Day Two
Today I cycled 71 miles from Eagle Rock, on the east edge of the City of Los Angeles, to Loma Linda. My route was through city after city across the LA basin, and it was a fabulous ride. Today, the LA basin is the LA of people’s dreams: clear skies (as in blue and smog-free), snow on the mountain peaks, green everywhere, comfortable temperatures with a nice sea breeze, and happy, cheerful Angelenos. The roads, bike paths and drivers were all on good behavior.
It’s clear to me now that LA is not one big megacity, but of whole collection of localities. Every town and city has its own character. People are proud of their neighborhoods and it shows. For the first time, I think I get why so many people truly love it here.
I held up pretty well too. Feeling tired but not wrung out or sore tonight. I would recommend this ride (at this time of year) to anyone. Tomorrow, as I continue east, cities will spread out, it will get hotter and drier, and I’ll climb 2000 feet to the Mojave Desert.
The town of Yucca Valley is my named objective but I think I’ll push on to the town of Joshua Tree. In Joshua Tree, the national park is to the south—preserved and curated, that is, camping only in designated campgrounds—and to the north is BLM land—dispersed camping wherever you can find a Joshua tree and and a flat spot, out of sight lines, to throw down a bivy sack. That’s where I’m heading. I’ll be camping in the desert for the next 4-5 nights. Everyone says the stars are amazing. I’ll try to figure out how to time-lapse some images. Which reminds me, I’d better get my batteries charged before bedtime! The bike got creaky and squeaky today. I’ll need to tighten bolts and lube the drivetrain before hitting the road in the morning.
I’d love to hear from you. Donate to the ride and send along your words of encouragement and tell me why getting kids outside matters to you.
