SOQS took off for 2 days with a best friend to San Luis Obispo so ... what else to do but go for a long ride ..
Heading west through Leona Valley, Elizabeth Lake, and Lake Hughes (sorry no pictures), I eventually reached Pine Canyon Road. This is the only picture I took on this road, tho. I was taking videos but I need to work on the vibration problem before posting.
Pine Canyon Road eventually reaches Highway 138 and I headed towards Gorman. I have passed this place innumerable times in the past and never stopped but finally have a picture. Who knew we had a Southern Plantation in the Antelope Valley?
Going a little further, I hopped onto Gorman Post Road and decided to stop on this little strip of preserved road. This 20' wide concrete ribbon is a tiny preserved section of the Old Ridge Route. The Ridge Route was built in 1914 and paved with concrete in 1919. The road got its name due to its construction. It was actually constructed along the ridge of the San Gabriel Mountains and follows the terrain to minimize excavation work (they were using horse drawn scrapers). The road is 30 miles long with 697 turns! Unfortunately, the road is no longer maintained and is blocked to traffic. Later in this ride I travelled a mile or so before turning around.
While I was stopped here for a snack I couldn't help but notice the size of this cottonwood tree. Must be the biggest I've ever seen and I'm wondering if it dates back to 1914..
In Lockwood Valley, it is an open range area and you have to watch out for cattle on the road. Very scenic and twisty ride tho!
Heading homeward, I decided to take a look at the Old Ridge Route before retracing my steps on Pine Canyon Road. This is the typical condition of the road today but I have heard it gets worse and is blocked further south.
Descending Godde Hill back into the Antelope Valley I stopped to capture the California Aqueduct and the valley. The wind was blowing pretty good at this point so the picture is a bit hazy.. All in all, a very fun ride of 175 miles with lots of turns. One final note: I was testing out a video camera mount on the handlebars and found I couldn't see the tachometer. This may actually be a good thing! I was forced to pay attention to the engine rpms and shift accordingly and my eyes were not distracted by looking down at the tachometer (i.e., I was able to pay better attention to the road). I may tape over the tachometer ..
