Day 3: The San Juan Trail
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Initially, it looked as if my decision to postpone riding the San Juan Trail by one day was a good one. The day was overcast, cool and perfect for a long ride.
The San Juan Trail starts at the bottom of the Elsinore mountains in dry, desert conditions at the Cleveland National Forest Ranger Station and climbs for 11 miles up into tree cover stopping at the Blue Jay campground. At that point, you turn around, and with the exception of taking the Chaquito side trail for about 6 miles, and ride back down to where you started. The trail is nice and smooth with a couple of tight switchback sections and rocky outcroppings but nothing too difficult or scary.
Climbing the Lower Sections of the San Juan Trail
About 1 hour into the climb, the rain started. Slowly at first. As I approached the tree line and tree cover, the rain started in earnest.
Things are Starting to Get Wet
After 2 1/2 hours, I reached the Blue Jay campground sign. I did see a small heard of deer which was nice, but the rain was coming down even harder. And it was getting colder. It's fun to watch your breath in a soaking wet t-shirt as the rain pours down. Once you get past that initial discomfort, it's kind of like playing in the rain without your mom yelling at you to stop.
At the Top and Soaking Wet to the Bone
During the descent the rain decided that it had been holding back and REALLY started coming down along with hail near the top of the mountain and wind thrown in for good measure. Pedalling is good because it keeps you warm. Flying down the mountain without pedaling can be somewhat chilling. Still fun, though.
After adjusting the brakes three times on the descent, there was no more brake pad material left. Gritty sandy mud covered every square inch of me and the bike. No time to stop for photos on the descent, as I didn't want to grind the Canon 35mm camera into oblivion. Still fun, though.
Back At The Start 22+ Miles Later
In my opinion, there are few things in life more uncomfortable than gritty sand inside every piece of clothing. Since it was time to pack up and head back to Phoenix, there was NO WAY that I was going to do it coated with sand and mud. Time to whip out the portable sprayer, strip down to boxers and scrub the mud off. The ugly stays no matter how hard I scrub. I still wonder what the passengers in the two cars that drove by in the rain were thinking as they saw some wacko standing there in his boxers spraying himself off. Kind of like something out of a 3 Stooges episode.
You Can Clean Some People Up But Still Not Take
Them Out
So, that was it. Time to pack up and head back to Phoenix for Take Your Child To Work Day tomorrow. The drive back from vacation is always so much more depressing than the drive into vacation. But I have some more great mountain bike adventures and memories of Southern California. I can't wait for the next trip!
