Road2Fun

Good thing I read the Colima rd. conditions, I was planning to do a big turnbull loop counter clockwise out of it. Been having bad luck w/ flats these last 2 months think I'll skip Colima and all the glass and debris" is it any better in either side?

CAT7RDR

Did some Turnbull-Colima repeats yesterday. Colima will always have some debris. No flats but maybe I was lucky as I did run over some metal pieces and broken glass.

Camino del Sur is a series of asphalt cracks and in serious need of resurfacing. Same for the Whittier side of Turnbull Canyon Rd. Really beats me up.

eyemage

SGRT was as nice as ever this past weekend. There are "hidden homeless", but you have to look carefully in the foliage to see them.

TGT1

Rode the upper portion from SF dam first thing this morning and they have three roll off bodies of trash, two full, one about 2/3rds full along the gravel conveyors. Signs of cleanup just south of the 210 where there's been a camp for the last few years.

From SF Dam to Whittier narrows, about a half dozen tents at the railroad tracks at Valley. No change since November. That's likely because the cleanup in preparation for last years rain and the flooding cleaned out the channel of all the brush and flushed large portions down to sand, except for some islands with trees that are now cut off soft by sandy bottom that would make getting a shopping cart across an almost impossible task.

More activity on the Rio Hondo with signs of a new camp under Santa Anita, there was a road closed barricade at the access trail to the camp just south of the end of the lined channel and what looks like maybe a large encampment just south of the 60 across from the gun range.

Lots of people out today and multiple large groups.

Why people who would never stop their car in the middle of the street to wait for someone have no second thoughts about blocking the bike trail to wait for someone to catch up is baffling. There seems to be some sort of "club entitlement" psychology at work.

Happened upon the aftermath of a crash under the 210. No injuries, but he was walking the bike back with his buddies.


There are only about half a dozen blind corners from the ocean to the end. No need to carry speed through them folks.

TakingMyTime

I did the ride from El Dorado Park up past Beverly Blvd this morning (enjoyed the excellent tailwind on the ride home!). There did seem to be an increase in tents but not by much. Maybe a 5-10% increase.

TakingMyTime

There seems to be a bit of a homeless encampment forming on the North side of the 405 overpass. I also noticed a couple more tents along the "river" side of the trail around the same area.

TGT1

Rode to the beach yesterday and there is a noticeable increase in the "campers" from the 5 to the 91


A couple of weeks ago there was a growing camp under Valley Blvd, but this weekend only one abandoned tent.


It may be due to how seriously various LASD offices take the issue. Valley Blvd would be in Industry's bailiwick, the 5 to the 91, Norwalk's?


There's also someone feeding them every noon at the parking lot north of Foothill so expect to see things get worse north of Santa Fe dam.


It was one of the more eventful rides yesterday that I've had in a while. The Incycle crowd passed me twice going like a bat out of hell twice. (They had to stop for a flat) and then down near the beach the LB FD was giving one of them a ride to the Whambulance. (siting on the truck tailgate so not extremely serious)


Then on the way back one of the bums swerved into me and nearly put me in the fence. Just clipped her grocery bag.


the final one was a group of kids flying thru the Beverly tunnel, all single file except for one that was half wheeled on the guy in front of him. Almost ended up putting him in the wall. That would have been a real mess!

TakingMyTime

TGT1, thanks for the update. The wife and I did notice that the encampment next to the 405 overpass seems to be growing. It looks like a few people are really starting to make it home. What I mean by that is... I expect to hear generators soon. Their "houses" seem to have more of a foundation to them as if they are planning to be there for some time.

GuessWhoCycling

I rode SGRT a few weeks back. From one week to the next, I noticed a big jump in homeless population starting the day they kicked everyone off SART closing the trail. I'll bet there are still more on their way. Not sure how long it takes for a family to move it's home from one river to the next.

TGT1

In the news tonight there was something about a body being found near the SGRT up around El Monte. Sorry, but I don't have more info.


Body was found near the Thenes Ave. entrance. (about where San Jose Creek intersects)


This has been used as an easily accessible place to dump a body in the past so the actual deed may have been done elsewhere.


Male, 17, Found Dead In South El Monte Near San Gabriel River « CBS Los Angeles

TrojanHorse

Yup, easy to get to, actual standing water to hide your evidence in and speed decomposition... seems like they find a body there at least once a year that I'm aware of.

TGT1

https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/04/1...near-el-monte/

follow-up caught the perp, but he had to have had help from his homies.

LeftyMTB

Rode from Santa Fe Dam to Whittier Narrows, saw maybe 4 homeless ppl along the route. There seemed to be some discarded items here and there but not much to deter me from riding there.

Before that I rode from the Dam up to Azusa where the trail ends, there was a homeless couple on their bikes, one of them was towing a shopping cart full of crap. On my way down I saw the empty shopping cart flung on the side of the road, empty.

marquhar

E-Bikes on SGRT

riding up to El Dorado from College_Park_Ave_Bridge/Edison_Park/Nursery/Seal_Beach I saw a fat tire bike 1/4 mile ahead.
Thinking that I should easily catch him at my usual pace, got surprised that I made no progress.

Turns out it was a Pedego E-bike going 21-24 mph.
Found that out by attacking and dropping him at 26 mph.

Seems there are regularly 3-4 E-Bike guys on this stretch of trail. But this is the first time I ran one down from behind.

E-bike submits to Roadie, film at 11.

TakingMyTime

Summer is here and the SGRT is getting busy. With this warm weather we're seeing a LOT more people on the trail. The wife and I try to leave the El Dorado Park area around 7am on Sundays. By the time we're back on the trail heading North back home (about 1 1/2 hour later) it's a minefield. You're starting to see the more inexperienced riders all over the place.

Sewellymon

I've been riding the SGRT 2- 4 times a week. Homeless population growing/ all portions tho dwindles north of the 10.

Rarely get engaged in conversation but one guy on a BMX bike wanted to happy chat yesterday (this south Norwalk). Dude looked friendly, yet scary.

Not politically correct, but I've taken to carrying a high- propulsive pepper- spray device. It's likely not the homeless, but rather groups of youth who present the biggest risk. And I prefer these risks to LA traffic. Ck out the link. This a good choice...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TrojanHorse

I used to carry a small can of pepper spray but that looks much more usable AND according to Amazon: NO MAIL ORDER SALES TO CA, HI, NY, MA, WI, DC.

I ordered one anyway, for $5 less from one of the amazon vendors, we'll see if it actually arrives.

Sewellymon

On the topic of weird encounters, parked yesterday at the Pico Rivera Golf Course (which is a nice departure point for the SGRT).

As I was riding off, older dude who parked his large blinged- out SUV asked if i wanted to buy a carbon bike frame. Said the bike weighs 10 lbs. Sketchy funky b*s, so I laughed and said "thanks, got too many bikes already". Dude is haunting bike ride trail - heads looking to sell his stolen wares ?

LeftyMTB

Rode up from the Santa Fe Dam to the end of the trail and I am starting to see evidence of homeless folk moving in. Discarded shopping carts here and there, big bags of trash? on the side of the road. But also summer is here so maybe there is just more ppl on the trail?

TakingMyTime

Some good news:
It appears that the encampment that was located just North of the 605 South connection to the 405 North has been cleaned out. Not only were there no homeless, the area had been cleaned and there was no trash or debris laying around at all.

TGT1

The camp at Valley Blvd. is growing and taking on the appearance of the kind of permanence that the one at the 60 had a few years ago.

TrojanHorse

I rode through there yesterday afternoon... there are definitely a collection of tents under Valley but all the other underpasses were clear (between Beverly and Arrow Hwy at least). I did see a couple rather large uh, tent enclosures along the fenceline, don't recall quite where.

Thank goodness for the gatorade guy - I needed it yesterday!

Sewellymon

Encountered by first ever very hostile/ potentially dangerous homeless guy.

Riding N on SGRT maybe a bit below Valley? Yesterday 530 PM. Younger dude on a Schwinn Sting Ray - looking bike is climbing up from under one of the bridges. As I get closer, he weaves close towards me as if in a game of chicken. As we pass, he angrily calls out "bendejo". Of course I reply "f*ck you, too" plus an add'l curse in Spanish better left unsaid. Oh well...

Be careful, folks.

TrojanHorse

Come to think of it, I rode from Whittier Blvd down to seal beach yesterday and didn't see a hint of homelessness on the trail, which is an improvement from the last time I rode down (although it hasn't been anywhere near as bad as SART got)

TGT1

I was doing intervals Saturday so I wasn't completely situationally aware, but from Whittier Narrows north I only saw one bum picking thru the detritus under the Valley Blvd overpass and it had a cleanup notice posted on the bridge.

Looks for now at least, there's a determination to not have a repeat of the SART