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Day: 2
Date: Saturday, January 3
Location: North Hollywood - Victorville, CA
Distance: 103-miles, the last 60-miles by van
Route: SR 2, Angeles Crest Highway
Climate: Sunny, pleasant, low 60's but much colder and foggy in upper
elevations
Date: Saturday, January 3
Location: North Hollywood - Victorville, CA
Distance: 103-miles, the last 60-miles by van
Route: SR 2, Angeles Crest Highway
Climate: Sunny, pleasant, low 60's but much colder and foggy in upper
elevations
This was a crazy day. It was a logistics nightmare. Even without airline & shipping screwups, it was going to be a super
challenging day climbing north out of the Los Angeles basin. There would be well over 10,000-ft climbing in 100-miles in the
San Gabriel mountains. So Cricket/Norm sent Steve/Rob/Nick on their way from the Hollywood motel in the morning. They
would be unsupported for the first 40-50 miles way up in unfamiliar mountains. There were absolutely no services up
there.....nothing! Then Norm/Cricket drove 60-miles to John Wayne airport to get their luggage that failed to arrive the previous
night. Then they drove another 60-miles to LAX airport to pick up Derek & JR coming in on separate flights. Derek's bike did not
arrive on the flight so we had to wait until mid-afternoon for it's arrival on a later flight. This was not good because by this time,
the three riders were high up in the frigid mountains and on their own. We still had to get Kyle's bike at the FED EX center. This
was tense.
On their journey up in the mountains, the 3-riders squeezed a call from a roadside phone and recommended we take an
alternative route to Victorville and that Rob's grandpa would pick them up before sundown on the other side of the mountains.
Rob's grandpa was familiar with the area and instinctively knew where to find them without cell phone coverage. Young Chavez
was practically dead after yesterday's ride. A simple toe line was crafted out of an old tube, so Steve and Rob took turns pulling
him up the last 6-7 miles. Those guys were lucky. Once the sun goes down, it gets super cold and there was no shelter up
there. So that toughened them up. Once the three riders were located, Norm & Cricket headed back to LA to get Kyle's bike in
the evening. Unfortunately, we drove 150-miles and wasted our time because the FED EX distribution center was closed on
weekends. We were misinformed. That pretty much sealed Kyle's situation......he was without a bike on this trip.
The final quirk of the day was watching the Colts overtime loss to San Diego that evening. It was a tough day for us Indiana
people. However, Rob's grandparents Robert and Rose provided wonderful accommodations and a great meal to enjoy. That
was the only high point of the day. Everyone was in bed early.
challenging day climbing north out of the Los Angeles basin. There would be well over 10,000-ft climbing in 100-miles in the
San Gabriel mountains. So Cricket/Norm sent Steve/Rob/Nick on their way from the Hollywood motel in the morning. They
would be unsupported for the first 40-50 miles way up in unfamiliar mountains. There were absolutely no services up
there.....nothing! Then Norm/Cricket drove 60-miles to John Wayne airport to get their luggage that failed to arrive the previous
night. Then they drove another 60-miles to LAX airport to pick up Derek & JR coming in on separate flights. Derek's bike did not
arrive on the flight so we had to wait until mid-afternoon for it's arrival on a later flight. This was not good because by this time,
the three riders were high up in the frigid mountains and on their own. We still had to get Kyle's bike at the FED EX center. This
was tense.
On their journey up in the mountains, the 3-riders squeezed a call from a roadside phone and recommended we take an
alternative route to Victorville and that Rob's grandpa would pick them up before sundown on the other side of the mountains.
Rob's grandpa was familiar with the area and instinctively knew where to find them without cell phone coverage. Young Chavez
was practically dead after yesterday's ride. A simple toe line was crafted out of an old tube, so Steve and Rob took turns pulling
him up the last 6-7 miles. Those guys were lucky. Once the sun goes down, it gets super cold and there was no shelter up
there. So that toughened them up. Once the three riders were located, Norm & Cricket headed back to LA to get Kyle's bike in
the evening. Unfortunately, we drove 150-miles and wasted our time because the FED EX distribution center was closed on
weekends. We were misinformed. That pretty much sealed Kyle's situation......he was without a bike on this trip.
The final quirk of the day was watching the Colts overtime loss to San Diego that evening. It was a tough day for us Indiana
people. However, Rob's grandparents Robert and Rose provided wonderful accommodations and a great meal to enjoy. That
was the only high point of the day. Everyone was in bed early.
| Oxnard, CA to Las Vegas, NV Total Miles: 481 Total Time: 6 Days Total Elevation Gain: 24,205 ft (4.6 vertical miles) |
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