Missing Dog

Signs about dog named rocky missing on dalton road.

On my Sunday hike I saw two guys running down a deer trail on the mountainside across from the Mystic Trail. The were looking for their lost dog.

Report from the Board of Highway 39

One of my long boarder friends Ian reports on the road conditions on Highway 39....

We hired a driver to take us up to Highway 2 and began the journey down highway 2 then (highway) 39. OMG it was so unbelievable. We got a late start and spent a lot of miles in the dark. My friend was on inline skates and was really tired from the top section. He held us up a lot but hey what can you do! It was tough and kinda scary for the rest of the trip to the ranger station in Azusa my niterider headlamp ran out of juice. I only had time to charge it about ¾ of the way but what a lifesaver! I almost ran into a big coyote we both were pretty freaked out!

Anyways I can’t wait to do it again. Only earlier.

As of today I would not suggest riding hwy 2 above 39 to much snow and ice. Ice and snow could be a problem till 5500 feet or so. Top 3 miles of 39 horrid. Missing road, huge rocks and small landslides. Saw like three of them.

No cell reception from Big Pine until the ranger station. You probably know most of this but thought I’d share.

Best,
Ian

Thanks for sharing Ian! Good to know. Spoke to a cyclist today who rode up Highway 39 to the Coldbrook Gate. He respected the signage and didn't hop the gate. One of his friends received a $200 ticket in September for jumping the gate. Another FYI.

Tru Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning was clear and cool in the mid thirtys, a bit brisk for this southern California biker. Got out for ride around 8:40 am and the sun had warmed the air nicely. I was a bit surprised at the amount of traffic parked north of the ranger station. A lot of "gravity guys" van pooled up to the top and careened down the Monroe Truck Trail 3-4 times on their mountain bikes through out the morning.

It was relatively quiet. Everyone who was out were happy to pre-burn their Thanksgiving dinners. For me the sun baked in happiness on my solo ride to the shed.

Met Alicia and her crew. They won the most distinctive cycling gear award for their eye catching socks. Their sag support driver reminds of the Fonze from Happy Days. Their smart plan was to ride to the ski lifts then drive home. Burn the most calories and make smart time to turkey dinner.

Then Tru Cycling showed up. Trust. Respect. Unity. Their club formed six years ago. They really enjoyed their ride. One fellow had an interesting tale of a top ten Irvine Criterium unfortunately he never saw the finish line and woke up in the hospital.

Ray was cold from his ride down from Baldy to the shed. He stopped along his descent on GRR to warm up. Matt, Ray and I headed down the hill. Near Sierra Madre met Ron and his wife Dixie on their tandem. I enjoyed meeting the woman in charge.

FWD:

Poop out and monroe intersection

Window of Opportunity

A window of blue sky opened up on Sunday and I took it.

The road was mine. Three cars. One cyclist on the way up. Eight cyclists going up as I was headed down. More autos as well, one auto had snow on its roof. Must have come from Baldy Village or beyond as the snow line looked pretty high on the mountains. One lone motorcyclist. The road had a fair share of sand and silt from the rain on the road. The rock run truck scraped away only the largest of road debris.

Met Larry on a mountain bike at first saddle. He was sticking to the road as the Monroe trail would be muddy. His ambition was to ride to Baldy Village. Perhaps he would try on Friday after a heavy meal on Thanksgiving. I myself would wait for warmer weather.

The sunshine soaked into the body and my soul. It was the best ever to have warmth, sun and altitude. The sheer joy of riding twice a week put a smile on my face.

Tell your story

A student journalist, Anna from UCI wants to capture the stories of those who ride and hike the mountain. She is in town Saturday Nov. 20th as well as 11/24-11/28 (next Wednesday through Sunday).

To get a wide variety of stories Anna should hang around the shed and chat up those who show up. Volunteers? Don't be shy.

Rainy Days

Like clockwork, the weatherman predicted rain today. At 5:30 it started coming down. I got my ride in on Friday!

Bob had hip surgery two months ago. He can hike up Colby Trail and down GMR. Lookin good Bob!



Only the hardest of souls were out on the road. My glasses fogged up and misted over. This was the first autumn ride, cold and bleak. I have looked at this tree at the shed a hundred times before, yesterday these little holes caught my attention.


At the top of Monroe, the clouds hung close to ground and filled up the valley. This is a photo of Mt Baldy, the visibility is about 30-50 feet.

A San Bernadino sheriff out hunting asked me where my blinking lights were. At home. Below Newman's, the visibility was much better. An optimist I thought the sun would be out, and I could get above the cloud layer. Nope. Not with this November weather. Lights would have been a really good thing to bring. I had leg warmers, jacket, head band, dry socks, a cliff bar to munch, but no lights. Be careful of the motorcycles he said. Yep, I know about those folks. The motorcycles were smart enough to stay indoors. Friday was red sports car filming day. On the way down I noticed two cameramen on tripods overlooking the road below. around the bend their buddies were lined up for their moment on video. I waited while the three cars made their debut. Heeding the sheriff's warning.

My big toe suffered the most from the cold. Even with wool socks and shoe covers. A big bowl of chicken soup warmed me up nicely. Good ride.