So I HTFU and did the Mt Baldy ride. I started early so they would catch me on the way up but they had trouble and didn't start climbing until later. The two fastest climbers still caught me with several miles to go. Lots of other riders up there, hundreds, maybe. I chatted with strangers as they passed me or even when I passed a few of them. Two guys rode up behind me and one of them was, in English, teaching the other one how to translate Spanish into Tagalog. I threw out some Spanish cuss words and they laughed.
We rode to the lodge/cafe and I had fries and 2 Cokes. They're good to us there, they installed a water bottle station out front and they fill a large cooler with ice. The waitresses are quick to refill drinks and they act happy to see us.