The hot weather finally went away for good (I hope), and I went for another ride in the mountains before the first really cold day happens up there. According to the weather report, the San Bernardino mountains will only have a high of 37 on Monday, and maybe a dusting of snow. Once it does snow any significant amount, all the ridgeline trails will be closed until spring, so yesterday seemed like a good day for a ride. Temps were mid 60s to mid 70s depending on where I was at any given point. A short stint on the highway where it goes over the summit pass was a bit chilly. The rest of the ride, mostly in the dirt was delightful. After having the suspension tuned by Precision Concepts just lately, I have to say that the bike is probably the most versatile and fun to ride bike that I have ever owned. Anyway, the roads and trails were empty, and the fall colors were spectacular. The Santa Ana River road was closed for its final repair of the last bridge that was washed out, and rerouting the river bed back to its original course, then rebuilding that stretch of road that the river took out two years ago. All in all, it was a great day. But I got a late start, so it was not a real leisure ride, and there were no rest or lunch stops along the way. I love my bike. A puff of smoke alone in the middle of a burned mountain range and thin layer of smoke smoke over the valley was a sad reminder of the recent wild fire. Near the summit of one of my routes of the day.
Well, there was nowhere for it to go, at least on that mountain. Gonna rain up there soon. That should put an end to any rogue smoldering spots.
