[MrMountainHop]

I've got Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 12/28,29,30,& 31 off from work and I've just had the idea to put together a "SoCal road trip." I live in Venice. How cool would it be to connect a couple of SoCal places over a couple of consecutive days? A road trip right here in my own backyard? Why day trip from Venice to OC and back, to Palm Springs and back, to Joshua Tree and back, etc, when I could make a multi-day SoCal loop?

I need your help, locals!

Some places I'd like to hit:

San Juan Trail.
Anza-Borrego (30 miles point to point!).
Idylwild.
Palm Canyon.
Joshua Tree.

Who's down for some big, classic rides? You get that joy of showing a stranger your local secrets, I (and anyone who wants to join up) get the deep satisfaction of discovering what it's like to live nearby.

Maybe:

Orange County something Wednesday.

San Diego County something Thursday.

Riverside County something Friday.

Los Angeles County something Saturday.

Get home really dirty, in time for a shower and a New Year's Eve party.

Let's hear from you. Let's make it epic.

 

[FoShizzle]

I have never hit any of those rides.....I would be up for probably one of them.

I was actually thinking of a 50 miler in Ojai sometime next week if you want too but please keep us/me posted.

I will definitely be game for something anywhere in LA County. I would love to do Noble Canyon or San Juan Trail but they are too far for me to commit to.

Thanks for trying to get something going.

cheers

 

[Aquaholic]

"I would love to do Noble Canyon or San Juan Trail but they are too far for me to commit to."

cheers

..........

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I would love to do Noble Canyon or San Juan Trail but they are too far for me to commit to.

Translation: I'm intimidated to ride those places and will blame it on distance.

 

[MrMountainHop]

Never ridden Noble...

...but San Juan isn't hard. A couple of tight switchbacks, some rocks, a washout or two, but no big deal.

50 miles in Ojai... I once started at Rose Valley campground and rode up the north side of Nordhoff Ridge,to the lookout tower on Nordhoff Peak, then down Gridley, through town to Sisar Road and up Nordhoff Ridge again. I'd run out of water around Sisar and filled up at someone's hose. I was in good shape at the time and still that climb wore me out. At the top I went looking for Rose Lion trail, which leads down into Rose Valley, and just couldn't find it. It was easily 95 degrees out. I kept saying, 'okay, I'll go to the next curve' (which was always another uphill, of course). Somewhere waaay up there I actually got off the bike and laid down in the middle of the fireroad and took a nap. I was basically out of water again, and according to my map a good ten miles from my campground via the fireroad "bailout".

Then, slugging it up yet another rise, I heard a violin. Seriously. Was this the end? No, as a matter of fact. I rounded the corner to find a turnout in the road and this beautiful girl playing a violin. She had plenty of extra water and shared it with me, and in filling me up quite possibly saved my life (considering what was yet to come that day). I asked her if she knew where Rose Lion trail was and she said, "Well, about a mile back or so I saw a trail sign that had been knocked over and is lying on the ground all broken up." I thanked her and backtracked, and sure enough, there it was, plain as a smashed sign on the side of the road. I must have ridden past it with my head down.

Rose Lion was something else. Remote, narrow, steep in places, occasionally rocky, a couple of sections with true-death dropoffs to one side or another. Kind of like Strawberry Peak in the Angeles. Ridable, surely, but by myself, with only the violin player having any idea I was out there, I walked some things I could ride on another day. Suffice to say I made it down alive, so totally exhausted I couldn't have climbed a flight of stairs.

Counting off my topo map I think I climbed 7000' and rode about 35 miles.

 

[FoShizzle]

Translation: I'm intimidated to ride those places and will blame it on distance.

in fact, i am gonna stick to the boardwalks at the beach; I am thinking I should be ok with my 3" travel bike since the 5" will be a bit overkill.

 

[Guest]

here is what i was thinking about doing...

San Juan Trail on Monday (with the loop and stuff on top)
Trabuco-Holy Jim on Wednesday
Blackstar-Motorway on Friday.

the in-between days i was thinking about riding stuff like Chiquito or something, but i wouldn't mind going up and riding in Idyllwild if someone wanted to hit up Toolbox Springs/Ramona Trail or something.

 

[noslogan]

Anza is a desert trip

Save Anza for another time. You wanna do that one after it has rained or is raining close to the coast. That is, when you can't ride a regular trail due to mud/rain.
A buddy and I actually like the ride. LOTS of desert. NOT lots of single strack. Sometimes lots a water trekking. Cactus.

How about this: Wed, Holy Jim; Thurs, Noble and the BLT; Fri, one of the race courses in Idyllwild and Tmec or Alvin and the Idy race course. LA,I'm only familliar with Gabby or StrawPeak or Malibu.

SIDENOTE: Thurs. night is an SS night ride (half urban, half trail) from a shop here in San Diego. Not long, about an hour or so. Lots of beer. Sometimes we pile into a van and do a secret road trip.

These suggestions in no way mean that I am available for a "roadtrip". I would just do the one day thing from the house.

Hey AquaMan..., Thursday, Indian/Noble/BLT???? And then SS night?

 

[mtbski]

How about Jackson Lake Loop about 35 miles.

Start from South Fork Campground and climb to Vincent Gap to Jackson lake then up to Blue Ridge and then to Guffy and then back via the sweet trail system at Grassy Hollow and Jackson Flat. High altitudes at just over 8,000', great views and sweet flowing single track. Manzanita would be out since I here it is washed out from last years epic storms. There could be snow in some parts so this could be an expedition of sorts. Cold weather gear would be advisable.

 

[eebeedah]

....baby cry photo......

this is so funny i laugh very much.

 

[pacman]

in fact, i am gonna stick to the boardwalks at the beach; I am thinking I should be ok with my 3" travel bike since the 5" will be a bit overkill.

I'm with you on that. I wouldn't dare take my singlespeed on anything that requires climbing. Santa Monica or Redondo?

 

[MrMountainHop]

Revised Thinking

Really, I want to ride the epics. Impossible-to-do-by-yourself stuff. Like Palm Canyon. Who's down for Palm Canyon next Thursday or Friday?

I'm gonna post this as a new topic as well.

 

[biotruth]

have you checked out our OC rides: www.outdoorsclub.org

thur: intermed night
sat: intermed/adv rides (like san juan/trabucco/joplin/etc)
sun: beg/intermediate afternoon rides