Originally Posted by
big john
This is from somewhere up there looking back toward Lone Pine. The Alluvial Fan, or Plain, is ridiculous. I just remember grinding for long time without feeling like I was getting closer to the mountain.If you turn around and look back you can see it. It's a relief when you finally get to the canyon.
The only other time I had that feeling quite that bad was in the Tejon Pass when 2 of us were riding from hwy 138 to Gorman into a strong headwind. It just didn't seem to be getting any closer for a long time.
Back when I was doing a lot more climbing, I did West Alpine from Pescadero Road to Skyline in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was the first (and so far ONLY) time I'd ever ridden it, I had no GPS, and the whole time I don't think I saw even one car, and maybe one or two other cyclists. It's a longish climb that just keeps going and going and going. It was a little creepy, and I was really relieved to arrive at Skyline, let me tell you!