ACH is still awesome

[rwalterk]

As some of you may know, my brother and I have less free time these days so rides are a little harder to come by.  I got to head out early yesterday though at around 8:00 AM by myself and hit ACH while I had the opportunity.  The ride to Newcomb's went pretty fast, so I just continued on all the way to Wrightwood.  After Newcomb's I was the only rider going eastbound which was amazing.  I stopped in at Cinnamon's Bakery and had a cinnamon roll + coffee, then hopped right back on and headed back.  The ride back was good until I got to the lower parts (couple of crashes including an airlift), but overall ACH is still awesome, especially between Newcomb's and Wrightwood.  Got back home around noon which is pretty good considering how far I went.

Anyone else notice some equipment on Hwy 39 just south of the 2?  Hmmm...


Near Wrightwood, clouds covering the 909.

[Beefmaster_Mark]

Very nice - yes several weeks back I saw a truck coming back up Azusa Canyon or whatever that is that has been washed out for years now.

[aprilmaybe]

The new pavement on the bottom is great!.

We went up on Sat with Judd and ran into John and Agatha on Sunday. Sunday scared the crap out of me...

I was tooling along slowly ( I thought the earlier CHP was going to head up behind me) and started to pick some speed back up when all of the sudden Bambi decides that was a nifty place to cross the road. I had slowed down quite a bit and was about to swerve around the deer when Bambi number two wanted to join her buddy. I pulled over, caught my breath and tagged along with the sportbikes that  had been pulled over earlier.

Fun day anyway. Watch out for deer though. I also talked to a girl who said she saw a bear cub the week before

[wlk12]

It is still closed at the bottom, isn't it?

Yeah, when you see one deer, watch out for more

Bill K.

[rwalterk]

It is still closed at the bottom, isn't it?

Yeah, when you see one deer, watch out for more

Bill K.

It is; we still have to take Big Tujunga > AFH > Upper Big T > ACH.  I have to admit I like the lack of traffic though.   

[wlk12]

An article on ACH in today's LA Times. References this:

www.latimes.com/angelescrest

Interesting

Bill K.

[rwalterk]

That was a well done interactive piece on those repairs! Very interesting stuff. That one cantilevered slab looked a little scary though...

[Beefmaster_Mark]

Thanks for posting the link Bill!  Good find.  I read the LA Times website every day but didn't see this (been pretty busy at work). 

I like not only the well done diagrams and descriptions, but the 3D bird's eye flyover of the mountain range where you can see and feel where the road is carved into the mountains - VERY cool!  I love this kind of stuff!   

[DBegginer]

That makes me miss riding !!! =(

[wlk12]

And it still is! I took the Cruiser club over ACH a week or so ago. Before we left La Canada, I warned them about heavy traffic and law enforcement, especially on the stretch up to Nukes. Turns out there were not only no cops but no people!! Wonderful. Short ride report follows (note reference to thunderstorms during lunch at Wrightwood - ring any bells ).


Angeles Crest Ride Report – September 10, 2011
By Bill Keeling

Wow, ACH is one of my favorite roads and I ride (or drive) it often. NEVER have I seen it so deserted as it was on this Saturday.  Perhaps it was because it was the weekend after a holiday, or the day before the 9/11 anniversary, or kids were back in school, or because some thunderstorms were predicted. In any case, it was absolutely wonderful to have the road essentially all to ourselves. There was some rock debris on the eastern side, but everyone managed this well.

Bob G., Harry, Jose, Laurie and Bill met in La Canada and were ready to ride at 9:30. Dave E. was to join us but he called to notify me that the weird weather in Orange County would probably cause him to cancel (can’t say that I blame him – hail, etc.). Randy, his neighbor Gil (nice guy – hope he joins us often) and Larry also attended, but were delayed and caught up with us later in the ride. Good turnout.

The weather was mild and somewhat overcast, but when we gained some elevation the sun was out and we had great riding conditions. We took a butt break at Newcomb’s Ranch, where there are normally over a hundred bikes – today there were about a half a dozen! Several Cruisers were surprised at the amount of fire damage on the western end of ACH, but it gets better each year. Then we started the ride on the eastern end of ACH toward Wrightwood. To me, this is the most scenic portion of Angeles Crest and it did not disappoint. We stopped at scenic overlooks just past the tunnels and at Blue Ridge Summit (just over 7000 ft. elevation). From here you can see Mt Baldy and all the way to the coast if it’s clear. So far, just one very light sprinkle and no thunderstorms. Randy, Gil and Larry met us and we headed to Wrightwood for lunch.

We ate at the Grizzly Café and the service and food were quite good. We had to split up into two groups of four since a large table was unavailable, but no big deal. As soon as we were seated, the predicted thunderstorm appeared with heavy rain and hail. It didn’t last long and then the sun was out again well before we departed. Lucky timing! From Wrightwood, we took Lone Pine Canyon Road down to SR138 and the I-15 at Cajon Junction for gas stops. From there we broke up for individual rides home. I think Laurie went back across ACH to home – good for her.

I’m not sure that one will ever see ACH with as little traffic (maybe when it’s snowing and icy, but then the upper portion will be closed!). This made for a very enjoyable ride, and the company was great as usual. Good Time!!

[Beefmaster_Mark]

nice ride report Bill!  I'm glad SOMEONE is riding on this forum! 

[rwalterk]

I second Mark's comment.    I was able to sneak out for a ride on AFH Saturday afternoon. It's funny how empty it is up there by 2:00.