biking

No, the title isn't a law firm: it's five peaks near Mt Wilson that I biked and hiked.

I started at Red Box and biked up the Mt. Wilson Road. Just after the 0.3 mile marker, I arrived at the Bill Reilly trailhead (it's somewhat easy to miss). That's where the Mt Disappointment Road starts. It's asphalt and closed to vehicles.

Just before the 2.0 mile marker and a cistern, there's a use trail for Mt. Deception (5,796'). I locked the bike here and started hiking. The beginning of the use trail is steep and loose, but it's a short trip to the summit. I didn't see a benchmark.

These were taken near Mt Chapel on a Griffith Park bike ride. The Air Quality Index today was 'Unhealthy', with haze and pollution trapped in the Los Angeles basin. On the plus side, that made the sun a bright red. It was quite a sight, even if I would have needed a real camera and not a cellphone to capture it. Bring on the pollution!

"What?" You're no doubt asking, because you know the two titular destinations are well over an hour apart.

It happened like this: I biked from Red Box up the Mt Disappointment Road with one simple idea in mind: getting a pic of my bike on the top of San Gabriel Peak. The road is a little steep then it levels off and there's some tree cover. The ride was fine, but then I began the hike-a-bike to the top. It was almost noon, in July, and quite hot. I was worried about getting heat stroke from pushing the bike in that weather and in the full sun.

Pacifico Mountain (7124') is in the back range of the San Gabriels so, generally speaking, it's more of a pristine environment than the front range peaks.

I biked it using the fire road that goes almost all the way to the top, but I can't yet claim the peak.

While you wait in suspense to find out why, I'll point out that the road is most gravel. There's a gate across the road and it's currently open. It's also hunting season. And, it was a Saturday. That meant there were several cars on the narrow road. I pulled aside and stopped for them rather than risking a sideswipe.

I biked Hostetter (from the 210 and La Tuna Canyon) to Verdugo Peak. All the way up, my bike was bugging me to do a fashion shoot and I obliged it.

I'd hiked Josephine Peak in the Angeles National Forest a few times, but this was the first time I'd biked it. It was very windy at times. On the switchbacks I'd have the wind at my back one moment, and then it'd be pushing me backwards the next.

Once on the north side of the mountain the wind wasn't as bad. The north side is also good for snow hiking; there will usually be accumulation there after it's snowed even if the rest of the trail is dry. The north side also practically screams, "you're about to run into a bear" yet I haven't so far.

The Tarzana area of Los Angeles hosts a geological feature known as the Vanalden "Cave". I'd heard about it but never bothered to visit until now. Getting to it was OK, even if the "cave" wasn't. And, yes, I'm going to keep up the scare quotes.

I knew going in that the "cave" wasn't much and that it was defaced with graffiti, but I was even more disappointed when I got there. It's basically an overhang with a few holes in it, and it's impossible to get a picture that doesn't have spray paint in it.

If you want to amuse and amaze your future ex-friends, let them know that it snows each year in the City of Los Angeles. Yes, that's right, it snows here each year!

That's because the highest point in the City (not the County) is Mt Lukens, an imposing edifice that rises to a Himalayan 5,075' in height.

OK, so it's not that great and it's full of communication towers. So, if you hope to have kids, don't hang out there too long.