Friday, June 25, 2010

Riding Phelan

Dang! The thick sand got me. I bailed out before going over.

Mozart is ahead of me. I watch his bike disappear around the corner. I wonder how long it will take him to discover I'm missing?

My bike is too heavy for me to pick up (over 225 pounds) so I decide to relax. Because...this is supposed to be fun! I pull my camera from my pack and take some pictures.



I almost rolled down there.
A poppy smiles at me.
That's the back of Mt. Baldy.

A highway sweeps through the valley below.
Oh there he is!


Hey—What took you so long?
We spent 3 hours on the trail and we had a really good time. No more mishaps! Part of that three hours we stopped to take pictures or took in the view and I noticed these yellow wild flowers.

About half-way up that big hill (below) the road forked to the left...do you see it sliced into the mountain heading left? Oh...Mozart has ridden that big hill before but there was no way I was going up. It's steeper and bumpier than it looks.
We ended up at our friend's home, in Phelan, for a barbecue. Our hosts, Tony and Patty live only a mile from the off-road trails.

We brought an extra bike for Tony. After the barbecue wound down, he and Bill slipped out for an evening ride. Tony, hasn't been on a dirt bike since he was a teen. Mozart said he rode like it was yesterday!
After tossing his boots in the truck Mozart heads up the path for some relaxation and good conversation before we head home under the star filled sky.


On the Home front: I am working this summer with severely handicapped children. It's quite a physically active job. But it's a good experience and I'm learning alot. Secondly, my oldest son just called from Las Vegas. He needs to move home for a couple of months and is bringing his new best friend. A Pit Bull/Bullmastiff. Oh dear.

More later...

Have a nice weekend!

8 comments:

Glenda said...

I loved reading about your ride - something I've never done! Sorry about your mishap, but you surely made the best of it! I thought of the saying: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Your lemonade (photos) are wonderful!

Hope your son's and "friend's" stay works out well for all of you!

Have a great Sunday!

Willow said...

Yikes! I hope your son's best friend is well behaved.

Sounds like you had a great ride!

Dawn said...

So thankful you're okay! And that Mozart came back eventually! The pictures are lovely.

The dog thing - I would not like that at all. Kev has a big strong female bull terrier. She's a sweet dog, but way too big and heavy for my liking. We've had to "babysit" a few times and it's not my favorite thing to do!

Per your comment - my brother is a fascinating person. He is one who speaks when it's necessary and has a dry wit. He has had many amazing experiences in many countries. You would enjoy him, I am sure.

Rich Deem said...

I remember seeing something similar to your 5th picture from the top of My Baldy a couple weeks ago. At the time, the summit was almost completely covered in snow.

Becky Wolfe said...

Love love love the pix! Well done. Yeah, I just sit & wait too for the hubs to come back. heheh Glad M came back for you. That sand does look thick (probably easier on a quad for stuff like that) Great views & floral eye treats along the way. So glad it was a fun time and not too hard. Yikes about the new big dog coming to your home soon. Eeek!

Susan Skitt said...

What a delightful time. Your scenery is so different from Pa - I enjoy the nature that you see. Love how you documented it - reads nice - love the word "slice" that you used to describe the one bike trail!

Sounds like you have a busy summer ahead!

Marg said...

I loved how you described your spill. How big is your bike? 175? 250? Yea they are heavy and that sand is something else...
I know about hills like that...they are so scarry because you have to sit forward or else you go over backwards....Been there. I used to have a 125 Kawasaki.
I'm taking care of my daughter's dog for the next six weeks. So I feel along with you.

Sharon Lynne said...

It's a Honda XR200.

It's even scarier going DOWN hill!