Ambivalent Critters

It was hot out today. The thermometer read 95F. Joan showed up and off we went. Shade was welcome relief. Several motorists raced up Glendora Mountain Road only to turn around at the closed gate. We found our rhythm in the cool breeze and the shade of the mountain moving up the ramp. It was hot enough to imagine that the tar stripes that filled the cracks were moving. Joan said "Snake!" It itook me a few more pedals before I saw it move. Eric a mountain biker had a closer look.

Saturday Ride

The road has been closed since last Sunday with the Flash Flood Warnings for the mountains. The gate was open for 2-3 hours on Friday morning with closures forecast for another week.

Saturday morning was a few degrees cooler than the previous two weekends. I did well by keeping up with Joan. She sets a very steady tempo and holds it. I have this sprint and lag style so her pace mile over mile up to the shed is challenging for me. John and Bill enjoyed their ride to the shed. With Matt sprinting between the two groups. Dave introduced himself on Glendora Ridge Road. He had experienced the sunday rain and hailstones on Baldy Road.


Dave

Matt

Mike

Scott

John

Joan

Bill

Glendora Mountain Road is closed.!!

Glendora Mountain Road is closed.!!

Glendora Mountain Road is open.

Glendora Mountain Road is open.

Eye on Baldy

Matt drove up to Baldy to survey the effects of Sunday's flash flood that dumped 4-5 inches of rain in 1.5 hours. The water took mountain with it leaving a lasting impression on the homes and roads. The Village continued with digging out today.

Five feet of mud.

A Baldy Village Garage.

Thanks Matt for the update.

Glendora Mountain Road closed due to flash flood w...

Glendora Mountain Road closed due to flash flood warnings.

Matt happened upon these tent city on his ride this morning. He reports: These poor kids came up yesterday evening and when the flood hit they closed the roads and didn't sweep them. They got stuck behind the gate and spent the night at the GMR and GRR intersection

Three Dog Night

Bill and John rode Thursday morning to beat the heat. Their pedals flew unimpeded past the first saddle, until they reached the "battle zone". Tiny land mines lurked on the road waiting patiently for the unwary cyclist to sail by. With a whoosh, their momentum punctuated with hissing air brought them to a stand still. Simple, a thorn lodged firmly in John's front tire. All right not bad. Get that flat fixed and on their way they go, when pop. John picked up a new problem. Again in the front tire. Off comes the wheel, examination. Root cause analysis determined John had picked up a wire. The thorn was easy to remove. The wire not so. Lodged into the tread, the wire wouldn't budge. Unable to get a grip with his fingers, nothing in the tool kit gripped it. John took the bull by its horns so to say. He bit the wire with his teeth and spat it onto the ground. He patched the tube. Covered the hole. Tire back on the bike. Time to crank on the pedals and get moving again. It was less than half a mile later when the tire went flat a third time. Words! The patch covered the primary hole, but a secondary hole at the edge of the patch had been missed.

Bill likened the ride after the American Band Three Dog Night, calling it the Three Flat Day.