Sunday Hike

A clear blustery day. A hike up Mystic Canyon. The winds were strong enough to keep one off the exposed areas.



The storm left snow at higher elevations.



Looking across to GMR, noticed the burn area below the turn out where the k-rails were stowed. No photos. Be alert to suspicious behaviors. See tips at the Smokey Bear Pledge. We all want a green safe forest with an open road.

Saturday Ride

There are days when the soul needs comforting in the solitude of a bike ride. To get away from work and worry, to move one's mind from family responsibilities and societal etiquette to the primary purpose of life: movement. The heart pumping blood: movement. The lungs expanding and contracting with air: movement. The brain sending electrical signals: movement. The legs churning pedals: movement. Focus. The necessity of focusing the mind on the body to push through the stillness of the road a luxury and a necessity. Life is movement.

The clouds that brought rain at 3:00 am are breaking up.




Around mile marker 7.0, Felix and Francis pass me on the down hill. I catch them on the eight percent uphill slope as I pushed to the shed. My lead narrows and Felix takes the first position. They are kind and compliment me with the word strong. I am chasing the imagined rabbits.



Just leaving the shed, Chris and Mike are on their way to Crystal Lake. It is a bit chilly up there!



The view from Newman Point is always good for repairing the soul.

Sun brings hope and renewed life.

Road Status 2009-11-28

Road is open. The road is moist but not actively wet. There is a normal amount of debris on the road from .20 inches of rain this morning. The burned area of the road fared quite well. Very little debris. The lower section from mile marker 14 to 9.49 had more debris. Dirt and rocks from turn outs and acorn and oak leave debris under the trees.

Thanksgiving Day

There are many interesting people who frequent Glendora Mountain Road. Rich enjoys the view of Thanksgiving Day at Newman Point.





T-Day Day After Hike. Gotta burn some calories. The view from the top bench is spectacular.


Along the Little Dalton dry creek bed the sky is bright blue with wispy clouds.




I am thankful to enjoy the forest today.

Thanksgiving Eve

I had plans. Big plans. Plans of doing something completely new, like riding up to Crystal Lake. Or plans of doing something slighlty different, like taking a left at the fork instead of a right and seeing GMR from a new point of view. Plans of having a full morning to ride a long good ride, but all of those ideas were widdled away as work intruded and encroached upon my vacation day.

Escaped. I left the house at 10:30 with the temperatures in the mid 60s. I had sun. Broad daylight sun. Warming to the mid 70s. Light winds. The evening rides and the dusk were mere shadows of the new autumn routine. But the chill still lingered in my mind. Leg warmers, head band, wind breaker and jacket were toted along and never used.

Plenty of folks on the road, cyclists, bikers and auto traffic. Enough to keep you alert but not overwhelming. I could ride til noon, turn around and make it back for the next work meeting. I stopped at Newman's point and met the nicest family out for a picnic on a beautiful day.

Danielle, Mike and James:



James as cute as a button relished his french fries. He and I both dodged a bee.

For Danielle, the islands in the San Gabriel Reservoir disappear with the rains. Keep hopping, jumping and running every day and make certain Dad brings you back in January or February to "see" the islands.



Mike and I cross paths regularly. He enjoys the adventure of Glendora Mountain Road at a faster pace:



Nice bike Mike!



We chatted about center line rules, near misses and the wipe outs. Thrilled to meet one of my readers, I raced downhill and made the meeting on time. Hope to see you again Mike, Danielle and James.

Catching up with Bill

Bill captured "Lunch at the Lake" during his Monday ride around Bonelli Park.



As I enjoyed the idyllic water lapping around the bird, the frantic last struggle of the fish mirrored my day at work.

Road Work

Public works crews were out in force today in two places. The road had only one lane open at mile marker 9.49.



Ron captured the action today.

Road in Review

Public Works narrowed the road to one lane to replace a section of road near mile marker 9.49 what I call First Saddle.



Proceed only when clear!



Ron caught this ticket fest on Wednesday 11 of November 2009, Veteran's Day.

"The cops were giving these skateboarders citations and took their boards. It was just below the first hairpin. They were ticked off and said they weren't doing what they said they were doing."

Bummer dudes!



Update: Found this link to skateboards, impounding boards and tickets.

Bill found a partridge in a pear tree today on his ride around Bonelli. Or the southern California Heron equivalent.



I can smell turkey in the air.

Saturday Ride

Auto traffic was a bit racier today, like a road rally. A diverse group of vehicles: Nissan, Honda, Mini Cooper, Corvette and a Lotus to name a few. Plenty of red convertibles tearing up the road.

Adobo velo were out riding to the ski slopes above Baldy Village preparing for their Tour de Francis Castic Ride. Watch their site. There were plenty of cameras capturing action shots. Rosalie caught up with me around mile maker 11.39 and paced me to the shed. Nice to have the company!

It started chilly and the clouds scattered lightly across the sky. The beauty of the autumn day warmed up between the clouds.



Watch the islands of the San Gabriel Damn disappear with the seasonal rainfall.



Hillside burned in the Morris Fire bloomed with the recovery from the bit of rain three weeks ago.



My spirits were pleasantly high today after a grueling week at work. Sun, sky, clouds, mountains. Good for the soul. Good to be alive.

Catching up with Ron

With the change from Pacific Daylight time to Pacific Standard time, the impact meant later start times, shorter rides and earlier sunsets.



Ron captured these moments on Monday.



Flash back to early October, I caught up with Ron and Matt, the first day GMR opened after the Morris Fire. Happiness was an open road to ride.



Ron shot this footage of a coyote who survived the Morris Fire. It decided people were less dangerous. Ron also captured the mountain side when sunlight was still abundant: GMR pan and GMR pan down.

Catching up with Bill

Last year we visited Stratford-upon-Avon to take in truly phenomenal performance of David Tenant and Patrick Stewart in Shakespeare's Hamlet. We stayed in the city and had plenty of time to stroll along the river, take in the butterfly farm and visit every single shore the town had to offer. The Cycle Studio was a bit off the beaten track. Bill showing off his new Cycle Studio colors.



Water fowl.