diphthong

45-miler in/around the laguna mtns about an hour’s drive east of san diego. included the kitchen creek climb for giggles. not another soul out there today.

Nachoman

Awesome!

Cyclcist11023131

I did an early morning “end of La Palma run”. Moonscape out there, still fuming out of deep root fumaroles.
Lately it’s been either a 30.5 mile ride with lots of bonus hills out to the end La Palma or a 32 mile Irvine Park Run. Plenty of hills to challenge out that way also. Start at SART/Lincoln. Trying to keep an every other day ride streak going.

Elvo

First time to crystal lake - got my ass handed to me.

TGT1

I haven't decided if he makes the best burger in SoCal or if the tank is just so empty that it seems that way!

diphthong

i'll never know since i only seem to be in that area historically on tuesdays. i need a better personal assistant. wonder how the scenery/road has changed since the bobcat fire.
rode the cogswell dam rd. for the first time the week before the start of the bobcat fire. first/last few miles of that there and back ride were pretty special. hope it avoided the worst.

would like to do the 39 corridor ride up to crystal lake or dawson saddle before the snows/weather make it more difficult. possibly this coming wed or thurs based on weather.

Bingod

I feel the same about the chili

Bingod

The fire looks like it burned over the top of Monrovia Peak - a little west of there - so hopefully that river section is safe - still it looks like some miles of excellent fire/gravel road and forest are gone for good. i loved it up there.

diphthong

• 32-miler on the west side of joshua tree national park...from the western entrance to keys view and back. more traffic than expected from 12pm-3pm on a tuesday but still super-doable.
• very few shoulders enroute but a few turnouts and traffic up there (imho based on 30 years of visitation in all seasons and on all days-weekends much busier) is generally
• low speed and respectful. sightlines all good for both riders and motorists. great air quality and a bit chilly esp on that descent from keys view today. chip seal pavement a 7/10.

diphthong

yah...it was a nice day. didn't have a single car pass me from laguna summit to the kitchen creek turnoff (a few passed in the oppo direction).
had two cars pass me on kitchen creek before the gate closure 5 miles up. obvs no cars on the last half (and didn't see any
cars/campers on that stretch) and none passed me until back in pine valley by the frosty burger. two cars on my side of the road in 27 miles
on a tuesday (granted, it was election day) in the san diego backcountry = winning.

diphthong

with every passing year, it looks less and less likely i'll ever make it to gaul. if i ever did, the to-do climb list...in order:
1. izoard
2. galibier
3. bonette
4. aubisque.

diphthong

26-miler in orange county...specifically hitting some of the area that was potentially in danger during the recent silverado fire.
parked off plano trabuco and headed into trabuco canyon and live oak canyon rd. climbed out and hung a right at cook's corner onto scr.
made a right onto modjeska grade rd.and that devilish climb...right on modjeska cyn rd...magical as always. left on scr. looks like the silverado
fire got as close as a quarter mile from scr. caught some of the bike path alongside el toro rd before climbing out and doing about half of
the 1984 olympic road race course. from mission viejo, toodled around and up to rancho santa margarita. nice day. low winds. pavement
really nice generally (9/10), esp on ascent of live oak canyon rd.

only bugaboo i came across is the third of a mile stretch of scr between
the modjeska grade turnoff and cook's corner that has a giant trench alongside the westbound/uphill lane (and correspondingly narrows the
bike lane on the eastbound/downhill side. wasn't a big issue at 1pm and 1:45pm when i rode it westbound and eastbound but morning/afternoon
commutes and weekends could be dicey. looks like the trench is gonna be there for a spell.

2seven0

Thanks for the info re. the fire I was planning to ride SCR tomorrow but too much work has come in back to a 5 day workweek for now.
Maybe next Fri.

diphthong

52-miler east of el cajon. dehesa rd to japatul rd, past dead dolly lane and the great western loop turnoff at lyons valley rd and slogged on to the summit just under the 8 fwy overpass. descended into descanso with a 10 min stop at the perkins market/store (established 1875). up oak grove rd towards viejas grade rd and a date with four miles of dirt. descended the grade, rolled through alpine and hit the grand ole bbq y asado place in flinn springs for the “freddy fender” (tomatillo/verde chili w/pork) and a brisket sando w/a beer or two. mostly downhill from that point...lowlight/personal best of the day was two flats in the last 2.5 miles in completely unrelated circumstances (pinch flat
and thorn). nice day out there. high 60’s. road quality mostly a 7 except for the 3 mile stretch (or so) near the top of japatul rd which was new pavement. viejas grade still in excellent shape leading into the winter.

https://strava.app.link/bnBoWCGYmbb

burritos

MTB excursion. Encountered a rangale of deer. PR'd the Hell Hill climb despite a blood donation last week. Opposite move compared to Lance Armstrong. It's all placebo.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4327795333

CAT7RDR

Escaped for a Friday ride in the Loco Puente Hills. 44 miles and 4500 ft of climb. I think my long hiking days are over. I tore my left labrum on my hip socket last year and started developing an arthritic left knee on top of it. However, I can still do medium range rides and will try to kick it up Sunday to 70-75 miles and see how the knee responds.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34652081

TakingMyTime

Don't discount how good you ride. You could literally ride circles around me with one leg tied behind your back.

I do enjoy seeing the maps of your rides. I keep telling myself.... Na, who am I kidding?

btppberk

I don't know about the knee, but I have a torn hip labrum that's ended my serious running and squatting days. Luckily, it didn't cause me any problems for some pretty intense backpacking.

CAT7RDR

I can hike up hills just fine for about 2K feet but its the downhills that are painful. Think I'll try trekking poles and dedicated hiking boots instead of trail-running shoes. Road cycling is less of an issue because of the saddle support. PT helped a lot. After the injury I could only walk less than a mile before I had to stop.

Sorry to hear about your injury. Really sucks to be limited when you remember you could do so much more.

CAT7RDR

Truth be told, the first time I rode up Turnbull Cyn Rd, I had to stop three times to catch my breath.

btppberk

I am sorry to hear about your injuries too. It is strange to have functions one has taken for granted taken from you. And with the labrum, I guess the surgery is a crapshoot but a long-slog recovery either way.

In terms of hiking, I'd think hiking boots would only make your labrum worse. They are useful for ankle support, I think, but I'd think they'd be even worse for the labrum in terms of putting more weight at the end of your foot. But trekking poles I can't live without, even labrum aside. I went for a long hike without pole the other day and on the down my knees were killing me!

CAT7RDR

Started from Ronald Reagan Park in Anaheim Hills and slogged my way up/over Serrano, worked my way into Santiago Cyn and up Silverado Cyn. The OHV gate was open so I thought better of going any further with several ATV's, Dirt Bikes, and lifted P/U trucks staging. Descended and then climbed the west side of Modjeska Grade. Descended down past Cooks Corner and looped around Santa Margarita and Glenn Ranch.

One humorous note, an SUV driver exiting Cooks Corner told me to shove my front blinky light up my @@@. Normally, I would respond but this was such an awesome day for a ride, all I could do was grin. Bike Therapy is the bomb!

62 miles and 6100 feet climbed.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34666074

N2motorsports

A 44 miler today after a 2 week

forced rest due to mechanical issues and ups losing my parts...
started deep into scripps poway rd across the costco and made our way to del mar via the 56 bike path to climb inside torrey, beautiful but super crowded with tourist and hikers. Made our way back to black mountain road and straight up scripps poway towards 3 witches. Legs were spent.

side note, on the 56 there was a guy on a vintage steel hauling butt, took me 10 mins before I could overtake him. Loved his retro style, he was wearing some suit pants/slacks that were hemmed at knees, softball high socks, golfing gloves, and some random helmet he found somewhere. Whatever though, he was killing it out there.

nesdog

Up Rock Store first. Had a good pace going and near the top just fizzled. Heart rate went through the roof and I was toast. What I get for not climbing for a few weeks and having lower mileage as I prepped for a medical test. (yeah, one of those you get every ten years. Came out okay).

Off to other portions of Mully and then back down the Westlake speedway to the flats. Was overdressed, too. Temps warmed up pretty quickly. 30 miles.

diphthong

a tale of two cities:

started off in sunland area and rolled up 12 miles of big tujunga canyon rd to the clear creek connector rd and then to ach/hwy 2 and a right on foothill blvd
at the bottom to loop back. 33+ miles. crazy, intermittent, gusting headwind early on the big tujunga ascent, then nothing, then 15 mph again, then nothing.
big t pavement was a consistent 6.5...it's time to repave but likely the best it'll get is tar sealing the cracks. a few, good size rim wreckers/divots about.
clear creek 4 mile connector a 9.5. simply beautiful. ach from clear creek into town generally pretty decent-a 8-but a few divots to watch out for...plus...
a burgeoning, rumpled, tree root issue on the descent just as you're coming into town at the end of the last curve (when you think you've made it). beware.
water still shut off at the clear creek station but the solo bathroom was open and well-appointed (by usfs standards). traffic on a tuesday from just before 8am
until 10am in the mtns was mellow. had bigger plans in the area but sometimes you push through and sometimes you listen to the body. it was the latter today.
i'll go back in the next 4 months or so to finish what i started. air quality and temps great.

drove back towards san diego and needed some extra easy, out of town miles. newport back bay? perfect. a 13-miler in the low 70's incorporating some of cliff drive.