Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Riding Conditions Not Good Right Now In this Area

104 today, 106 the other day but it's not the heat stopping riders lately. Bunch of big fires in most areas in our area, again. Today we did 47 on the trail, not bad considering the air quality. We did head to the coast to avoid the smoke here a tthe base of the mountains. The Mountain roads are closed which is no problem right now. Not sure I want to do 5000 ft in 106 temps.:D

Closing the mountain roads that aren't on fire is totally ok with me sincethey prevent idiots from starting the fires. Rangers gaurding gates!:thumb:

I can't believe some idiot would intentionally start the fires that cost people their homes!

I say hang 'em in the town center!:mad:

Either way, conditions aren't good right now!:(

Sorry to hear abou tthe conditions.

The arsonists that start these fires don't care abou tother people's belongings or the lives that are at risk. Hanging in the town square may be too good for them.

True! ^^^^

Jen & I hit the SART around 8:30. I really didn't notice "too bad" of air, i did have the sniffles all night and a runny nose till the start. Headed towards the beach for a good hard 25 miles... well as hard as we could after yesterdays ride... We still pushed it as hard as we can. 8:30 seemed like a pretty decent time to start, the racers were mostly done and the idjits hadn't infested the trail yet.

I remember living in duarte and watching the fires come down the mountain. Arson every time. The helos would land and fill up at the park down the street from the house. Exciting to watch as a kid, but screwed up beyond all belief.

I never have, and never will, understand why someone would intentionally set a forest fire. Hell, any fire for that matter.

I lived through a couple of back-to-back fire years when I first moved to Montana from the east coast. It's not just the people devastated, it's wildlife too, often for a much longer period than their human counterparts. The fires in Yellowstone are still having a devastating impact on the black bear population there. Before the fires, black bears and grizzlies normally didn't compete for food sources. They are now and the black bears are being killed by the grizzlies, which supposedly is surprising naturalists. (Doesn't surprise me, grizzlies are eating machines. I live between two black bear/grizzly bear habitats and don't want a personal encounter with either.)

Jen & I hit the SART around 8:30. I really didn't notice "too bad" of air, i did have the sniffles all night and a runny nose till the start. Headed towards the beach for a good hard 25 miles... well as hard as we could after yesterdays ride... We still pushed it as hard as we can. 8:30 seemed like a pretty decent time to start, the racers were mostly done and the idjits hadn't infested the trail yet.

Yup, that's why we hit the trail. Much nicer than where we live, a the base of Mt Baldy. This morning looked like a red fog layer lining the tips of the mountains. Strange!

We hit the trail at 10 am then head inland. It was hot when we were done about 1:30. But darn Gina doesn't want to get up early to avoid the heat eventhough she is most affected by it.:D

I remember living in duarte and watching the fires come down the mountain. Arson every time. The helos would land and fill up at the park down the street from the house. Exciting to watch as a kid, but screwed up beyond all belief.


Yup, couple years ago the big water dropping planes flew right over our house:eek:

It's Santa Ana's time. California burns every year in the Fall. I believe the arsonists know this too. As soon as the winds pick up, fires start.

It's Santa Ana's time. California burns every year in the Fall. I believe the arsonists know this too. As soon as the winds pick up, fires start.

Yeah, and I'd say the arsonist is prolly a highly paid executive dude from the fire dept. Maybe the firechief himself!:eek:...Maybe I just watch too many movies!:D

You and Gina stay safe out there MrBeanz.
Is it true that someone start the fires on purpose?
It's bad enough if it's caused by an idiot tossing a cigarette out the window of his car...but malice of forethought launches it into a new category.

Hunker down...be safe

Yeah, amazing but people just wait for the chance to start a fire. Justa as amazing, last year about a week after the big were finally under controll we took a cruise down to a bike shop about 30 miles away. Very windy day in a dry area bumper to bumper on the fwy. Wind blowing about 40 mph, some chick rolls her window down and tosses a cigarette onto the road. I'm thinking with the wind, it could easily find it's way to the side of the road which was made up of nothing but dry weeds. Too many stupid people. You would think after hundreds of people just lost their homes!:mad:

Some people just refuse or are unable to think...

Some people just refuse or are unable to think...


Yeah, I know! My typiong sucks!:p

How bad does the smoke get over there when the fires happen?
Worse than average for being in a sea of automobile smoke?

(I ask because I'm curious, mainly because I knew a runner that didn't like training near highways for that reason & claimed that she could tell she was running near a highway, even if it was about 150-200yds away.)

How bad does the smoke get over there when the fires happen?
Worse than average for being in a sea of automobile smoke?

(I ask because I'm curious, mainly because I knew a runner that didn't like training near highways for that reason & claimed that she could tell she was running near a highway, even if it was about 150-200yds away.)


Oh yeah! This time isn;'ta s bad YET!:eek:....In the past, ther are ashes floating around everywhere. no sense in washing the cars cause in an hour, they will look like they drove thru volcano town. Well you figure houses 4 or 5 miles away will burn after an ash floating in the air lands on the roof.

In the past, it burns your throat to walk outside. You can smell the smoke coming thru the central air conditioning system. 3 miles form our place and you're into the mtns so it's like a blanket of smoke cover onthe mtn tops.

If you look down the way, looks like a big red mushroom from an a bomb. Not that I've ever seen one but I've seen lots of Rambo movies!:D

5 years ago I did group ride to the coast during one of the big fire seasons. We pulled off our glasses at the coast and everyone looked like a raccoon from the ashes built up around our eyes. ANd that area was not as bad as our area her in the inland.

One year, the fires connected in the mountains from BigBear/Devore to Valencia. It takes about 3 hours to drive this route by car. It wiped out everything in the mountains.

The ifres were all west of us 3 days agao. Now another in Yucaipa, a popluar riding area. This morning was about 100 acres, now thousands.

Lastnight I heard several thousands (500,000 acres?) to the west, and now the east.:(

Lst year, we were drivign to the trail (30 minuted drive) I saw a small area of smoke in the local area so I headed back. 20 inuts laer onn the fwy, we could see the whole mtn was on fire. Our friends that drove to the trail got stuck on the fwy. They sat on the fwy till 10 pm at night tyring to get home, 10 miles. Other fwy were stopped and people drivign onteh wrong sides trying to get away.

Some of my friends are riding the Hotter than Hell Hundred this year in Texas. The high is only suppose to be in the 90's this year. Very abnormal. It may need to be moved to Cali this year? It sounds like it may apply there a little more.

We will keep ya'll in prayers.

I rode the back side of Chino Hills on Sunday (this is in Riverside County just east of Yorba Linda where one of the fires was last year. This entire area was badly burned). From the top of Scully Ridge I got a good look at the La Canada - Flintridge fire and its smoky cloud. The air was not so bad although it's wasn't great. Where I live (near Newport Beach) the air is OK because of on-shore breezes. But it's really the heat that is a problem right now. On top of everything else, it's been in the high 90's or over a 100 and the humidity is extremely low - like 10 - 15 percent.

It's sad to say but every year fires are intentionally set in California but not all. Many are naturally caused and some are accidental. For instance, one of the fires burning now was caused by a car accident. Alot of fires are caused by idiots throwing lit cigarettes out the window. A couple of our worse fires were actually set by the US Forest Service (a brush burn that went bad). We forget - CA is a tinker box. Lots and lots of dry brush everywhere. It doesn't take much to start a flame.

I always mourn the loss of habitate and wildlife. And human life as well. But some of these burns are a good thing. It will take out alot of the dried up non-native plants and vegetation and allow natives to come back in. These areas should be routinely cleared of brush but aren't. Next Spring we will see a beautiful wildflower bloom. Alot of CA's native plants need fire to germinate seeds.

Anyway just pray to keep our fire fighters safe. Their job is incredibly tough!

How bad does the smoke get over there when the fires happen?
Worse than average for being in a sea of automobile smoke?

(I ask because I'm curious, mainly because I knew a runner that didn't like training near highways for that reason & claimed that she could tell she was running near a highway, even if it was about 150-200yds away.)

Do some research - the particulates of smoke are extremely hazardous. If bad enough can cause death. It's much worse than car exhaust although car exhaust is so full of noxious chemicals that's not good either! One reason why I love biking mountain... generally away from the bad car fumes.

Yeah, amazing but people just wait for the chance to start a fire. Justa as amazing, last year about a week after the big were finally under controll we took a cruise down to a bike shop about 30 miles away. Very windy day in a dry area bumper to bumper on the fwy. Wind blowing about 40 mph, some chick rolls her window down and tosses a cigarette onto the road. I'm thinking with the wind, it could easily find it's way to the side of the road which was made up of nothing but dry weeds. Too many stupid people. You would think after hundreds of people just lost their homes!:mad:

True Story - at the start of the Santiago Fire 2 years ago, I rode up to the top of Cowan Heights in order to see exactly where the fire was burning. This was during a full on Santa Ana Wind Storm. A crowd had started to gather. Some idiot came over smoking a cigarette. I was just about to tell him how stupid that was when he flicked the lit butt away down the hillside. I followed him back to his car and wrote down his license plate. He got out and yelled at me asking why I did that. I explained when the fire started here in this residential area I wanted the police and fire department to know what idiot started the fire. In a huff he got in his car and drove away. Sadly people are idiots... :notamused: