Did a nice ride in the San Gabriels I thought you all might enjoy. Here is the route:

Highway 39 - Baldy Loop - Azusa, CA

The distance was about 90 miles, with 11,000 feet or so of climbing.

We started up Highway 39 ... one of my favorite roads in the area. Not only is it a nice climb with little or no traffic ... it is also a great descent. The climb varies from 6 to 8%, although there is a short 12% section. The best part is this bowl. Twisty climbs and twisty descents ... great fun.



One of the reasons Highway 39 has little traffic is because it is gated at Crystal Lake. The road is usually somewhat rocky, but rideable, if you're willing to risk your tires. And from there, you can ride all the way to Dawson's Saddle at 8000 feet. Personally I'm not a fan (tires are too expensive to get the sliced up on those rocks, and the descents are nothing special), but my partner wanted to give it a try, so we ducked under the gate and went for it.



We got about 200 yards before a Sheriff pulled us over. I don't play cute with these guys, so when they asked us if we saw the sign, I said "Sure, but it's never been enforced. Heck, we've had Sheriff officers wave at us riding through here."

They took our IDs and ran us through their system. I guess neither of us have any outstanding warrants, cuz they let us go with a warning. No matter to me ... I prefer taking the route we ultimately took. More climbing, better descents, and lots of food along the way. Yea baby.

So we rode to the Crystal Lake Cafe:



And I had one of these. Yum. There IS a hot dog in there somewhere:



After that, we took the long, SWEET descent back down to the Junction and headed over to Camp Williams for a climb up Glendora Mountain Road. From there, we took Glendora Ridge Road (GRR) to Mt. Baldy Village. GRR follows a ridge between the LA basin and the San Gabriels, all the while with a view of Mt. Baldy at 10,000+ feet. What a view.

Here is the climber's view of Baldy:




And it's entertainingly twisty.



We shared a basket of fries and a couple of cokes. My partner headed back home along a different route, and I took GRR back to the starting point, stopping frequently for pictures. Oy, it was beautiful.





Eventually, you get a view so expansive, you can make out the skyscrapers of downtown LA and the Santa Monica Bay.



I threw together a video of the descents. It's too long, and I've got to find a way to tighten up the helmet mount to minimize the shaking. But you guys might find it entertaining. The transition at about 9:30 shows Glendora Ridge Road.

As for the music ... I love Philip Glass.