The skyline of San Marcos, CA is dominated by the Cerro de las Posas mountain range of which Mt Whitney (1729 ft) is its tallest prominence. Unlike many other prominent hills around town, there are several paved ways to the top of Mt Whitney, though some are less accessible than others. Choosing your way up, however, is an exercise in poison picking. Mt Whitney charges high metabolic price for the view she gives from the top.
Starting from the NE end of the range, the major route up Mt Whitney is on the back side of California State University - San Marcos (CSSM) via La Moree, Coronado Hills Dr, and Washingtonia Dr. The climbing begins a block or so south Coronado Hills Rd at the junction with Via del Campo. From bottom to top is 2 miles long at 8.3% average grade. The first 0.6 mile on Coronado Hills Dr is the most brutal, however, with an opening kick at 17% grade before dropping off to a near constant 15% for half a mile to the Washingtonia Dr turn off. Washingtonia is a bit of a roller until the private drive car gate (hikers and bicycles can go around), after which it only goes up and up all the way to the top. Don't begrudge the car gate at the last level off (Vallecitos Water District overlook) that you have to dismount and hike a bike thru. It's the only 'resting' spot before the sustained 14% grade for 1/4 mile to the tower. Also, remember this gate on your descent... and make sure you can stop the bike without crashing onto it!
Coronado Hills Dr
If you don't mind roughing it for a hard dirt stretch, another legit way up little Mt Whitney is to go up either San Elijo Rd or S Twin Oaks Valley Rd to the Ridgeline Trailhead staging area traffic light at Double Peak Elementary School. Go thru the school parking lot to pick up the dirt bit of Attebury Rd and continue on it to Washingtonia Dr. I prefer coming at it from San Elijo Rd rather than S Twin Oaks because you get more elevation gain from the south side, and you don't have to beg for green light to cross the road to get to Double Peak School. This is the first climb on this video:
(Video is of the Mt Whitney bit on my usual Friday morning assaults on Mt Whitney and her next door neighbor, Double Peak).
Aside from these two fairly open-access routes, there are a couple more private and steep ones whose accessibility can vary a bit from time to time (sometimes bikes and hikers are quite welcome on them, sometimes not so much). The Bela Vita Way route to connect to Attebury Rd to Washingtonia is listed on the City of San Marcos trails project map, though currently it is still strictly private. At 1.8 miles and 9.3% average grade, this is the hardest way to the top on paper (though in practice I don't think it is).
Bela Vita Way is guarded by two gates; the bottom one at S Village Dr was recently extended to cut off the dirt trail access, and the top one in the middle of a 15% grade ramp was fortified a bit, so this way may not stay bike/hike-able for long. With all the gates and the lack of other houses except for the manor overlooking the winery, there is literally no car traffic on this lonely paved lane... except for the winery owner and his couple of neighbors. Here is a video I took a while back (before the gates were extended and fortified), descending from Mt Whitney tower to S Village Dr via Attebury Dr and Bela Vita Way.
The goriest route up to Mt Whitney, however, is from the even less accessible Crestwind Dr on the SE side by Harmony Grove Village. It is about 2.8 miles long at a deceptively mellow 8.3% average gradient. Make no mistake, though, the single digit average grade is due to the little downhill bits in the lower part of the climb. The long uphill bits from Bresa de Lomas on up are all in the teens, with maximum grade in the 20s on the concrete and paved portion of Crestwind Dr (how deep into the 20s depends a bit on how you take the curves, and whether you go up it in a straight line or not).
Bresa de Lomas opening ramp.
The steepie switchback at the bottom of Crestwind Dr.
This route requires strong bike handling skills as well as strong legs and lungs (and at least a 30 cog in your cassette). After the two-houses saddle atop the gory switchback bottom of Crestwind Dr, the road turns into a rutty and pebbly dirt lane with a little dip followed by a sustained 15% grade ramp that gets even steeper once it turns the corner and becomes a concrete wall. Get across that wall to the tarmac, and you still have two long curves of steepness with spots that ventures north of the 20% grade mark to cope with before you get to the houses and false flat where you can breathe a bit before turning steeply up again onto Washingtonia Dr.
Mt Whitney radio tower
No matter which way you choose, though, San Marcos' little Mt Whitney is a gem with its rustic rural and car-less neighborhoods compared to the more well known Double Peak on the other side of S Twin Oaks Valley/San Elijo Rd. Do beware of cracks and potholes, aside from suicidal squirrels and rabbits on your descent... and, please, pack out what you pack in. Be nice to everyone, ride carefully around blind curves, and leave no trace of you behind!
An interesting side-effect to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic is the increased interest in cycling for exercise and for transport (a lot of people are working from home or working reduced hours... or are out of work altogether, and have surplus spare time which they would like to spend outdoor at a distance from other people). Bike shops all around town are selling bikes and accessories like hot cakes, and there are weeks long waiting list to get any repair done.
But, what else, aside from a bicycle and a helmet, do you need to have on your bike before hopping on and pushing off for a ride?
Short answer: head and rear lights, water bottle, and a saddle bag full of roadside repair gear.
Water bottle or Camelbak backpack.
Most bikes (aside from many full suspension mountain bikes) come with at least one set of screws on the downtube and/or seattube for water bottle cage attachment. Be sure to get at least a bottle cage attached to your bike before leaving the bike shop with your new ride! Even if you aren't going long distance, it's better to have some water handy than not.
Full suspension mountain bikes these days tend to not have any bottle cage attachment simply because most mountain bikers ride with a Camelbak backpack that holds their water as well as trail-side repair tools.
Head and tail lights.
Even on short rides during the day when you expect to be back home well before dark, it is always handy to have lights on your bike. Here in sunny California, the bright and sunny days tend to make us bicyclists very invisible when passing through tree shades and dark underpasses. The brighter the sun, the darker the shades (and the longer time it takes for drivers' eyes to adjust when moving from one to the other).
Go for good quality lights that are very bright, with good batteries life and sturdiness (especially when wet). They are worth the extra cost. I've been through many lights since my first ride in 2012. Nowadays I'll swear by the Cygolite headlight (have had the Metro 500 on my bike for 4 yrs now, and it's still going strong). I like to turn the headlight on flashing mode during the day when approaching places where I think a driver waiting (or approaching) on the right might not see me very well before pulling out, and when I have to ride closer to parallel parked cars than I'd like. I'm always far enough away from the doors to not be hit should they suddenly open, but I might instinctively swerve left if one does, and that might be the last move I ever get to make... depending on traffic condition. So, anything to improve my chances of those doors staying nice and shut until I've passed, I'll do.
Unless I'm riding in the desert in the light of day, I almost always keep my rear light on in flashing mode to ensure that I am visible to drivers when riding in shaded area or thru an underpass.
A saddle bag and road-side repair gear.
My adventure trip saddlebag is almost a mini-bike-shop.
Even tubeless tires aren't immune to flatting! It's always good to have the tools handy just in case. Since I go out on solo adventure rides out in the mountains a lot, my saddlebag is almost a mini-bike shop (and even backed up by a little backpack containing more spare tubes, food, and first-aid kit).
My commuter saddlebag.
My commuting saddlebag for riding in the city, on the other hand, is more to the point. What you really must have with you are:
- Spare inner tube that fits your tires (even if you are running tubeless tires, if those get flat and won't reseal itself, you'll still need to put a tube in to get home).
- A pair of tire irons/levers.
- A way of inflating the tire (a frame pump or a CO2 system). I use CO2 for roadside inflation, that constitutes the little green valve/nozzle and the 16g CO2 cannisters. If you use CO2, remember that the gas is lighter than air and will leak out faster so you tire will go flat again within a day or two. So, after inflating with CO2, remember to let the gas out of your tire when you get home, and re-inflate again with proper air pump.
- A multi-tool that is equipped with a chain tool (even if you don't know how to use it to break and reattach the chain, someone else may come riding along who does, and they would still need the tool).
- Throw a patch kit in there, while you're at it. They come the size of a nickle these days, and they are dead useful when you get more than one flat on a ride.
If you ride in the city, and plan on stopping at shops or restaurants, a good bike lock is a must.
I'm a big believer in riding with a rear-view mirror, preferably attached to either the helmet or your glasses (so you only have to turn your head a little to see the entire road behind you.. without having to move the handlebar or to take the eyes completely off the road ahead). Not only are they great for letting you know what speedy drivers are approaching from the back, they also detect those stealthy and silent fellow cyclists who would pass within inches of you without ever saying a word (don't be that guy. Give a warning!).
Also, if you are in the city, get a really sturdy lock that is long enough to lock both the frame and the wheels of your bike to a sturdy pole/bike rack. Shell out the buck for it. It's worth not having to buy another bike and all the accessories all over again!
In the old days, the Luiseno indians of San Diego's north county would look up at the high point of Palomar during rain storms and marvel at all the lightning sparks that Taakwish (Tahquitz), the fallen shaman of wondrous power, created as he pounded the bones of his victims on his favorite rocks atop the mountain range. Taakwish is notoriously man-hating and can't wait to beat up on people venturing up his mountain (Lily Rock on Tahquitz Peak), canyon, and his bone pounding places like the highest prominence of the Palomar range.
The base of High Point TT (8SO5) is quite sandy.
Getting to the first steep bit on High Point TT.
It wasn't the legend of Tahquitz that deterred me for so long before attempting to reach the high point of Palomar Mountain by bike, however, but the prospect of actually destroying my road bike on a rough people-less trail with nary a chance of being in cellphone reception range for a mayday call in mountain lion country. Having picked up a sturdier Fuji Finest with clearance for bigger tires and a good pair of disc brakes, and scoring a willing riding partner changed things, and one morning in April I cycled up to Aguanga where my partner, Mike, was waiting, and together we set off up High Point Truck Trail (8SO5) to pick a fight with the devil.
Hike-a-bike stretch where High Point TT runs into Oak Grove TT.
The gate at the top of Oak Grove TT.
High Point Truck Trail, I must say, doesn't have much of a soft spot for rigid road bike running any tire smaller than 30mm. I was running a pair of moderately threaded 28mm, and had quite a bike handling work out on the many really soft sandy stretches at the bottom of the climb, and then again when the road gets rocky, rutty, and quite extremely pitchy as we stopped half-way up to have a look at Oak Grove TT to see if it would make a good alternative escape route from the top. For the record, it doesn't!
Rather than burning off as the day wore on, the cloud just sat on the road, wetting down the dirt.
A peek at Palomar High Point Lookout Tower.
We hiked the bike as much as we rode the last mile to the intersection with Palomar Divide TT (9SO7). My partner had road cycling cleats on, and the wet dirt was wreaking havoc on his ability to clip on and off his pedals. It was quite a lesson to me, as I had never used road clipless system (I went from riding flat pedals to mtb spd system). This proved to be quite problematic since his feet weren't secure on the pedals, and made riding pretty hazardous. With the lateness of our arrival to the Palomar HP saddle, we opted out of going up another mile and a bit to tag the actual top in order to start our descent as soon as possible.
The junction of Palomar Divide TT (9SO7) and High Point TT (8SO5).
Palomar Divide TT put up a lot of fight to slow our escape from Tahquitz's favorite bone grinder. The top part of the road is really rough and full of pebbles that made it almost impossible to stay on a good descending line. The decline is also interrupted by more than a few sudden uphill spikes that are both too loose and steep to ride up. Heck, there are even sandy stretches that preserve quite a few wild spoors - some more concerning than others. For a good couple of miles we found ourselves reverse-tracing footprints of a mountain lion and two cubs... It was enough to grow eyes out the back of our heads and almost hallucinating big cats peeking out from every boulder and bush along the road.
A mommy mountain lion and two cubs went uphill on this road not long ago.
Looking back at the white domes of Palomar Observatory.
We caught some fantastic views of Mendenhall Valley, San Jose del Valle, and Lake Henshaw on the descent (especially once we made it to the old pavement bit below the old Ware Mine. I'm afraid I had accidentally knocked the GoPro downward during the climb up Highpoint TT, and am left with pretty useless footage of a lot of dirt and rut and not much else. As I was counting on getting some good stills from the video, I didn't stop to take many photograph with my camera on our way down the rough road. I guess this calls for a redo ride on the other side of summer!
Looking over the ridge to Valle de San Jose and Lake Henshaw.
I must say, the old pavement on the lower 6 miles or so of Palomar Divide TT is really no picnic to ride as it isn't maintained and is quite chopped up in places and full of debris in others. It's still a big relief from the deep sand and rough pebbles of the upper section, however. I don't know if my road bike would have survived much more of the latter.
The oldly paved lower slope of Palomar Divide Truck Trail.
We somehow made it down to Hwy 79 in one piece (with one minor crash each, sort of as sacrifice to Tahquitz for having invaded his territory on such unsuitable manpowered machines. It was quite a long morning of rough-road riding in quite wetter weather than anticipated (no rain perse, but riding into a cloud that just sat still was still quite a soaking experience). Hopefully I'll get to challenge Tahquitz for a rematch soon... on a bit bigger tires and maybe a slightly bigger cassette, too.
Thanks very much to my riding pal Spinmotion for hanging in there with me both on and off the bike!
It was a bit reassuring in a rather twisted way, that despite a serious bout with food poisoning in March, and two full weeks of the flu in April, I still arrived at the start of this year's Wafer ride, the shorter 72 mile option of the full 133 mile Belgian Waffle Ride, in much better shape than I did a year ago. Surely if I managed to survive last year's ride, this year's should be a given, no matter what on-bike shenanigans I'd have to pull along the way.
The BWR organizer had obviously learnt from last year's not-enoug-waffles-to-go-around glitch, and planned the catering process better. No half-a-block long breakfast line this time around, and no start time delay needed to facilitate my attempted transpeciation into a pig!
Breakfast of 'no-bonkers'.
Mariacchi music to get us into the mood.
This year's field had doubled from the previous one, and well more than a thousand riders were at the start line for the Wafer ride, which went off in one giant wave half an hour after the first of the three Waffle waves. I meant to drop off the back of the pack early in order to not run into the inevitable traffic jam on the narrow track of Lemontwistenberg, but the Wafer wave was just endless., and I ended up just toward the back of the stretched out main bunch going over the hump on Del Dios Hwy.
A big grateful thank you to all the CHP, local sheriff officers, and volunteers who were out directing traffic for us all along the route. They did a wonderful job of keeping everyone safe and were all so kind and encouraging to us riders. It just made such a taxing ride so much more enjoyable, especially toward the end when most of us were just riding on steam and could barely see straight.
CHP-assisted U-turn on Del Dios Hwy at Calle Ambiente.
Lemontwistenberg (Eastbound Del Dios Gorge Trail)
I'm glad I pre-rode this thing the Tuesday before (in the rain and all, since that was my only day off that work week). The little shallow concrete creek crossing on the access road to Lemontwistenberg had recently been filled in with fist size gravels, and it rode quite differently from a year ago. You really can't steer thru huge gravels like that. It rides pretty much like non-sinking sand... where momentum (and the willingness to leave the brake levers alone) is your best friend. Luckily for me, never being able to stick with a diet plan means momentum is the one thing I have no lack of...
We were
pretty much all strangers with unknown bike-handling abilities. I
trackstood for a while waiting for the crossing to clear before riding
thru. After all, I wasn't anywhere near the pointy end of the ride, and there really wasn't any point in 'racing' others thru crash-a-delic sections. A few others just plowed in right behind someone else, hoping that the person in front
didn't stall.
Lemontwistenberg traffic jam.
Though, stalled we did become on the twisty low-traction singletrack of Lemontwistenberg, except for the few that were off the front and/or the back of the bunch. Once someone gets off and walks, the rest pretty much has to follow suit. There just isn't enough room.
Not to say that some didn't try to squeeze people out of their way with nary a thought of whether those people who got squeezed past would end up in the bush (or cactus) or not, kind of like the way some drivers would speed squeeze pass a long line of cars to cut in up the line right at the freeway exit.
The vast majority of riders behaved like matured adults, however, and kept up good banter to past the time waiting for the line to move along.
Hodgesmuurgate East
After a stretch back on the pavement of Del Dios Hwy, we hit the dirt again on Lake Hodges North Trail. This was one of the more fearsome sectors last year with long stretches of jutting hard rocks on the ramp to Bernardo Mtn Trail turn off, and the dreaded downhill right turn toward Felicita Creek where tires were shredded and spokes busted. The thick new layer of packed top dirt had taken most of the menace out of Hodges North, however. The downhill right hook was now smooth, loose, and still banking the wrong way away from the turn; I'm not sure if that is a safer combination for biking than the previous de-facto-speed-bump roughness was, but it probably gave Velofix fewer business than it did last year.
The now smooth downhill right turn on Hodgesmuurgate.
Felicita Creek crossing.
Modest Mule (Eastbound Mule Hill Trail) and Highland Arenberg (Highland Valley Rd climb)
Rather than lingering at the Sikes' Abode pit stop at the start of Modest Mule like I did last year, I just grabbed a fresh bottle of electrolyte bottle and passed right on to the trail. You see, there's only one really rideable line through the deep sand pits of Modest Mule's mid-section, and it's on the westbound side. Last year I had to fishtail my way east on it because the lead Wafer riders were already heading back west through there as I headed east, and that rideable line wasn't available.
This time around, I had already gone through the sand pits when the first Wafer riders popped up on the opposite side of the narrow trail. From then on, I could relax a bit and take my time psyching up for the climb up the steep first mile of Highland Valley Rd climb.
Heading east on Mule Hill Trail. Battle Mtn in background.
The lower slope of wiggly Highland Valley Rd climb.
Just a couple more turns to the level out!
Wafer riders don't have to climb all of Highland Valley Rd (HVR), thanks goodness! We only climb the first wiggly mile to the Bandy Canyon Rd turn off, where we indulge in a few miles of paved descents into the San Pasqual Valley. The sun had shedded its cloud cover by then, and I was starting to regret having on a vest.
Sandy Bandy (San Pasqual Valley Trail) and Bandyweg (Bandy Canyon Rd climb)
I did spend some time at the well stocked Sandy Bandy pit stop, where the kind volunteers from Olli and Tasco pumped me full of banana and electrolyte water. I'm afraid I passed on the beer, as I could barely ride straight when sober. Being able to stick to a narrow line is something necessary on a trail like Sandy Bandy, with its many unfriendly cacti hiding in the brushes lining the path.
Sandy Bandy Pit Stop
Sandy Bandy's deceptive sand singletrack
Exiting Sandy Bandy onto the cracky tarmac ramp to Bandy Canyon Rd.
Mighty Mule (Westbound Mule Hill Trail) and Hodgesmuurgate West (Westbound Lake Hodges North Trail)
I made it down the hill and onto Mighty Mule in pretty good time. The headwind wasn't too mighty, yet, and having the whole trail to myself through both of the sand pits was extremely nice. I grabbed a fresh new electrolyte drink bottle at the Sikes Abode, and took it pretty easy on the first bit of Hodgesmuurgate while getting some Bloc Shots in.
The firmer bit of Mighty Mule.
Fresh cold electrolyte drink bottles being handed out at Sikes Abode.
Wild mustard were abloom along Hodges North Trail.
Kakaboulet and Hodgendam (Lake Hodges North Trail from gravel road to Del Dios Dam)
Kakaboulet is the going Flemish word of exasperation we mutter under our dirt beards as we try to ride our way past the many rock field of various rideability on the Hodges North Trail between the access road and Hernandez's Hideaway.
I lucked out and wasn't stuck behind anyone on those crash-a-delic trouble spots, however, and rolled onto the Twistenlemonberg (westbound Del Dios Gorge Trail) at good speed. Last year the Waffle ride leaders passed me as I exited this sector. I was quite keen on getting through this narrow trail again before I'm caught this year. Gosh knows how terrible it would be to be struggling up one of its steep narrow ramps with the ride leaders stuck behind you.
As it turned out, I made it thru the sector uneventfully, had a good refueling at the pit stop, and was just about done climbing back up Del Dios Hwy to Citracada when a police cruiser came screeching to a stop in the middle of the intersection (a couple other riders and me were waiting for the left turn light to go green) and screamed at us to get out of the way. That could only mean that the Waffle leaders were hot on our heels, so we sprinted off, were passed as if we were standing still on Country Club Drive, and managed to tail the leading group through the Harmony Grove intersection before getting left in the dust, and back to riding a more humane tempo west into the Elfin Forest.
Questhavenbergen (Questhaven Trail)
The Oasis ran out of bacon before I arrived! They had cold Coke and other good stuff, and they gave you colorful pats on the bottoms... but they didn't have bacon, and that's what I'm going to blame the double quads cramps that hit me while climbing the worst of the paved Questhaven Dr ramp to Attebury Drive on. If only there weren't a bunch of overly cheery dudes hanging at the top of the climb watching and egging me on, I'd have gotten off the bike and attempt to play dead. But I was spotted before the thought struck me, and was compelled to keep up appearances one agonizing pedal stroke after another until I cleared that ungodly bit of road.
I don't think I ever got above 5 mph from that point on all the way to the top of Double Peak. Muur van Dubbelberg is nasty enough on fresh legs. With both quads going crampy even before I got onto San Elijo Rd, I just did enough work to keep the pedals going around while cramming as much gels and electrolyte drink in as I could.
I think someone I knew was yelling out encouragement half way up the climb, and a penguin tried to offer me some tasty Twizzlers as I inced my way toward the green watertank (after which the gradient would drop significantly). A few friendly locals were stationed at the last bend giving out high fives. Everybody was just so happy. They totally made up for the lack of bacon!
I had a better time descending the Twistenweg (Ridgeline Trail) back to S Twin Oaks Valley Rd than a year ago, except that I didn't make it completely up the final ramp this year. It's a weird instance where prior knowledge hurt rather than helped. Last year I only spotted the uptick as I descended down the middle of the trail, so I shot for the right side opening as I swung back uphill, and made it up to the park. This time around I knew that the clear opening is along the right side of the ramp, so I lined myself up on the right side of the trail to slingshot straight up through the gap. Alas, I didn't account for the side bumps... which bounced me back to the center where I hit the last wood berm and stalled just before the top. Oh well. Sometimes one can know too much for ones' good!
So... I finished another Wafer! It didn't feel any easier (except for the Hodges North bit, of course), but having finished last year was priceless in mentally convincing myself that I'd also finish this year. I'd be surprised if the route stays the same, even though that would probably make life a lot easier for the organizers (I bet it's quite a headache getting approval from all the different agencies that are in charged of all the trails and roads along the route to put on an event this big).
Whatever it turns out to be, I'm definitely signing up for next year's ride!
