Past Trips

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

JANUARY 29 - 30, 2005

We were ten riders on this terrific tour in a beautiful desert park in winter.  Although winds were predicted, we started the ride on Saturday under sunny skies, with moderate breezes, and the promise of a beautiful weekend.

Friendly tailwinds escorted us along highway 62 toward the entrance of the park at the town of Twenty-nine Palms and pushed us up the grades toward our lunch stop at White Tank campground.  We descended from the Mojave Desert with its Joshua trees and other high desert vegetation down to the Sonoran desert with its preponderance of creosote and cholla cactus.  After crossing Fried Liver Wash, Cholla Gardens, and Porcupine Wash, we climbed to our campsite at Cottonwood Springs.   We set up camp, then took a short hike down to the springs to learn about the Indians who once inhabited this area and to see the huge native palm trees that were planted there.

Happy hour followed, then a communal dinner and a roaring campfire provided by our one non-rider who brought firewood in his camper vehicle.  We enjoyed each other's company and the stories we had to share.  The winds did not abate, so many tent flies flapped for a good part of the night.

Sunday morning dawned cold and windy, but the glorious sunrise raised our spirits.   We retraced our route as far as yesterday's lunch spot, bucking headwinds of twenty plus miles per hour with gusts; a slow, strenuous ascent back up to the Mojave.  We rested in the shelter of some large rocks before continuing along the road that took us over Sheep Pass, through the part of the park that features favorite outcroppings of rock climbers, and finally down and out of the park.

Along the way we saw several jackrabbits, lots of birds, cactus swollen from the recent rains, ocotillo and other desert plants dressed in green leaves, and a coyote that was sunning himself on the road.  Evidence of the recent rains was everywhere, especially in the washes where plants, rocks and other debris were piled up.

This was an exhilarating ride, one that surely bears repeating.  Although it was colder and much windier than we would have liked, all riders were well prepared.  The wind enervated us, but the beauty of the desert and the quiet solitude, light traffic, and the pure magic of this park made this trip one of the best.  Be sure to join us next year!!

Participants were Leslie Gold, Linda Goff, Larry Moore, Dick Kniepkamp, Jerry Tate, Bob Lloyd, Philip Conmy, Rick Adams, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.

Special thanks to Warren Goff who secured our campsite and provided the firewood.

PINNACLES BIKE & HIKE TOUR

April 1 - 3, 2005

On Friday, April 1st ten riders headed out from the town of Coalinga to begin the ride along lovely Los Gatos Creek, climbing to Condon Pass and then down along a quiet, most beautiful area.  There were ranches, fields covered with wildflowers, horses and cows, forested sections, and hardly any traffic.  Once onto highway 25 we saw meadows and rolling hills covered with purple lupine, blue dicks, yellow goldfields, and cerise-colored owls clover.  The golden California poppies and many other flowers were out too.  What a treat! 

On Saturday we left our camp and cycled the few miles to Pinnacles National Monument where we did a half-day hike on the High Peaks trail, which led us up into the pinnacles.  After climbing through a steep, narrow section complete with handrails, we enjoyed some spectacular views.  After lunch we rode an easy thirty-eight miles to King City where we camped in the grassy fields of San Lorenzo County Park.

Completing the loop on Sunday, we were treated to more wildflowers, overwhelmingly green rolling hills with grazing cattle and oak trees, a scenic but steady climb over the coastal mountains, then down through beautiful, bucolic Priest's Valley, and back to Coalinga.  Sometimes the cows just stared at us as we silently rode by and other times they ran alongside as though we were their escape route to freedom.  At other times they appeared as small ornaments in the distance, not moving at all.

Aside from some flat tire problems on day one and day three, our tour was the best.  The weather was cool and comfortable for the most part, and aside from the expected high winds on the descent into King City, we had no serious headwinds.

If you missed this excellent tour, be sure to join us next year.  All you need are three days, low gears, and lots of enthusiasm.  The scenery is unsurpassed and you even get to lock up your bike for a while to do a nifty hike in a beautiful park.  Participants this year were David Urciuoli, Bob Lloyd, Jerry Tate, Philip Conmy, Shahla Hashemi, Larry Moore, Dick Kniepkamp, Kathy Shapiro, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.

Pine Canyon Wildflower Tour

April 17, 2005

Co-leaders: Dick Kniepkamp & Rick Adams

written by Dick Kniepkamp

It was a beautiful sunny morning when 19 riders including two tandems gathered at the Quail Lake parking lot a few miles Southeast of Gorman.  One of the riders had called the Poppy Reserve a few days prior and was told that the poppies were past their peak, but that there were still many in area, so our hopes were high for a truly wildflower adventure.

After the usual Sierra Club Outings introduction we headed East on Hwy 138 for a couple of miles and turned right on the Old Ridge Route Road.  After climbing for a little over two miles we came to the intersection with Pine Canyon Road.  There was a gate across the continuation of the Old Ridge Route because of the winter storm damage to the road.  While we were regrouping at this intersection, a friendly dog from a neighboring ranch came over and grabbed a camera case that Marlene had set on the ground.  The dog headed straight for home with the case in his mouth.  It was quite a sight to see the pursuit right up to the dog's owner who cheerfully retrieved the case and handed it back to the Marlene.

The Pine Canyon area had experienced a major forest fire about a year ago and the charred evidence could be seen on some of the hillsides.  There was lots of new growth already and also quite a few mud slide areas that had been cleared off the roadway.  From some of the overlooks into the valleys you could see many types of wildflowers blooming in the rolling pastureland.  Great mixtures of purple, yellow, orange, and white.   Pine Canyon has lots of ups and downs, but is a fun road to bicycle on and there's almost no automobile traffic.

After we regrouped at Three Points, we continued down Pine Canyon to Lake Hughes where we bought lunch goodies for a picnic at Elizabeth Lake.  From there it was less than a mile to our left turn onto Munz Ranch Road - a very short climb and then 4 miles of down hill with a tailwind.  I hit 48 miles per hour, just couldn't hit that 50 mph mark.

At the intersection with Lancaster Road we turned left and pedaled to the California Poppy Reserve.  The poppies were in full bloom along this part of the road and of course there were many cars to look out for.  We stopped along the road and filled our cameras with scenes of poppies.  A few riders went up the dirt road to the visitor center to refill their water bottles.

The prevailing headwind provided a test of our stamina the last 25 miles back to the parking lot.  One of the tandems had a tire problem, but fortunately he had a spare with him.  We all persevered and arrived at our cars with smiles of enjoyment and chatter about the beautiful flowers we had seen today.

Thanks to Matthew Lax and Fran Fredella for planning and scheduling this ride, sorry neither of you could join us for this fun day.

List of attendees: Dick K., Rick A., Linda G., Kathy S., Roberta V., Claire B., Ann T., Gary F., Larry M., Janice B., Karl D., Mike G. & Letti (tandem), Vic & Ann (tandem), Melissa A., Marlene, Jerry T., and ???

Havilah/Breckenridge Weekend Ride

May 7 - 8, 2005

Five riders enjoyed this scenic area east of Bakersfield in the Southern Sierra below Lake Isabella.  Starting in Caliente, a non-town featuring only a post office and the remains of a railway station, we followed Caliente Creek, gradually climbing on a most quiet road.  This became the Walker Basin Road, and after some buffeting winds in Walker Basin, we joined the Bodfish Caliente Road which led us to our turn-around at the historic town of Havilah. 

There we were unexpectedly treated to a festival called "Havilah Days".  Volunteers offered lunch fare which included a variety of home-baked goodies.  There were tractor rides, booths with handicrafts and other interesting items for sale, and live country music featuring guitarists, a dobro, and of course, vocalists.  Western outfits were de riguer.  There was a display by the U. S. Forest Service complete with a fire truck and a real Smokey the Bear walking around and posing for shutterbugs.  The Havilah museum was open as was the original schoolhouse that was built in 1857.

After lunch at the picnic tables, we climbed the steep pitches on what is locally called the "high road", then down a spectacular nine mile descent to our cars in Caliente for a total today of 62 superb miles.

Happy hour, dinner, a hot shower, and a good night's rest at the Kern River County Park campground near Ming Lake readied us for Sunday's ride up Breckenridge Mountain Road.  It was sunny yet cool as we climbed past a few oil derricks, then cattle ranches, and up through various eco-systems: from grassland to scrub growth to oak woodlands to pine forest.  The wildflower displays on the roadside and in the meadows were stunning.  There were blue dicks, blooming yucca, poppies, Arthurial spears, sunflowers, clarkia, fiddlenecks, popcorn flower, phlox, owl's clover, and many, many others.  After lunch at the high point, we retraced our route back to Ming Lake, for a total of 57 magnificent miles.  

Participants were Leslie Gold, Philip Conmy, David Urciuoli, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.  If you missed the ride this year, be sure to watch for this or other Southern Sierra rides next spring.  If you are a reader unfamiliar with the Sierra Club, you are welcome to join us on our rides: you need not be a member. 

Sequoia/Kings Canyon Pannier Tour

May 20 - 22, 2005

Submitted by Ellie Antonio

A bear just 20 feet from the roadway watching us silently and motionless as we rode by?  Egad!!  A near collision with a deer as it pranced across the roadway just inches in front of a rider?  Omigosh!!  That was just some of the excitement on this superlative three-day tour in these two adjoining national parks.  In addition to these wildlife close-ups, we enjoyed the sounds of birdsong, the tinkling of waterfalls and creeklets, and then the raging and turbulent Kings River, which the road paralleled for almost ten miles.  Wildflowers were everywhere, smiling at us from the roadsides as we passed them.

We left our cars in Lemoncove on Friday morning and cycled alongside Lake Kaweah to the town of Three Rivers.  Entering Sequoia Park, we climbed the ever-twisting Generals Highway to Giant Forest where we stopped to rest and visit the museum there.  Our destination today was the campground at Lodgepole, where we skirted large patches of snow to our campsites, and where some brave riders bathed in the river because the showers were out of order.  Brrr!!  This was a 40-mile day with over 7,000 feet of elevation gain.

Saturday morning's ride was up and down, with at least two sizeable bumps at the trailheads to Little Baldy and Big Baldy.  The dips were at Clover Creek, Marble Fork, Dorst Creek, and Stony Creek.  We rode for miles along this cool and quiet, lightly trafficked, forested section to an overlook that gave us a panoramic view across a deep valley to the distant high Sierra peaks.  After lunch at Grant Grove we climbed over Cherry Gap and then down, down, down, to the South fork of the Kings River and to our camp at Cedar Grove.  Once again, any bathing that was done was in the river because the generator was down and there was no hot water.  Even the beer in the village store could not be refrigerated.  That was okay: the spectacular scenery today made up for these minor inconveniences.  Today we cycled 56 miles and climbed almost 5,000 feet.

On Sunday we climbed out of Cedar Grove, lunched again at Grant Grove, then made our way back to the cars at Lemoncove.  The long, cool downhill along highway 245 reminded us of how much we climbed on Friday; it was delicious.  The descent was virtually traffic-less as newly leafing oak trees and blossoming dogwood greeted us.  This last day's climb was over 4,000 feet in about 68 miles.

Sixteen riders and one non-rider made for a "lotsa laughs" and camaraderie-filled weekend.  The weather could not have been better: cool, sunny, and breezy for the most part.  Riders were Larry and Janice Moore, Janice's sister Mary Jane and her husband Mike who both came out from Phoenix, Bob Lloyd, Jon Faust from Sacramento, Ann Trank, Robert Treister, Jerry Tate, Shahla Hashemi, Linda Goff, Edward Gallegos, Joseph Hochleitner and John Bacon, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.  Warren Goff provided the firewood for the camps and was ready and willing to assist in any way if needed.  Thank you Warren and thanks to our leaders, Larry and Mike, for orchestrating this terrific trip with its many participants.

Sequoia/Kings Canyon Pannier Tour

May 20 - 22, 2005

Submitted by Bob Lloyd

Kings Canyon WAS A BLAST!!!!!  A BLAST!  The first day had an early, but easy, start. We wound up gently around the reservoir and into Three Rivers for breakfast.

Afterwards we started climbing and got into the trees and into some heavy fog/clouds. We are riding along, and the rider in front of me looks left, squeaks, and keeps riding.  I look to the left and there is a big bear sitting in the fog - right on the shoulder of the road - not even a full road away, as we are in the one lane.  I felt as if I could have patted it on the head. It was busy with something and I guess too lazy to chase me - or bite me for that matter (some of you know about the huge "bear" that bit me on the Glass Mountain trip).  We were going uphill at around a 7-8% grade and I had about 40 lbs. of gear so it probably would have caught me easily.  After some more climbing we got above the fog and the views were spectacular.

We finally got into Lodgepole and had happy hour, dinner, and Warren's great fire.  The space station was scheduled to pass overhead while the ground was in darkness but it would still be illuminated by sunlight.  Everyone counted down the minutes.  The time it was supposed to rise passed and minutes ticked by and some questioned whether simple physics had been turned on its ear, but suddenly there it was, a bright light still clearly overhead.  It passed into the earth's shadow and as it did it simply dimmed out in a couple of seconds.  Poof and it was gone.  The rest of the trip just got better and better.

Devil's Postpile Bike and Hike

Sept. 23 - 25, 2005

Nine riders enjoyed the splendid scenery of the eastern Sierra on this three-day tour.  We started the ride at Benton Crossing Road, east of the town of Mammoth Mountain.  We rode into the town, bucking fierce headwinds and crosswinds (30 mph sustained, up to 70 mph on the ridges), up past the main ski lodge to Minaret Summit.  We then enjoyed an eight-mile descent through the pine-scented forest with mini waterfalls, streams, and lakes to Reds Meadow, our camp for the night.

In the morning, the wind diminished, we did a short hike to visit the postpiles at the monument, then on our bicycles climbed back to Minaret Summit.  We took the Mammoth Scenic Road, and climbed over Deadman Summit to the June Lake loop, where the aspen were just beginning to show their fall colors.  We camped at Silver Lake, where some deer were browsing near our campsite, the fishermen were casting into the lake, and a lovely waterfall could be seen on the mountainside just across from our site.  We all enjoyed each other's company at our camp table as the sun dropped down behind the mountain.

On our third day we cycled on a back road that skirted Mono Lake, went past the site of the abandoned Mono Mills, past Mono Craters, and over Sagehen Pass.  We had a splendid view of the Sierras, with a dusting of new snow on some of the mountaintops.

Riders were Bob Lloyd, Larry Moore, Jerry Tate, Shahla Hashemi, Kathy Shapiro, Don Porter, Ron Frankiewicz, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.  In the three days we rode 136 miles and climbed 10,200 feet

VENTURA TO REFUGIO STATE BEACH

October 22 - 23, 2005

Sometimes the best part of a bicycle tour is the people that one meets and  where the scenery takes a back seat.  That was the case on this weekend's trip that has been offered many times because of its excellent and diverse scenery, but we didn't see much of it due to low fog and drizzle.  After passing Carpinteria, the route took us up in the foothills above Summerland, through Montecito, along Mountain Drive to the Sheffield Reservoir, and down to Goleta before reaching El Capitan Beach and Refugio State Beach, our home for the night. 

At the bike and hike section of camp we met Angus, a resident of Cerritos who was cycling down from San Francisco.  He proudly showed us his hand-made Rivendell touring bicycle and told us his stories.  We also met Pit, a resident of Germany who was on a five-week cycle tour that started in  Washington.  He also had some fascinating stories to tell.

Two riders new to the Bicycle Touring Committee came on the ride, Alex and Carl, so we had the pleasure of meeting them also.  All told, we were a group of five who never saw the sun the entire weekend and who instead enjoyed each other as well as the cool temperatures and misty atmosphere.  The return trip twisted us along the many bike paths in and beyond UCSanta Barbara at Isla Vista, took us through lovely Hope Ranch, and lastly, paralleled the various beaches leading back to the city of Ventura.

Participants were Rick Adams, Carl Pytlinski, Alex Costa, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.

Tour De Joshua (Tree) Pannier Tour

January 28 - 29, 2006

Submitted by Don Porter

Photos by Kathy Shapiro

Despite the threat of high winds being reported by Accuweather, six of us took the chance and met for a ride at 8:15 Saturday morning, 2 miles east of Joshua Tree.  Participants included trip leaders Mike and Ellie, Jerry Tate, Larry Moore, Kathy Shapiro, and me. In fact, all were BTC trip leaders except for me.  After some initial discussion about how hot or cold it was going to be, since a thermometer in JTree was reporting 32 degrees, we set off along hwy 62 towards the north entrance in Twentynine Palms. Within a mile or so Mike called for a stop at a passing liquor store to purchase beers. I initially thought it was a bit early in the day to be drinking, but Mike explained the beer was for Happy Hour at the campground that evening.  So I bought a can of beer.

The day warmed up nicely, and the frequent re-groups were a welcome opportunity to shed clothing layers. Winds were light and we continued on with very light traffic to a lunch stop at White Tank Campground, about halfway through our 55 miles for the day. After lunch we continued SE towards our goal for the day, Cottonwood Campground.  Jtree is far from flat and we had about 2000' yet to do towards our total of 3,850' for the day. The long hill approaching Cottonwood CG was the hardest of the day, but the end was in sight so it went quickly.

We regrouped at the campground and began searching for a campsite with enough flat space for our four tents, and as far from any RV's as possible. We found something suitable, setup tents, and snacks, beers, and wine appeared out of panniers for Happy Hour.  Being pretty full after Happy Hour, I made dinner out of miso soup, while everyone else had exotic looking dishes.  Temperatures were in the mid-40's during the night, I estimate, and no water bottles froze.

The next morning, I filled up on Kathy's great oatmeal and we broke camp. We started off with a nice long, and cool, downhill back the way we had come. We rode through Fried Liver wash with a goal of White Tank CG, again, for our lunch stop. Along the way, I spotted a coyote crossing the road in front of me. We sat down at the same picnic table as Saturday's lunch, and everyone pulled out some great looking food.  I watched Mike eating a fresh avocado, and Larry making a terrific looking sardine sandwich on Indian bread.  Meanwhile I choked down a handful of dried apricots and some trail mix. Everyone had something from Trader Joe's and Jerry even had a TJ's shopping bag with him.

After lunch we headed out and made a left turn towards Sheep Pass and the west entrance. We hadn't ridden this section of road Saturday, so there were new sights to see. We passed the turnoff to Keys View, deciding that might make a nice side trip on another day.  After a regroup at the west entrance, we headed back towards the cars via hwy 62. Arriving at the cars, we had accomplished 60 miles and 3,750' for the day. Four of us headed into the Thai restaurant by the west entrance for a great $10 buffet dinner. Mike and Ellie headed back into the park for another night of camping, and hiking the next day.

So a great time was had by all. The weather was almost perfect and no one had a flat. Next time I'm bringing an avocado and Indian bread for lunch.

PINNACLES BIKE AND HIKE, 2006

There weren’t any bats in the caves at Pinnacles National Monument, but the hike, that included sloshing in ankle deep water, was sure worth it anyway.  The caves are open to the public for only a few weeks each year to protect the resident bat families.  We were there on one of the lucky weeks.

Here’s how the weekend went:  we met in the town of Coalinga to start our ride up beautiful Los Gatos Canyon, a winding road that follows the creek, meandering past ranch country, meadows, and chaparral.  We didn’t see as many wildflowers as we usually do, probably because of the late rains and below normal temperatures.  We camped Friday night near the monument after attending a ranger program in the amphitheater.  The stars were out, so we couldn’t imagine why the ranger told us of a 90% chance of rain that night.  At about 2 a.m.we learned she was right.  By 6 a.m. the rain was steady, so we holed up until the store opened at 9.  The storekeeper had heard a weather report that promised clearing by noon.  As soon as the rain stopped, we headed into the monument (by then it was about 11 a.m.) for our hike.  Our planned hike on the High Peaks Trail was not an option, both for time considerations and for lack of view because of low clouds.  When we left the park to start our ride to King city, there was lots of blue sky and beautiful puffy clouds.  The birds were singing again.  The final long downhill into King City was the best: the dreaded headwinds and crosswinds that are legion in that area did not materialize.

Sunday morning dawned clear and cool.  After leaving King City we enjoyed many, many miles of a backcountry road with virtually no traffic.  The cows grazing on the green hillsides greatly outnumbered the cars and bicycles.  After a long, steady climb out of this ranchland, we descended into Priest Valley where we had lunch at a cafĂ© that had picnic tables in the grassy yard.  We finished the tour on this lovely, exceptionally cool and breezy day by negotiating the many ups and downs (that I call the “whoop-de-doos”) into Coalinga.

What a trip!  Great weather, great scenery, great company.  The six riders were Philip Conmy, Ron Hall, Janice and Larry Moore, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.

Laguna Mountain – Julian

April 8 – 9, 2006

Wild turkeys and an ostrich were out this year for us to see, as were deer and many birds.  The usual desert winds were with us too, but that didn’t discourage the nine riders who came on this excellent and scenic pannier tour.

Starting in the town of Santa Ysabel, we cycled up Engineer Road, a quiet backcountry two-lane treasure that led to CuyamacaLake where we had a breezy lunch.  Soon we were at the foot of Hwy S1, also known as the Sunrise Highway, with its long, sweeping, uphill curves and good shoulder that took us to the pine forests at the top of Laguna Mountain.

Our campground was peaceful and inviting after a day of climbing over 6,000 feet.  The overnight low was in the 30s and Sunday dawned bright and sunny.  Most of us had breakfast in Julian, about 18 miles down (with a few uphills) on an all but deserted highway with gorgeous, sweeping views.  What a ride!

The Banner Grade downhill into the Anza Borrego Desert was another spectacle.  At Scissors Junction, we climbed the long grades slowly to San Felipe for lunch, then on to Mesa Grande with its splendid view of Lake Henshaw , its green pastures and grazing lands, its forests and meadows.

If you missed this gem of a ride, we plan to offer it again next year when hopefully, there will be more wildflowers than there were this time.  Come anyway, even if you don’t get to see the wild turkeys or the ostrich  (the ostrich was in a corral with a horse, so it wasn’t exactly in the wild). 

The participants were Gloria Nafel, Bob Lloyd, Kathy Shapiro, Ann Trank, Jerry Tate, Don Porter, Larry Moore, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.

SEQUOIA / KINGS CANYON TOUR

May 19-21, 2006

Did we have perfect temperatures and sunshine, heat, cold, rain, or all of the above on this three-day pannier tour?   Yes, we had all, but what’s so unusual about that?  The payoff was drop-dead mountain scenery, a startled deer just a few feet in front of two riders, a bear munching flowers in a meadow, and massive and majestic sequoia trees in Giant Forest.

We started at Lemon Cove, elevation about 600 ft., temperature in the eighties, to begin the long climb into Sequoia National Park up the General’s Highway to our camp at Lodgepole, elevation close to 7,000 ft.  Wildflowers smiled at us along the roadside, waterfalls sparkled and danced, and the distant snow-capped mountains stood majestically.  As we ascended, cooler air and fragrant pine forests replaced the lowland flowers, and then we were treated to riding among the giant trees that give the park its name.  A perfect day!

The rain started during the night, but Saturday morning dawned clear and cool with a light covering of frost on the picnic table.  We met at Grant Grove for lunch after a magnificent ride in and out of river valleys, over Big Baldy Summit, and a stop at the Kings Canyon Overlook to gaze at the distant peaks.  Then up over Cherry Gap (yes, the cherry trees were in full bloom), and down, down we coasted to meet with the South fork of the Kings River.  There we started the gentle climb alongside this foaming, turbulent, mighty Kings, flanked by colorful ceanothus, lupine, and fremontia to Cedar Grove, our camp for the night.

The rain started at midnight, but this time there was no let-up.  In the morning we packed our wet tents to start the rainy climb out of the canyon.  Again, we met at Grant Grove for lunch before descending (brrr! cold and wet) via a quiet, forested byway complete with hundreds of blooming dogwood trees.  Lemon Cove was no longer that hot place where we started; indeed, the rainstorm extended all the way to Los Angeles and beyond.

Was this outing an adventure?  You bet.  Participants were Janice and Larry Moore, Gloria Nafel, Gunther Hemmersbach (who came all the way from Berkeley), John Bacon, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio, who is recovering from an injury and only did part of the ride.  Having a car along gave some riders respite from the rain, provided an opportunity for a side trip to Crescent Meadow, and for some Friday hiking and trail running among the big trees.

JOSHUA TREE WEEKEND

January 27-28, 2007

With a forecast of mostly sunny skies and wind of only 5 to 15 mph, seven riders looked forward expectantly to a fine weekend of cycling in this wonderful desert park.  It did not disappoint. 

There was a bit of headwind on the climb to Cottonwood Campground, but it abated as darkness approached.  In fact, it was so still during the night that there was moisture on the tents and the thermometer reading dropped to 26 degrees by morning.  The sunrise was spectacular and the muted colors on the mountainsides in the early morning light were sublime. Joshua Tree is a mountainous desert park, allowing us to enjoy sweeping views as we climbed and descended on this two-day tour.

The only sound on the deserted roadway early Sunday morning was the whirring of my bicycle wheels.  Suddenly I saw a small creature, probably a desert woodrat or kangaroo rat, scurry across the road about 50 feet in front of me.  It was quickly followed by a very motivated coyote, obviously chasing a succulent breakfast.

We saw climbers on the rocks of this very popular climbing park, stopped to admire the cholla cactus garden, sailed through the washes, Smoke Tree and Fried Liver, and watched the tender green leaves of the ocotillo wave in the breeze.  A jackrabbit was spotted in the campground.  In addition to the many ravens, there was the ubiquitous phainopepla, the most common bird to populate this park.

Riders on this tour were Linda Goff, Jerry Tate, Phil Conmy, Gary Freeman, Larry Moore, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.  Warren Goff came in his vehicle and provided a most generous amount of wood for our evening (and morning) campfires.

VENTURA TO REFUGIO PANNIER TOUR

February 17 – 18, 2007

On Saturday Feb. 17, 11 riders with fully loaded bicycles left Ventura and rode north along the Pacific Coast route.  Just north of Ventura we observed several dolphins.  North ofCarpinteria we turned into the mountains and rode along scenic Mountain Drive, a narrow winding mountain road with very little traffic and great views of the Pacific.  We had a picnic lunch on the grass near Sheffield Reservoir.  With a majority of our climbing behind us, we rode Hwy. 192 for a few miles, then turned westward and stopped at a Trader Joe's for dinner and happy hour supplies.  Another 2 hours of riding on the coastal route brought us to Refugio State Beach. 

The park was full and closed to motor vehicle campers, but we rode straight to the hike and bike area which was all our own -- right on the beach.  We quickly pitched our tents and took showers, then enjoyed our drinks and snacks and watched a colorful sunset over the ocean.  After dinner we walked up a mountain road in the dark, and then retired to our tents with the roar of the surf lulling us to sleep.   

On Sunday morning we rode to Isla Vista for breakfast, some riders visiting the monarch butterfly preserve along the way.  We continued through the University of California Santa Barbara campus to the beach area, and then took the wonderful bike trail inland.  Continuing on the Pacific Coast bicycle route, we passed through the beach area of Santa Barbara and on to Carpinteria where some of us stopped for lunch.  We rejoined our outward bound coastal route and arrived back in Ventura about 3 pm.

Participants were Kathy Shapiro, Linda Goff, Ellie Antonio, David Urciuolo, Jerry Tate, Angus Lemon, Brian Regnier, Mike Wolfe, Larry Moore, Ron Wilson, and Don Porter.

SOUTHERN SIERRA SECRETS

May 12 - 13 2007

This was my first time on Mike and Ellie's Southern Sierra Secrets ride.  Although I'd read about it in previous years, I didn't really know the route, but was delighted to see that we would bike past Voo Doo where I had been climbing the previous weekend.

We met Friday afternoon at Redwood Meadows campground  on the Western Divide Highway south of the Ponderosa Lodge, and directly across the highway from the Redwood Meadow Grove of Sequoias. The campground had just opened this weekend and we were the first visitors of the season for the new campground hosts. After setting up camp on the freshly raked sites, several of us crossed the street and took a walking tour through Redwood Meadow Grove.

Saturday morning we were ready by 8:15am for the first day's ride, which would be up the road I know as the Lower Needles Road, past Lloyd Meadow, to road's end. This would be a northerly in-and-out ride of 61 miles with about 6100' of elevation gain. We had twelve riders for the trip, Mike Wolfe, Ellie Antonio, Larry and Janice Moore, Leslie Gold, Ann Trank with friend Bruce, Phil Conmy, Nicole Flaten, Gloria Nafel, Fu-ping Yao, and Don Porter. This was a beautiful ride past Lower Peppermint campground, Needle Rock Creek, the lower Needles, and on for lunch atroad's end. Traffic was light as this is a dead end road. Mike, Phil, and Don took a side trip on the return to visit the Giant Sequoia designated the George Bush (Sr.) tree. Larry and Mike stopped at Needle Rock Creek to filter water with Larry's new MSR filter. We returned the same way for a great happy hour and dinner in anticipation of another ride on Sunday.

Sunday's ride started similarly to Saturday's, except for a short car shuttle. We turned off on the road to Portuguese Pass (elev. 7280') for what was to be a beautiful, untrafficked ride, of about 50 miles and 5000' of climbing, with some isolated patches of snow and broken pavement. We had nine riders today without Ann and Bruce who were off on a photo expedition, and Phil who had to leave for a National Guard commitment. We passed a warming hut on the way up, complete with a stove and supplies, apparently for use by skiers or snowmobilers. Heading south we finally reached Portuguese Pass itself, where we stopped and ate lunch before the long descent back to our cars. I only encountered one vehicle on the entire Portuguese Pass road, and that was a truck near the bottom of the descent. Very nice riding!

So the secret's out, this is a fantastic riding area, and I hope to do it again next year if not sooner. Thanks to Mike and Ellie for bringing this ride to the club. 

PINNACLES BIKE AND HIKE

Mar. 30 – Apr. 1, 2007

This time there WERE bats in the caves at Pinnacles National Monument.  And we did not have to wade/slosh through ankle deep water to see them!  The talus caves were due to close on Sunday so we got there just in time.

Starting in Coalinga (which arrives at its name as Train refueling station A or Coaling A -- Coaling B and C are abandoned) we ride out beautiful Los Gatos Canyon, a winding road that, as it winds, goes steadily upward.  There were not as many wildflowers as I remember due to the lack of rain, but there were plenty of huge oak trees, and birds, and ground squirrels, and lizards, and cattle, and even a couple of errant horses.

Friday evening we spent attending a ranger talk in the campground amphitheater about the wildlife in the area.  I was hoping for lots on the condors but most of it was on minimizing our impact to the area.  "Leave no trace" and what happens in a large public campground is not the same thing.

Sat morning most of us broke camp and went into the park to hike.  Our intrepid leader Mike bowed to our pleading and led us through the talus caves to see the bats.

I particularly like this ride.  There are very few cars on the well-paved roads and I get to see California condors.  The Monument is a release site for them (one of the only ones I know of not on the coast). And the birds can sometimes be seen from hiking trails throughout the park.  A neighboring camper came over Friday evening and pointed one out that was soaring effortlessly in the blue, blue sky.

After the hike we loaded up and rode 35-40 miles to King City and free hot showers.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

A great night's sleep and the trip is almost gone, as it is Sunday morning.  A pleasant ride through the fog and suddenly the sun pops through.  Lunch under one of the biggest oak trees I have seen in a long time and then the long climb back to civilization.  I am sure that it cannot be ALL uphill back to Coalinga, maybe it is just that my mind and legs want so badly to turn around and stay out a while longer.

What a trip!  Fantastic weather, excellent scenery, the best company.  Those who enjoyed the ride along with me are Philip Conmy, Jim Meyer, Larry Moore, Gloria Nafel, Don Porter, Kathy Shapiro, Jerry Tate, Fu-Ping Yao, Linda Goff, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio. 

Reyes Creek Hideaway

November 17-18

Wolves and Turkeys

Back in April, shortly after I moved to Ventura, I rode the Los Padres Four County Triangle ride that Matthew Lax led. Part of that ride was on Hwy 33 and Lockwood Valley Road, and I mentally made plans to someday ride from home, up Hwy 33, and visit this area again on a pannier tour. So when I saw Reyes Creek Hideaway in the schedule I knew it was a ride I had to do.

Only three of us left from Ventura on Saturday morning, Mike Wolfe, Ellie Antonio, and me. Mike had a scenic back way of getting to Ojai that avoided the bike path from Foster Park, and was new to me. We started up Hwy 33 from Ojai and made a rest stop at Wheeler Gorge Campground. The ranger station here was the last opportunity to buy snacks or bottled water, as the water at the campground was shutoff due to environmental testing. I remembered some years ago that Jerry had led a ride up Hwy 33 where we camped at Wheeler Gorge and did a day ride the next day up to the Pine Mountain Inn.

We continued on, passing the rock climbing area at Sespe Gorge, and a fresh motorcycle accident with no official help at the scene yet, just bikers milling about. Traffic was generally okay but lots of motorcycles and the occasional gravel truck. Temperature was perfect for riding in just knickers and long sleeves.

We finally arrived at the Pine Mountain Inn, now known as Wolf's Pine Mountain Inn. It's closed for remodeling  but scheduled for a gala reopening on April 28th. We spoke to the owner, Tom Wolf, who's hoping it will again become a destination for bikers and bicyclists, and in fact his business card says “Motorcycle & Bicycle Pit Stop”. I suggested he addGardenburgers to the menu, but we will see. His 70th birthday is April 28th, and he said he'd owned the Inn for 30 years.

Pushing on we reached Pine Mountain summit at 5084' and had another short break at a fire road entrance. Everything off road here is still closed due to the Zaca fire. Now we enjoyed a downhill of maybe 2000' to Ozena Station at the Lockwood Valley Road turnoff where we stopped for water. Another five miles, past the Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple, and the steepest grades of the day took us through the historic Camp Scheideck to Reyes Creek Campground, right on the creek. Showers are available here for $3, although we didn't.  I had 6150' of climbing logged for the day, was pleasantly tired, and spent a comfortable but cool night (39°F in the tent).

Sunday we reversed our previous day's ride descending 6060' and climbing 2330', again with pleasant weather. On Lockwood Valley Road we encountered a flock of turkeys on the side of the road and stopped to have a look. I got my camera out but was afraid they would run off before I could get a shot.  No reason to be concerned, as they ran right up to us and waited for Mike to feed them some trail mix. Towards the end of the ride we elected to return directly to Ventura rather than go around Lake Casitas as the weather was now becoming very cool and overcast.

I left Mike and Ellie at the Ventura meeting place and biked the two miles home. That's it, a perfect trip and I was able to ride it door to door, just like I had wanted. Thanks to Mike and Ellie for the great ride.

--Don Porter