Spring Ride Report: TehachapI Pass & Environs.
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From: Twibil on 26 Apr 2010 04:31 Got on the bike this AM and set sail northwest towards Tehachapi Pass in hopes of doing a little trainwatching. Fist paused at the Hwy 138 junction in Cajon Pass to insert the earplugs that I'd forgotten to install at home, and took this quick snap of the Mormon Rocks that host Sullivan's Curve: the rails are just out of sight at the base of the rocks in this photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553850900/sizes/o/ It's getting difficult to photograph the curve itself, as the US Forest Service now requires you to buy a "Wilderness Adventure Pass" if you want to get anywhere close to the tracks. (Apparently they've decided that *they* now own all the National Forest lands in southern California and that we the people should be required to pay to get in. #%^**+#$!!.) From Cajon Pass I headed north on 395 to Kramer Junction (Pronounced "Hell-hole") and turned west on Hwy 58: paralleling the BNSF tracks running between Barstow (Pronounced "Barstool". Yes, really.) and Mojave, CA. for about 40 miles. 58 also passes directly north of the Edwards AFB Filght Test Center, and you can eyeball the huge hangers, the rocket testing towers on Leuhman Ridge, and the occasional odd air or spacecraft passing over. This stretch of freeway is underused and is rarely patrolled by the CHP, so you can really let the bike stretch it's legs if you keep your eyes open. Rode through Mojave and Tehachapi to Keene, where I exited the Freeway and followed the (very) old highway three miles back up the hill to the Loop. (For non-train fans, the Tehachapi Loop is a stretch of railroad track that rings a small hill like a necklace: crossing over itself some 77' higher than it was the first time it passed that point.) Such gymnastics are uncommon in the case of railroads, so the Loop is something of a tourist attraction. The old road itself is your classic two-laned twistie, and would be a lot of fun were it not for the many completely blind corners which would make fast cornering a really bad idea. About five minutes after I showed up an empty BNSF hopper train came charging up the hill and I got this sequence: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553839276/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553835766/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553831042/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553828946/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553187639/sizes/o/ Heading home I took a back road shortcut over the Tehachapi mountains towards the Antelope Valley, planning on following the UP tracks down through Soledad Canyon to LA, but as I crested the hill and the Antelope Vally opened before me I almost ran off of the road: the entire twenty miles between Lancaster/Palmdale and Gorman were covered with literally mile upon mile of bright orange California Poppies on the fields and hillsides. They don't call it the California Poppy Reserve for nothing, and I've seen the desert bloom before, but never anything like this. So I headed due south until I was on a dirt road surrounded by several thousand acres of blooming flowers, and took these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553183353/sizes/o/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/33885727(a)N03/4553799196/sizes/l/ Ran into no more good photo ops, so I came directly home via Soledad Canyon and downtown LA. 347 miles, 6 1/2 hours, 49.9 MPG, 80 degree temperatures, light traffic, and a good time was had by all. ~Pete
From: ? on 26 Apr 2010 08:27 On Apr 26, 1:31 am, Twibil <nowayjo...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > 347 miles, 6 1/2 hours, 49.9 MPG, 80 degree temperatures, > light traffic, and a good time was had by all. What? You took your gerbil with you?
From: Road Glidin' Don on 26 Apr 2010 13:28 On Apr 26, 6:27 am, "?" <breoganmacbr...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > On Apr 26, 1:31 am, Twibil <nowayjo...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > 347 miles, 6 1/2 hours, 49.9 MPG, 80 degree temperatures, > > light traffic, and a good time was had by all. > > What? You took your gerbil with you? Are you still trying to discourage the flow of motorcycle content to this group? Is there no racists.motorcycles group to suit your interests better?
From: Twibil on 26 Apr 2010 15:05 On Apr 26, 10:28 am, "Road Glidin' Don" <d.lan...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > 347 miles, 6 1/2 hours, 49.9 MPG, 80 degree temperatures, > > > light traffic, and a good time was had by all. > > > What? You took your gerbil with you? > > Are you still trying to discourage the flow of motorcycle content to > this group? Is there no racists.motorcycles group to suit your > interests better? He's jealous of people who actually ride, and therefore feels compelled to put them down as best he can. Of course that "as best he can" is only the best that Krusty can do: I.E. incompetent; so it only serves to make him look even worse than usual. And to think that he actually types this stuff -presumably reading it as he goes along- and *still* blames all his failures on others.... Amazing.
From: S'mee on 26 Apr 2010 15:57
On Apr 26, 1:05 pm, Twibil <nowayjo...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Apr 26, 10:28 am, "Road Glidin' Don" <d.lan...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > 347 miles, 6 1/2 hours, 49.9 MPG, 80 degree temperatures, > > > > light traffic, and a good time was had by all. > > > > What? You took your gerbil with you? > > > Are you still trying to discourage the flow of motorcycle content to > > this group? Is there no racists.motorcycles group to suit your > > interests better? > > He's jealous of people who actually ride, and therefore feels > compelled to put them down as best he can. > > Of course that "as best he can" is only the best that Krusty can do: > I.E. incompetent; so it only serves to make him look even worse than > usual. > > And to think that he actually types this stuff -presumably reading it > as he goes along- and *still* blames all his failures on others.... > > Amazing. Not really. Made a Mead run (yes montana made) so ended up taking LGMR, snow still heavy on the rockies gttsr is closed till at least late june, went through west glacier and dang if I didn't make a wrong turn and end up at east glacier...almost to Hungry Horse. Roads were clearish, still a bit of chat on the edges. Nice view I guess, if you are into looking off the road. Scored to bottles and spiced and a dark mead. p.s. IF you ride fast you might get here before the bottles are empty. -- Keith |