Riding with the ladies.
 

The "I got blown away by 2 ladies" thread was amusing, as I ride with women on some tough mountain rides. This past Saturday we did a ride of 73 miles with about 8000 feet of climbing. There were 6 strong women among the 17 riders. Here's Sarah, fastest woman there and crushed my soul, too.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...F0871SARAH.jpg
Jane, sweet and friendly, can climb all day. That's urbanknight behind her.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...CF0902JANE.jpg
Karen has completed the King of the Mountain series, 3 tough centuries.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...hn53/KAREN.jpg
Maria, fairly new to cycling, but learning fast.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...hn53/maria.jpg

That's Laura with her back to the camera. She is amazing, never gets tired and never stops smiling.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...0896chicks.jpg
Your host, the very lucky John
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...CF0890vgap.jpg
A view of the back of Mt Baldy. Wonderful views all day.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...CF0895view.jpg
Some of us at 7000 feet on our way up to 8000, sans cars.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...n53/dawson.jpg

A casual ride with lots of regroups. Thanks to Hansolo for the pics.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u...john53/jsj.jpg

Same time and same place this weekend? I intend to show up this time. That will make 7 ladies.

Makes one wonder why all of these women are flocking around big john.

8:00 at Red Box Road. I don't know who else will be there. Vertical Bob, Laura, and maybe Maria. We missed you last time.

Maybe it's a father figure thing. Maybe they like my stories.

Looks like a great ride. So, the road is closed at a certain point? Is it closed every day? What road is that?

That looks beautiful... nice scenery, nice shots.
So... What's your secret?

That is Angeles Crest Hwy, state hwy 2. It is closed about 10 miles west of Wrightwood due to storm damage and has been closed for 5 years, I think. The closed section is about 14 miles and traffic is very light anyway because cars can't use the road to get through. Still get kneedraggers on motorcycles, but they are usually gone by mid-day. They are planning to reopen the road by the end of this year, which is a shame for us, it's road bike paradise now.
It also connects to hwy 39, which is also always closed to cars.

Thanks for details. I lived in LA in the early 80's but did most of my riding in the Santa Monica Mountains; never made it over to your neck of the woods except for one or two little rides around Pasadena/Griffith Park, etc.