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Ride Report for 10/26/03 Tour of Cleveland National Forest
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george vargas
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Oct 27, 2003 16:54 PST
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Hello Everyone,
Let me begin by saying that I hope everyone in our cycling community is safe
and sound. I don't know where most of you live but I do know Malmute is out
there in Valley Center and I hope he is unaffected by the fires.
Now for the ride report.
Four riders showed up at the start Paul S. Matt P, David N. and myself.
After some hesitation about the fires and breathing conditions we headed out
Telegraph Canyon Road, Otay Lakes, 94East and all was well. Matt (who was
out for a short ride) turned around at Delzura. And then there were three.
Paul, David and I continued to Buckman Springs fighting the wind all the
way. The wind was blowing really strong and steady. Paul (the smart one of
the bunch) takes the turn to Pine Valley. I was determined to get to
Boulevard so David and I continued. And then there were two.
That's when George and David's Bogus Adventure began. On the rest of the
way to Boulevard the gusts of wind were so strong I couldn't believe we were
riding in it. David and I were being sandblasted. Our bikes are ready to
for repainting. We got to Boulevard averaging 6 mph over FLAT TERRAIN and
turned around and headed for Pine Valley. Once at Pine Valley we realized
that the fires were moving in on us.
We made it down Japathul and Lyons Valley to the four corners. Honey
Springs Rd was closed, Otay Mesa was closed, 94 was closed and East Lake was
being evacuated. We turned onto Skyline Truck Rd we saw fires on all sides.
We descended into Jamul. Then a voice calls out my name and it was David
Howell. Not one to to quit on a ride, I hesitated, but the stats looked
good. It was already 5:10 pm no lights and no idea what roads were open to
get back to Chula Vista so we called it a day. Thank you David H.
Once home I realized the severity of the situation and thought we were
fortunate to be home safe.
Stats for the Ride
Elevation Gain: 9400 ft
Max Alt: 4000 ft
Distance: 101 miles
george
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