Ontario Overnighter

Do you find yourself riding your bike less during the Winter months?  When it comes to day-to-day riding, I ride just as much in the Winter as other seasons of the year.  (Not that we have any excuse in Southern California like subzero temperatures or snow & ice covered ground).  But I must admit that it has been a while since I really worked up a sweat...      ...until this weekend. :)

A friend suggested we do an over night trip with our sons and one of their friends.  It sounded like a great idea.  My only fears were (a) how cold it might be if we were camping out doors and (b) how my body would react without having ridden much the past month.  After brain storming and researching a route we settled on a way to avoid a cold night outside.  His father and mother-in-law live in Ontario, giving us a 45 mile ride and a floor to sleep on indoors.  Not only that, we got to enjoy a hot shower, dinner, movie rental, and breakfast.  This trip was going to make us soft.

We decided to leave between 10:30 and 11:00am so that we wouldn't be rushed getting ready.  It was a clear sunny day with temperatures in the mid to upper 60's.  The first 15 miles were pretty flat, making an easy warm-up.  The next 15 miles were up and down (mostly up), but we took a break in the middle to have lunch and take some time off the bike seat.

Lunch and rest at a nice park.

Middle School Boys?

Spinning Plungers!

 After lunch we continued with the hills until we leveled off for the last stretch.  It is fun riding through some of the less populated areas of LA's metropolitan area.  I realize there are far greater views to behold, but when compared with hundreds of cars, power lines, buildings, and concrete, we enjoyed winding through the hills.  (The video takes a while to play, but if you click on play, do all of your shopping, and have dinner, it will almost be ready to start playing).

 We arrived in Ontario as the sun was setting.  How nice that we could unload our bikes, take off our shoes, wash up, and enjoy a good meal!  I can still taste the peach pie (sigh...).  Soon after that we watched Spiderman.  Just think what he could have done on a bike!

Click here to view the route we took from Bellflower to Ontario

The next morning began with a wonderful breakfast, packing our bags, and heading back home.  We chose a slightly different route home that ended up being a few miles shorter.  I was especially curious how my legs would feel on the second day (see fear "b" above).  My back was stiff, but my legs felt pretty good for not being in prime shape.  My bike seat felt a little harder than normal, but perhaps it was my own seat that was to blame.

Click here to view the route we took from Ontario to Bellflower

We joked with the boys about whether we should stop for lunch or just catch a snack before getting home.  They were starving, of course, so they salivated and groaned every time we passed a restaraunt.  Finally we stopped (precisely at 12 noon) at one of our favorites.

Mmmm... In & Out

After a great lunch the guys flew through the last 10 miles of our trip.  We were thankful to arrive safely without any flats or any other break downs for that matter.  Quality Winter riding!