a mount palomar climb...

last week joseph and i road mount palomar to the palomar observatory. it was the longest ride of the year for me (6 miles, 4000 feet of climbing and 2 hours more than anything i'd done this year.)

the map above will have to suffice (since my gps was out of batteries at the start of our ride...

we began at a small mexican restaurant on the 76 before heading up south grade road. it is a slow steady grind with an average grade of about 7%. the grind may have been less 'slow' if joseph had had his way, but he obliged my bloated winter shape and we ascended together. we started out at a great temperature in the mid sixties. however, as we climbed it became a bit cooler. we didn't notice on the way up with all exertion, but as soon as we hit the top of the arm warmers came on.

below is a photo with the valley and ocean in the far distance behind me. the views were nice. not breathtaking, but a reminder of how high we were and yet how close to the ocean...

the furthest point on our ride took us to the palomar observatory. 'The Cathedral of Astronomy' has quiet grounds and tours we didn't take part in. it's was a nice break at the mid-point of the ride.

also on the ride is a cafe and general store at the top of mount palomar. legend has it floyd landis used to train from his home in yucaipa and ride to this restaurant for a bowl of soup before heading back. we didn't stop for soup, but we did refill our water bottles.



the descent was twisting and fast. a nice way to end a great ride (although the top of the descent was really cold until we hit the warmer climes at lower elevations...)

it was a great way to kick off our california vacation. and a great motivation to train harder (and lose more weight) after seeing joseph dance on his pedals out in front of me...taunting me to ride harder. which i will definitely need to heed as i will be riding LOTOJA with this guy in september..!