tg16

A favorite local ride is Alligator Bayou. The alligator statue is something of a landmark but it appears there is construction going on. We hope the alligator statue stays.

it's a very cycle friendly ride with a speed limit of 25 and a deputy patrolling the area. The scenery is oaks and bayou and if you stop and look, alligators are usually seen. Attached is a local write up of the area. The bayou on wheels - How cyclists have made Bayou Paul their haven - [225]

eatontkd

Great pic! You're spring actually looks further on than ours... Nice bike my friend, that's quite an aggressive frame. You, and others here, have got me thinking about a single speed.

Biker395 

Beautiful!

How about some food porn? First, a chorizo breakfast burrito:



That was at the Crystal Lake Cafe. Interesting story there ... Highway 39 got some serious damage due to recent fires and storms, and was closed to all but bicycle traffic for several months. We are the lifeblood of the cafe up there, and the owner was really hurting for lack of business.

Someone started a "go fund me" page for him, and in less than a week, raised over $3000. It was like a scene out of "It's a Wonderful Life." He truly appreciated it (and the fact that unlike everyone else, bicyclists were still able to ride up and visit), but turned the money down.

Anyway, this was the first weekend Highway 39 reopened, and it was a love fest. I made sure to eat extra hearty, as did a number of motorcyclists up there on Saturday.

Later in the day found us at the Mt Baldy Lodge. Oy, I love that place. All wood inside, and all kinds of personal touches about. And the owner (sweet lady) makes home made cinnamon rolls. We got there later in the day, so although there were a few left, she regarded them as "stale" and wouldn't accept money for them. Warmed up in the microwave, they were AWESOME. OMG, I think I went into sugar toxicity.



Damn, the waitresses treated us well. They always do. And we took care of them.

Then there was the guy that chatted Rick and I up at the bar. He apparently ran across one dog attacking another at the trailhead and pried them apart. This is what he got for his efforts. Uh ... can you say rabies shot?



What an amazing day. It went by so fast! We were in the Mt. Baldy lodge until 5:30, and by then, the shadows were starting to get long. OMG what a great descent back to the car, just in time before sunset.

The amazing thing is with all that distance and climbing, I wasn't the least bit tired. That's bizzare. It must be chorizo power.

If you ever find your way out to SoCal, gimme a holler and we'll take you up!

Rick@OCRR

What Vic (Biker395) didn't tell you is that he got over 12,000 ft. of climbing for the day and probably over 100 miles. I skipped the Ski-Lift climb (which Vic and Daniel did not skip!) so my totals were about 2,000 vertical feet and ten miles short of theirs. Be ready to climb if you accept Vic's invitation.

Still wonderful day on the bike with great food (and an unexpected pole dancer) at Crystal Lake Café, drinks at Camp Williams and cinnamon rolls at Mt. Baldy Lodge for fuel. We are so fortunate to have these beautiful mountain roads and great places to eat out in the (pretty much) wilderness.

Rick / OCRR

cccorlew

Sunday was World Wide Pinhole Photography and day 24 of #30daysofbiking . I got both in.


World wide pinhole photography day 2016.jpg by curtis corlew, on Flickr

volosong

I was going to say, "that is one noisy picture, you need some noise reduction software". Then I turned my brain back on and read it was taken by a pinhole camera. Awesome! Makes it an outstanding picture. Well done.

eatontkd

YOU SHOT THAT WITH A PINHOLE??!! That's amazing!

h2oxtc

Yes, I caught the 12,000 ft in his earlier post. No small feat by my books. I rode 100 miles and a little over 10,000 ft last summer - my own event (2nd annual) I call Tour of the Valley Peaks which circumnavigates our city and climbs every mountain (hill) on it's perimeter. So I've been warned.

I've read about Deer Creek and would like to ride it sometime as well. I'm undecided at the moment, we may be in the area the weekend after next. I'll have a bike along, but not my preferred hill climbing bike. It has a 53-39 with a 27 as the largest sprocket. Deer Creek would be a killer with those gears. We'll see - we may drive thru Utah instead.

Great story about Crystal Lake Cafe and Mt. Baldy Lodge! We have two local ski hills called Crystal Mountain and Mt. Baldy - no cafes though.

Biker395 

Hey, if you're in town, ping me! We'd be glad to take you for a tour!

Trust me ... Deer would be a killer with those gears. I run a triple and a big cassette (30-28), and it still kicks my butt every time. But there are lots of other sweet climbs about. Heck, maybe I'll take Disco.

David Bierbaum

Last Saturday, I rode on the MCT Nickel Plate trail as far as this... Medieval Crenelated... grain silo? It sure is a unique landmark, anyhow...

CRW_0896 by David Bierbaum, on Flickr

I also took this pic of a soldier's memorial at Glen Carbon, IL. The orange blob reflected in the polished stone... thingy... is me, more or less.
CRW_0893 by David Bierbaum, on Flickr

digibud

I posted a vid link so here's a related pic. When we took this we didn't expect to see any grizzly but did later in the day. These are, of course, grizzly prints on the road we bike into Denali National Park.

David Bierbaum

So, that Grizzly was... walking bearfoot through the Park...

Biker395 

Last Saturday, I had the choice of riding the staff ride for the Breathless Agony (one of our local sufferfests), or the Heartbreak Hundred (another one of our local sufferfests). Both rides are in the King of the Mountain series of climbing rides.

With rain and 40 degree weather predicted for the BA ride, I opted for the HH (which was to have clear weather).

So what did we get? 35F drizzle. Oy did my fingers hurt! But it did clear out and turned into a great day. I was bummed when it was all done and we were finished.

The best part of this ride is the descent from Apache Saddle. You ride on a ridgeline with AWESOME views of the San Joaquin Valley. It's a part of California that few people see because there aren't a lot of reasons to be on that road. I think we saw maybe 2 cars in 30 miles.

Another high point is Heartbreak Hill. Yea, it's steep. But I think people call it Heartbreak because when you're struggling up the steepest section (~15%), you look up, and it looks like it gets even steeper ahead (it doesn't).

Anyway, here is a video. Enjoy!

scott967

That Heartbreak Hill looked pretty easy to me (that's what happens when you accelerate the vid!).

scott s.
.

Biker395 

Lol ... didn't want to bore everyone watching the suffering in real time.

Wildwood 

Avalanche chutes

Daspydyr 

The desert is coming alive!

h2oxtc

Amazing rides this past weekend.

Red Rock Canyon, NV
A must do ride in my opinion if you're ever visiting LV.


Valley of Fire, NV


Not wanting to post too many photos, I chose one of each ride. There were so many amazing views along both rides. although the latter ride was cut short by rain - sorry I'm a fair weather cyclist. It was an interesting ride with dark storm clouds chasing me from the south which thundered almost continuously. I will be sure to come back and ride the Valley of Fire State Park again as well as the Lake Mead National Park.

Biker395 

My turn to be jealous! I've done the ride through Red Rock ... Amazing.

But the Valley of Fire? I drove through there years ago, and all the time I was doing it, I was thinking ... Oy ... What a beautiful road! I've gotta ride it!

KLOSHE

Biker395 

^ Awesome. Glad to see you're getting into warmer weather!

We've got nothing that spectacular around here. But it was pretty sweet in the local mountains this weekend. Fluffy white clouds over a deep blue ocean.



I took Disco out into the mountains again. I tried my luck at some steeper climbs, and oy ... do I miss the lower gears. But I guess what doesn't kill me will make me faster. This is at the lunch stop.



Speaking of lunch ... check this out. Yum.

h2oxtc

Is that little bit of green stuff supposed to make up for the fact that it's a double burger? (In terms of eating healthy) Or is it intended to hide it? Either way it must have been tasty!

icyclist 

My brother surprised me with a photo of me on the Wildflower Century, held the last weekend each April in, around and above the town of Chico, California. This photo was made by a professional team of photographers and I have to say I like it! Thanks, Bro!

BluesDawg

After finishing the second 100+ mile day of the Athens to Savannah ride. 214 miles total. Best beer ever!

2009 by Benny Watson, on Flickr

h2oxtc

BD, my hats off to you. In my world the first hundred miles deserves a beer. The second hundred? Simply amazing.