A Sunday ride into the Santa Monica Mountains took myself and some friends up Mandeville Canyon, beloved of cyclists and the scene of Dr. Christopher Thompson's road rage last year against two cyclists, which netted him a five year prison sentence.



Below: On a Sunday morning, otherwise traffic-heavy Los Angeles is almost devoid of cars.



Below: Riding through UCLA, sans traffic.



Below: Riding through the Veterans Administration in West Los Angeles, no traffic.



Below: Along broad San Vicente Blvd., in Brentwood, trees are in bloom in the January sun of Southern California.



Below: Heading on empty 26th St. toward the mountains.



The rural character of the canyon, the relatively little traffic, and it's easy grade most of it's five mile run, is why this canyon draws cyclists like iron filings to a magnet.







Above: An artificial waterfall marks the entrance to an exclusive residential enclave above the canyon.

Below: Near the spot where Dr. Christiansen injured two cyclists. On my ride, the only reaction from a motorist I witnessed was a thumbs up to a group of cyclists pulled over on the side of the rode.

fantastic photos. how did you manage to get the picture look so steady?

A few more photos from a Sunday ride.

Below: The 10% grade up the final portion of Mandeville Canyon.





Below: Some say the top hasn't been reached until the gate to a private residence at the top of the canyon has been touched.







Below: On Ocean Ave., on the bluffs above the broad beaches of the city of Santa Monica, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. In the midst of my epic attempt to wear 20 different jerseys in 20 days, I donned one from my Chico Wildflower Century rides. (Wildflowers in Los Angeles, on this late January ride, were already putting in an appearance.)



Below: A yapping dog tried to annoy me as I enjoyed a cup of coffee at Pete's, along San Vicente Blvd.



Finally finding some traffic – and relatively safe tucked into a bike lane – on Santa Monica Blvd., I viewed the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains, rising 10,000+ feet above sea level behind the city of Los Angeles.

Every picture isn't a winner. I'm only showing the ones I think are worthy.

You're quite the photographer - great pics!

I ride Mandeville regularly, even before and during the doctor's trial. I've actually never even come close to encountering road rage on that road. In fact, most drivers I've run into have been quite encouraging and usually gives me a thumbs up. It's unfortunate, but I think the doc was an outlier - most of the folks in that neighborhood (including Arnold Schwarzenegger) aren't overtly bike-averse. After reading the articles, you'd think that that road is a hotbed of bike conflict, but it's actually one of the tamest roads I've ridden - I get far, far more road rage from any busy intersection during my rush hour bike commute to and from work.

Nice. But what happened to the colors?

I lived a stone's throw from that location. I do miss it.

It's best at night. Just watch out for wildlife

what camera are you using for these great photos?

excellent as always.

even in winter.

Rare capture of a perfectly smogless day day in L.A. Enjoyed the photos. Thanks.

Thanks for the pics icyclist, I should tape one of them to my handlebars so I can pretend to be warm during the cold February rides here in the Northeast. I can't wait to get out to California again and go riding.

I use a little Panasonic Lumix TZ5 (nothing little about the name). It's a digicam with a quite wide to very long lens.

Most digicams are missing the long telephoto. (The telephoto lets me keep foreground stuff - cyclists, dogs, buildings - small, while pulling in the background, like a mountain or skyscraper).