth the effort, but if you are at all apprehensive about riding in close proximity to motor vehicles, this may not be the ride for you.


My Favorite Routes II: Mountain Junction Loop
My Favorite Routes I: the Palmer-Evey

the Great Knutsford Bone-shaker Race 2010...

Held only once every ten years at Knutsford Moor, near Manchester, England, the race is to see who can ride the most 1 km laps within a three hour time period...on Penny farthings. I did not realize there were so many of those big-wheeled rigs around. And once every ten years; pretty prestigious for the victor I'd say. The 2.5 minute video clip is great.

PSA: Safe Routes to School...

On September 28, 1:00 to 2:00 EDT, the National Center for Safe Routes to School will be presenting a Webinar entitled "Looking Both Ways: Helping Parents and Educators Support Safe Walking and Bicycling". Link for information and to reserve a spot.

PSA: Bonelli Park...

Christy over at Socalcycling notes that the LA County Sheriff's Department has taken over law enforcement duties at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park and will be strictly enforcing traffic controls including stops and speeds. The Bud's Ride has been stopped and warned the past two weeks during the Wednesday evening run through the park. This is a very popular area for local riders on both skinny and fat tired bikes, so watch your backs, and your speed, especially between the two entry shacks. You know I just looked at the Bonelli website, and there is no reference to cycling. Equestrian, yes; boating, yes; fishing, yes; swimming, bird watching, jet skiing, hot tubing, golfing, all yes. But nothing about cycling. Are they trying to tell us something? We can't prevent you from riding here, but you are really not welcome? Come on, considering the numbers of riders on the dirt roads, or looping the lake on the paved roads, there should be something. And as far as this ticketing thing goes, I assume it will be an equal enforcement opportunity. When I ride there I am rarely the one doing the passing; with the descents and little rollers it is not that difficult to reach 25 (the speed limit), yet I do get passed by drivers going faster.

Word from the old alma mater is...

"How do I cross the bike paths without being t-boned by the freaky looking kid with a pink Mohawk who rides that bicycle with two frames welded to each other?"


So it was in the 1980s, so it is in the 2010s. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Something like, but not quite like this maybe:

Incidentally UCSB was awarded the the Bicycle Friendly Business Gold Award by the League of American Bicyclists earlier this year.