ok guys.... (errrrrr wimps! lol!) you missed a GREAT ride.... VERY well organized.... low traffic..... overall just a great ride!

we left bright and... errrrr... dark and early for the ride.... 2:45.... many of you know we're near the sawtooth fire.... when we got to yucca valley.... the smoke started coming into the car even with the recirculate setting... ICK! once we hit the lower desert... we opened the windows to air the car out..... side not.... do you know mcdonald's won't serve you breakfast until 4 a.m.**********? i wanted a very unhealthy mcgriddle.... but couldn't have one til 4..... we drove down the street and got steak and egg burritos from del taco instead... THEY didn't have a problem feeding me breakfast!

we stopped at a scenic overlook.... got to see palm desert all lit up... then over to the left we looked and could see flames on one of the hills in the distance.... i tried to take pics... but it looks like a little red spot in the middle of a black picture....

we got to the start of the ride about 10 til 6.... whoa.... yes... "I" got to a ride earlier than the planned time! (6 a.m.!) since i had time.... i took my time getting ready.... got registered... and then... left LATER than i planned! sheesh! only 10 minutes late though! the temp was nice... comfortable!

the ride started with a climb.... they weren't messing around with us!



we hairpinned back a bit and the start point is on the very left....



as usual... hubby caught and passed me....



the area was really pretty.... lots of cows! lots of tree cover/shade! something i'm not used to! i was noticing the "sown" portions at the beginning of the road.... cuz i knew i'd have to climb those coming back!



i got a bit further down the road and there was a truck parked in the middle of the road (rich's truck... for those of you familiar with R&B...) i think to myself "why are you parked int he middle of road?" well.... a few seconds later i see why: rider down..... then i hear "i'm ok, hun" or something like that.... OH... hubby's there too... he peeks around another rider standing on the side.... i continue down the hill and it's steep and curvy.... LOTS of breaking (NOT a hill for the white knuckle club!) i stopped and tried to call hubby to warn him that the rest of the hill is as steep as the part where the crash was.... no answer.... ok... maybe he's on his way down? (all the time thinking... "i have to climb this bear on the way back! ACK!")

i continue on.... past lake henshaw......



then we make the turn up east grade....

i kept expecting hubby to catch and pass me... but nope.... no hubby... so then i'm wondering... did he crash when the guy crashed? and why isn't he answering his phone? i arrived at the rest stop/overlook









they were talking about the crash.... so i asked... "was the guy on the ground the only one hurt?" and they said yes.... so then i said "well.... then where's my husband**********" i continue on up the

i'm riding along.... it's a nice ride... nice climb.... nothing too bad.... so i was surprised when i passed a guy that said the climb was grueling? no.... not this part of the climb! however..... it was gorgeous.... the sky was blue... the air was clear... and it wasn't too hot!





finally the phone rings... and it's hubby! YAY! he's at the rest stop... he stayed with the crashed guy until the ambulance came and he was all loaded up.... such a nice guy! (hubby didn't crash.... he came upon the guy and stopped to help)

i continue on... and hubby catches and passes me.... i get to the next rest stop shortly after him..... load up on dudley bread and try a bar... (OMG! those are SO GOOD!) fill my bottles with ice and water... (yes... they had ice for us at both/all rest stops!) i took off while hubby was still talking.... as he caught and passed me again.... i yelled ahead... "wait for me at the observatory"... (i wanted to take pics!)



hubby asking "what's taking you so long?"




then it was time to head back..... a nice descent to the 2nd/3rd rest stop....

more bread.... more ice.... more water!

mostly descending to the next (4th/1st) rest stop.....

i REALLY don't remember seeing anything fly in front of me when i took this.... maybe it's a UFO!



back by lake henshaw...... then..... the climb up THAT hill on mesa grande.... ya.... it was everything i thought it was going to be..... plus it had started to heat up by then..... a LOT of people were stopping along the way when they'd come to a shady area..... i even stopped near the top cuz i could hear my "blood pumping/heart beating" in my ears (does that make sense) so i stopped in the shade til it stopped..... got back on the bike and continued on.... there was a headwind... and for once i was happy to have it... it felt good! i passed a gal who was walking... and she asked "is that the top?" i said "i don't know... but i hope so!" (it was... just ahead!)

i continued on.... passed and moo-d at the cows! lol!



then.... about 5 miles out.... i got a flat.... &(&^(^*( ^^)^%)& %%(*&^(*&^ well.... at least there was a shade tree.... i stopped there and the gal came up and asked if i needed help... i told her if she wanted an excuse to stop in the shade.. then sure thing! :cool: we got my tire changed... in the meantime... a friend of her's came by... i guess checking on her? and they had a pump.... so i saved a CO2.... however... i guess he thought i didn't have a pump.... cuz i found out when i got back... he was telling them he "rescued" someone with a flat who didn't have a pump! oh well! :cool:

after that.... about 5 miles left.... another small climb.... then the last descent to the finish line!

they had a nice sign set up! of course i had to be a ham!



and a nice pic, too!



i checked in.... got my t-shirt... and ate some GREAT dudley cookies! (they make great bread.... great bars... and great cookies, too! i'm glad i don't live near them!)

we sat around talking.... nice group of people... tony.. the organizer is VERY nice and VERY receptive to suggestions/recommendations!

we were in a REAL cow pasture... and i wanted pics of the cows.... there were 3 near... but by the time i got around to taking pics.... only one was left.... i walked out to her... and when i got too close... she took off running away from me....



i stopped walking.... so she stopped... and looked at me.....



isn't she cute!!!!!**********?

then we headed home!

we hit anza and saw smoke! oh no! they had just had a small fire earlier in the week (same day as the sawtooth started, i think!) we climbed a rock to watch... didn't see flames... but saw the water-dropping airplane.... ) too many

great pix, good story ... thanks for 'taking me along'!

Congrats caligurl! Nice ride, nice ride report, nice pics.

very nice. it all looks so familiar...

(how tall are you..?)

Most entertaining ride report as usual!! Thanks, and those pics are beautiful. We weren't kidding about Mesa Grande were we???

Speaking of pictures, I can't wait to get my new camera that I ordered delivered this week. The wide angle lens on it is gonna be awesome........will use it on the coastal ride this weekend...

Hmm... the Kodak? I'm quite pleased with the wide angle lens on that thing, though I'm kind of disappointed by the amount of grain in the pictures under less than ideal lighting conditions. But for daytime outdoor pics, that wide angle lens is a winner.

No, I decided to go with the Panasonic Lumix FX01 with an integral 28mm equiv short zoom instead. I think the 23mm on the Kodak, although nice for scenic and group shots, would result in somewhat distorted close-up cycling pics of riders with huge, massive thighs if taken from a low angle...

5'3" so not that short... but by no means... tall!

hmmmmmm wonder what it is about these pics that make me look short to you's all! i had a comment on women's board, too!

NO! you were NOT kidding.... shoulda called the ride "conquer mesa grande!" lol!

my little camera has some zoom/wide angle... but i don't use it on the bike.... i usually pull it out... turn it on... point... listen for the "bing" and take the pic! i'm really pleased with it for a compact camera (it's a kodak....!)

the end pics and 2 moo cow pics at the end were taken with my canon.... but that one... although a small camera.... is too big to carry on the bike!

It's the combination of a tall sign, a high gate and the low saddle on your bike.

Great pictures.

Great report and photos! I am glad that you had a good time out there climbing Mesa Grande...

Did you suggest a full century for next year? start and end at the same location, but add South Grade and another trip to the Observatory... They would have to run it during a cooler month though...

What time did you leave? As I was saying in the other Conquer Palomar thread, my friends from work decided to do South Grade on Saturday...I got there on time, they got there 1.5 hours late, and we LEFT at 9 AM. We started by Valley Center Middle School, dropped down to Rincon Casino, then up South Grade. When we got to the top, we saw the Rest Stop for your ride. I looked around, but I'm pretty sure everybody in YOUR ride was much more intelligent than our group and were long gone. This was around noon.

Anyway...Probably the hottest day this will be all summer. Great report, great pics...and East Grade looks much more tolerable than South.

ps...you're not short...you're ideal. My wife is 5'-0". I'm just looking at your shoulders and thinking, "Dang!"

It's probably your bike.

BTW-Congrats on the ride and thanks for the pics.