We got up this morning around 7:30 AM, somehow the kids slept in, but that was alright since it was mothers day. No special events for us other than my expressed wishes to Tina for a "Happy Mothers Day!"After a relaxing morning we loaded the bikes on the car, grabbed our cameras and drove to the eastern end of Hemet, then turned south into the foothills. We parked in a wide pullout and got ready for a nice leisurely ride up Bautista Canyon.
We heard about this ride from one of the guys at the bike shop in town. He said it was a low traffic gentle grade leading up through the canyon to the Conservation Camp and on over to Anza about sixteen miles away, south of the San Bernardino National Forest.
We started our ride up the canyon passing orange and grapefruit groves. There were many orange trees still with blossoms on them yet, covered with ripening fruit. The grapefruit trees were tall and trimmed for optimal harvesting with lots of fruit hanging from the boughs. As we left the orange groves behind us we passed a big earthenworks dam designed for flood control then moved into the canyon proper. Soon we passed a sign welcoming us to the San Bernardino National Forest. The road followed a drycourse waterway as it wound up into the hills. Everywhere we looked there were flowers, bushes and trees in bloom so I was stopping frequently for photos.
We rode steadily upward but didn't realize how much elevation we were gaining as there was a slight tailwind. Six miles into the canyon we decided to turn around and return to the car. Now we could see just how high we had come and how deep into the canyon we had ridden. Going downhill the wind was in our face making it seem at times that we were still going up hill!
But we successfully negotiated the return route, loaded up the bikes and with a brief stop at the local "In 'n Out" for lunch returned home around 3:00 PM. Tina took a short nap, I downloaded the photos and we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun.To see all our photos, click on:
No comments:
Post a Comment