This is the third day in a row I've ridden on Riverside Drive skirting around Griffith Park. The short term goal is meeting up with Brian (again!) in Palm Springs.
Most of the ride was dreadful, especially the first 30 miles - endless stoplights and traffic. A few sections of the ride had dedicated bike paths following the canals. But even on those car-less trails, I had to dodge shopping carts of discarded belongings.
I haven't found a way to customize Strava's graphs yet, but I have a few ideas for future posts.
Moving into the suburbs of the Greater L.A. area was a refreshing change - less lights, wider streets and obscenely large houses to look at.
About the time I passed through Pomona, I saw an inviting sign on the outside of a commercial building for the Old Stump Brewing Company. I pulled up, hoping to sample some local brew, but they were closed. A quick Google search yielded dozens of other breweries in the area.
Nearby, and also open, was Dragon's Tail Brewery:
I dropped in and sampled two of their beers (a solid red and a fantastic salted caramel porter). Although the owner, Susan, has never seen Game of Thrones, or played Dungeons & Dragons, she loves dragons. Hence the name.
While resting yesterday, I decided to try to camp at the North Etiwanda Preserve. After a thousand foot climb to the park's entrance, I found dozens of cars in the parking lot, which does not bode well for wild camping.
I hiked up the rocky trail with my bike for about two miles, mulled around until dusk and setup camp in a strange little structure. Dinner was dehydrated Chili Mac. Absolutely fantastic.
Camp for the night
The climb was well worth it:
Tomorrow, I leave L.A. and start the desert trek.
Joe.
Going to bed.