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| Monterey |
After a rest day in Bakersfield, we rented a car, drove back
to Lake Isabella and continued the Sierra Cascades route by car. Our goal was to scout the route for a return
visit by bike. Our conclusion – it’s a
beautiful, but difficult route with steep and winding mountain roads through
the Angeles Forest - a ride we might do in the future, but it’s not high on our
priority list. The distances between
services each day coupled with steep and huge amounts of climbing are the
negatives. The positive is the road had
NO traffic.
Day 1, Oct. 31 – from Lake Isabella to Tehachepi is 60 miles
with NO services, including camping.
Doable with panniers, until you
factor in the 7,000ft. of climbing!
Tehachapi itself was a pleasant surprise, with several decent motels and
restaurants.
Day 2, Tehachepi to Big Bear Lake. From Tehachepi to Cajon Junction would be a
nightmare – the route goes through Palmdale, not pleasant. But the dangerous and unpleasant part of the
route is still to come – uphill riding on Highway 58 with its busy and high
speed traffic. In between these sections
the road is hilly, steep, and beautiful.
However, the view was obscured by the Southern California haze of pollution.
We stayed at a wonderful B&B, The Inn at Fawnskin.
We decided at this point to take a leisurely drive home and
stay a couple of days in Monterey and visit the Aquarium. If you haven’t been for awhile it’s a
must-see. The sea-horse exhibit alone is
worth a special trip.
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