jmX

I have to admit, upon arrival at the bottom of GMR this afternoon, I was nervous. Having never climbed more than a mile or two at a time, I was butterflies-in-the-stomach kinda nervous. As it turns out, that was totally silly . I ended up having a blast, and settled in on a very comfortable pace since I didn't really know what I was in for. I also ended up carrying 6.5lbs of water with me, if that gives you any indication as to how newbish I am.

The weather was fantastic, mid 80's at the base, low 60's up at the village, and I counted a total of 18 cars that passed me the whole day (not counting cars going the opposite way). The lack of a shoulder really is a non-issue, which I was pleasantly surprised about.

On the descent I kept it pretty tame. I've never decended something this twisty before, and with the guy that was killed a few weeks ago and the guy that went off the edge this week, lets just say I was playing it safe. Anyway, half way down the bike felt loose, and it turned out my rear tube was split at the seam...what the hell? Anyway, 25 minutes later (the tire was a real bear to get off/on for some reason) I was back on the road.

Anyway, the garmin file:
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/67947214

And some photos...
Bike assembled and ready to go:


The view of downtown LA and smog:


Beautiful moon-rise over Mt Baldy (bigger version if you click):


Me (well, my bike) at the lodge:

JimmyNH

Congrats jmx! What time did you start? I started at 9:00 AM and had a really nice ride. Made it to the village in just under 2 hrs which is pretty good for me, especially at this time of the year. The road was in perfect condition, haven't seen it this clean for ages. The trucks were there but they were more of a blessing than a pest. They gave me plenty of space when going around me (just like in Beanz's video) and they were obviously a nuissance for the racing cars and motorcycles, that's why I guess, I didn't see too many of those buggers today. One truck passed me on GRR (no yellow line there) with a Porsche and a Ferrari stuck behind it.

jsigone

congrats, you'll be up there more. As it gets warmer, you'll want at least 3 bottles for sure (one in the pocket).

Mr. Beanz

NICE! Now you know why I keep telling people to give it a try. Nice ride and no, you aint gonna die!

idoru2005

Love the shot of the moon. Splendid!

jmX

Jimmy, yup, the road was perfect. The dump trucks weren't too much of a nuisance. I started around noon, saw loads of people at the bottom finishing their ride when I was starting.

Beanz, I think if it wasn't for your constant GMR posts I probably wouldn't even have ever thought to try it.

Unless there's another way to get in some extra climbing that doesn't involve going up to the ski lifts (that section of road seems a bit too busy and pothole ridden for my tastes), I'm thinking about maybe trying the ride twice in a row next time I go.

jsigone

if you want more climbing, start from the bottom of 39 (Asuza), from there up to baldy is about 30m miles of clmibing.

route 39
right on East fork @ the end is a camp ground where you can get water
up lil GMR
GRR into baldy

Mr. Beanz

You can start from the smae spot. Once you hit the shack (fork) descend little GMR to EastFork/Camp Williams. Rewater, then climb back up then go to the village. Once at the village, you can descend Baldy Rd, then turn around and go back up, then descend GRRGMR back to Sierra Madre park point.

JimmyNH

What jsigone suggested is a nice ride. I did it a few years ago, back in the time when these guys here at the forum were actually riding instead of just jabbering about riding. Beanz's version is also cool, but much harder I think. By the way, the road from the village to the ski lifts is not bad at all. The first 200 yards from the restaurant look ugly, but the rest is OK. The problem is that this road is one steep MF-er, the average grade is about 8.5% with some ramps of over 20%. I did it once and I have no intention of going up there again.
Another nice climbing ride is Mt. Palomar. I do it from Harrah's casino - up South Grade, down East Grade and then back. About 50 miles with about 6,500' of climbing. Actually, all the climbing is done in the first 37 miles. jmX, if you can talk Mr. Beanz into doing this ride, I'll buy the beer at the end.

Mr. Beanz

Hahaha Jimmy! I'm working on getting back into shape so lemme work on it first.

JmX, what I did when I ws training for BigBear, I'd ride to the vilalge, ride back then climb back up to the shack for a little extra. But I'm one of those that doesn't get bored with the same scenery over and over and over and over..........

JimmyNH

All riiiiight, we are making some progress. I think you are already in shape Mr, but I'll give you a couple of months before I start bugging you again. The beer offer is still on

Prolene

Beanz,

Do a group ride! Those suds will never have tasted so good. I'd like to try Palomar some time!

jsigone

we used to mob deep on those socal BF rides to baldy!! the good old days LOL

First time I did that route was on my 26" mtb with knobby tires and camelbak. Was running late for a race at big bear so went up to baldy instead given I driven that far and didn't want to waste my gas. Even had to ask for directions...kinda scary on GRR and not knowing when it was gonna end with water low.

Mr. Beanz

I need to be in Bear shape, sounds good!

Mr. Beanz

So you're counted in, tap tap no erasies!

Lesper4

Did I hear group ride up GMR?

psalm

jsigone

jmX

Did some reading on the 3 miles up to the ski lifts, looks pretty brutal. I think I may wait until ski season is over before I attempt that one just to cut down on vehicle traffic.

I think I'll give "little gmr" a shot next time I'm out there to get some extra elevation in, thanks for the suggestion.

Prolene

Excellent! But we are talking about Palomar...?

calamarichris

When's the date of this Palomar ride?

Regarding Baldy, has anyone ridden up to the chairlift atop Baldy recently? What are the conditions like?
I'm itching to check it out, possibly this Friday if it isn't full of snowboarders.

JimmyNH

The date is whenever Mr. Beanz gets in shape. He's a Palomar virgin, let's cut him some slack. If he doesn't get in shape by mid-April, I reckon we go without him.

Chris, have you been up there recently? Must be pretty cold on the higher elevations.

calamarichris

I was just up there two weekends ago and it was beautiful, (mid- to high-60's; but got pretty chilly later in the afternoon when the wind started blowing.) It was beautiful up at Mother's Kitchen though.
Bummed to see the weather. I'd just gotten Friday off from work and was looking forward to a little Baldy recon trip, but now it's going to rain.

Mr. Beanz

Yup!

fishymamba

Gonna try that in two weeks. Going to be my first ride with a high amount of climbing.