Rick@OCRR

Ride Up Angeles Crest, Red Box to Grassy Hollow Sat. Sept. 22nd

Hi all you climbers!

OC Rebel Kim Thanh has requested a climbing ride up Angeles Crest and since I cannot refuse a climbing ride, so it shall be! This is a lovely ride, better scenery than GMR with an overall excellent road surface. None of the climbs are super steep, but there are lots of long climbs! Like GMR, there are some descents on the way out, so you should expect some climbs on the way back down the mountain. There are two tunnels.

When? Saturday September 22nd, 7:30 AM meet, 8:00 AM Cleared for Take-Off!

Where to meet? Meet at the Red Box parking lot at the junction of CA 2 and Mount Wilson Observatory Road in La Canada Flintridge.

How to get there? In the morning, you can take the 5 North to the 2 North, then stay on the 2 (no longer a freeway North of the 210) all the way to Red Box at the junction of the 2 and Mt. Wilson Observatory Road. It’s about a 20-minute drive on the 2 (Angeles Crest) from the 210 to Red Box.

How to get back? Coming home (afternoon), I used the 210 to the 605, or for Orange County, the 210 to the 57. This avoids the traffic near downtown LA in the afternoon.

How far, How long? The ride is 80 miles, but its out and back so you can turn back earlier if you like. We will be riding from Red Box to Grassy Hollow and return over the same route. Red Box to Newcomb’s Ranch (regroup, water, Gatorade, food available) is 14 miles. Newcomb’s Ranch to Grassy Hollow is 26 miles (regroup). From Dawson’s Saddle, it’s a 6.5 mile descent to Vincent’s Gap, then a 3 mile climb to Grassy Hollow.

How High? How many feet of climbing? About 8,800. The highest point is not quite 8,000 ft. in altitude.

Bonus Feature! Kim's good friend Mike will be driving SAG up until the barricade (part of the route is closed to motor traffic). Look for a silver Dodge Diesel pick-up with a camper shell.

What to Bring? Bring at least two large water bottles and/or a Camelback, since beyond the barricade we will have no SAG support. Also bring your favorite energy bar or equivalent (Cliff Shots, Hammer Gel, etc.). There will be a food stop at approx. 14 miles at Newcomb's Ranch (kind of like the Cafe at Baldy Village).

Anything Else? Yes, to park at Red Box you will need a National Forest Service Adventure Pass. These come two ways: $5 for a day or $30 for a year. They are available at the Shell station just south of the 210 and 2 Freeway junction (i.e. pretty much on your way to the start). Note: If you park without an Adventure Pass, you will get a $5 fine, payable by mail.

Feel free to invite your friends (Forumittes, Rebels or not!) on this ride. This will be posted on the www.ocrebels.com site too so hopefully lots of the SoCal bikeforums and Rebel riders will be able to join us!

If you have any other Questions, please contact me at: rb.housa@verizon.net

1.Why is it called “Red Box?” it’s called “Red Box,” because there is a large red box (with emergency supplies) in the parking lot!

2.Will there be a Bonus Climb? If 80 miles and 8,800 feet of climbing is not enough for you, the climb to the Mt. Wilson Observatory will be today’s “Bonus Climb” (not as tough as the Ski-Lifts on the GMR Bonus Climb!). The Mt. Wilson climb also starts from Red Box.

We had hoped to get the Very Famous Vertical Bob to lead this ride, but he may be out of town this weekend, so we'll just do it on our own! In any case, thanks Vertical Bob for all the info you’ve supplied to help with this ride!

Rick / OCRR

merider1

I can't make it, Rick, although I wish I could. Have a great ride up there and I hope lots of folks will join. They will not be disappointed.

JimmyNH

Hey Rick,
The response seems to be overwhelmingly positive so far. What did you do to scare people away? I'll be there anyway - I ain't scared.

Rick@OCRR

Hi Jimmy.

Thanks for being there! I'm also getting a few more Rebels: Kim, Dr. Jerry, Ken, Chuck and Arthur, possibly David Slayton. So whatever. If bikeforum riders decide to join us later, that's great too!

Plus Kim's friend Mike will be driving SAG for us (up until the barricade), so that will be helpful too. Other than that, we'll just have to see who shows up.

Best Regs,
Rick / OCRR

vertical bob

Sorry I can't make it Rick, I would like to see Kim again after meeting them on Oak Glen this spring. I'll be trying to do as much of the first day of the Everest Challenge as I can on the 22nd.

big john

It's early, Rick. Some more people might join next week, maybe even me. I've gone up there at least 6 times this summer, but it's pretty addictive.

"WU"

Hey Rick, Sounds like it'll be a great ride. Would love to do it, but heading out to Vegas on Friday for the show. I'll stop by the booth and say hi. Hopefully I'll make it for the next one.

Magda003

I am thinking about this ride and I am a maybe. Could I do a shorter version of this ride? Any suggestions? Maybe I could join you guys half way to the top---somehow 8000 feet of climbing in 80 miles sounds a bit scary.
Anyhow, I do have to study next weekend so I should not be doing any biking but of course I will probably end up biking.

Rick@OCRR

Hi Maria,

Yes, this is an out-and-back course, so you could turn around when ever you like, and head back down the mountain.

Jackie is in the same frame of mind as you, i.e. the whole thing seems like too much, but she's going to climb until she's had enough, . . . then ride back down to Red Box. I'm thinking that you and Jackie will climb at about the same speed, but of course when I told her this, she said, "Oh no, Maria is much faster!"

But the easy answer to your question is: Yes! This is an easy ride to shorten to your ability and/or level of motivation at the time.

Rick / OCRR

big john

Hi Maria. Yes, you can turn back at any point but it will not be all downhill to Red Box. Also, you will end up with 100 feet per mile no matter where you turn back.

spingineer

I'm on the fence with this one ... not due to the physical aspects of it, but because I should spend more quality time with dad. I'll be in town that weekend ... no, I'm not doing GT Lite. It will most likely be a last minute decision for me (probably the night before). If I do it, you'll see me at the start.

The only drawback is I would be out there on my pink diamond back (39-52) ... no triple!

big john

There is nothing really steep up there. Saturday one of the ladies with us had a 39 small ring and she was the fastest one there. She wasn't even very tired at the end, she kept laughing and taunting me, but in a nice way.

spingineer

Ok, well I'm on the fence, not because of steepness, but due to time constraints. I'll have to play it by ear.

Rick@OCRR

Hi Ron,

It would be great to have you on the ride, but I understand about spending time with your Dad. You could climb with us for awhile, anyway, even if you didn't have time to do the whole ride.

I think Jackie and maybe Maria are only going part way too, so maybe you could ride with them. They're both good riders and fun to talk with as you ride along!

Best Regs,
Rick / OCRR

JustMe

Maria, if you start at Red Box and ride to where Hwy 39 intersects AC, it's a little over 50 miles round trip and 4600 ft. That takes you over Cloud Burst Summit, but not as far as Dawson Saddle. Makes for a nice ride.

JimmyNH

It looks like we'll have some lousy weather this weekend. It will be a last-minute decision for me. I'm sure Rick still remembers that ride in the freezing rain down GMR. Won't get fooled again.

Rick@OCRR

Right Jimmy,

I do remember. However, I can just take a rain jacket this time (plus arm and leg warmers possibly) so no worries. Even on that wet and cold day on GMR I was okay since I had a base layer plus a jacket over my shorts and jersey. Still . . . its one of those rides I will always remember!

Rick / OCRR

spingineer

It looks like I'm going to bail on this. Ominous clouds hovering over the foothills. Be safe out there!

Magda003

I agree with Spingineer on the matter of clouds. I think it is going to be yoga day for me tomorrow.
Be careful out there, I heard there might be some thunderstorms.

big john

Rick, are you still planning on doing this? I'll decide in the morning, I live close to AC. I'll check here in the morning.

Rick@OCRR

Yes big john,

I'll be there, and so will Jimmy, Kim, plus Michael driving SAG, and we'll see who else. I'd certainly like to have you along, since you know the area so much better than I do. Hopefully David will be there, and Maria, but I really don't know who will be spooked by the weather and who will brave it.

My wife (Jackie) may even be there, but she's waiting until morning to look at the weather report before she decides. She has disc brakes on her road bike, so she'd be better off than most (if it rains) in that respect.

Hope to see you at Red Box!

Rick / OCRR

big john

It's raining pretty hard here at 6:00 and they are saying 50% chance of T'storms up there. Unless it suddenly clears up I will wait until later to ride.

spingineer

The driving pouring rain woke me up here in Monterey Park ... I think I'll go to Denny's .... I mean IHOP for breakfast .

big john

I'm looking forward to hearing from you guys, I hope you had a good ride. I was thinking it might be amazing up there, maybe I'll go tomorrow. I got wet enough on a valley ride today.

merider1

I hope they are all okay up there. If anything, it has to be freezing up on that mountain.