RR: San Savaine Fireroad 7/3/06

[gurp13]

Have spent about a week off the bike recovering from the Plunge, going to weddings and dealing with mother of a crick in my neck. Anybody else get these? They suck. Can't turn my head to the right without pain. It's gotten better but it still hurts.

Anyway, I decided to ride today. With the price of gas and whatnot, plus dealing with the kids at home, I went solo. I got on the bike and pedaled off up the street. Took Lytle Creek road up, and over I-15 then followed the freeway up to Lytle Creek itself. I took the road up to the San Sevaine fireroad trailhead and started riding up.

The fireroad is pretty wide and mostly maintained. There's a lot of rocks, though. It's not exactly technical, but it keeps you honest. The fireroad goes up and up for about 6 miles where it gets to the top of the ridge. You can look out south and see all of Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga. I could even see the Southridge hills. That's not all, though. I saw this sign:

07-03-06_1903.jpg

Appears that someone what has an affinity for Incycle has been up there. At this juncture there's a trail, or a road, unmaintained, that goes south and west down the other side. I was tempted to take it but it seemed like a bad idea given that it was 7:00pm and I've heard Pain Freak's tale of hike-a-bike's and boulders the size of VWs enough times to make retreat the better part of valour today. I'll save exploring that trail for another day with an earlier start.

So, that was it. I cruised back down the fireroad and made my way home. All told, just shy of 27 miles ridden, 15 on the road and 12+ on the dirt. I'm beat! But, I'm looking forward to going back up there again. You can take the fireroad further west and eventually you get to the Joe Elliot campground (named for the Def Leppard singer?) and Cucamonga Canyon which is still quite a ways away! It was 26 miles from where the fireroad started if I remember what the sign said correctly. That's a ride right there!

[Innes]

It sounds like a ride for when the weather's cooler.

[Sharky]

Originally Posted by gurp13

You can take the fireroad further west and eventually you get to the Joe Elliot campground (named for the Def Leppard singer?)

Haha...I'd love to know the real story behind the Joe Elliot Tree Memorial if anyone knows. Got my Baja bug stuck in the snow there once. Sorry to hear the fireroads are so thrashed these days according to Mike...
used to offroad there all the time . Since it's access to fires you'd think they'd keep them up. Nice riding Glenn ...

[gurp13]

Originally Posted by Innes

It sounds like a ride for when the weather's cooler.

Cooler? Bah. We just have to take more water. I was thinking it'd be fun to get a real early start, like 6am. I looked at Google Earth last night before bed and it seems that trail does go all the way down to the Panorama homes on Foxborough Drive. About two weeks ago I rode up that road and found the trailhead there. So, I've been to both ends of the trail. Now, I need to see the middle. I know Mike says it's chock-a-block with boulders and hike-a-bike but I have to wonder if it's the same place because it looks rideable from Google Earth. And, now I know how directionally challenged he is, maybe it was a different trail?

Originally Posted by SHARKY

Haha...I'd love to know the real story behind the Joe Elliot Tree Memorial if anyone knows.

Yeah, me too. I kept wondering the whole ride what that was about.

Uh fa-fa-foolin'!

[Pain Freak]

You would of been fine taking that trail down. That is what we call the San Sevaine singletrack, and you would of been home a lot sooner, then the fireroad.
I'm talking about what continues on west from there. If you want we can head up there and I'll go for as long as anybody else wants to, but be prepared this is still what I rated as the hardest ride I had ever done to that point in my mountain biking forays.
If I remeber right, the campground (Joe Elliot) seemed like the halfway point to us and let me tell you, it was a trek. The fireroad has collapsed in a lot of places and was almost impassable. I talked with the local ranger station and they said very little work has been done up there as they were concentrating on the more commonaly used areas first.
I'm more then willing to lead a group up there and beyond, just make sure you are prepared for it and get ready for a very long day.
Rangers did tell me there is some very dangerous sections up there and to use caution. Well, the truth is they said, not to ride it as they can't get emergency crews back in there in a lot of places. But if anybody is willing to take a chance and give it a go, I'll take you on a really grueling ride.

[gurp13]

I'm definitely going to go for the San Sevaine singletrack soon.

As to the other direction, you must have been going toward Cucamonga Canyon then? Cuca Cyn is 26 miles from the bottom of the fireroad. The campground is about halfway, I think. I found that junction at 6 miles and the campground would be another 7 or so. I think it would be fun to ride around up there. Any idea if it would be worth it to bring shovels to work on the trail? I'd love to make my local trails more rideable and more well traveled. It bugs me that I have to drive to Claremont or LaVerne to find trails to ride.

But, let me be clear, you will be able to go waaaaaaay longer than I could, I assure you. My donkey was BEAT yesterday after that ride. I love riding up in those hills though. They're so deserted that I feel like a pioneer!

[dhshuttlemonkey]

There's always Southridge...

[gurp13]

Yeah. Southridge. That motherscratching trail what bitchslapped me. I still have the sweats at night dreaming of those sandy ruts on the downhills.

<shiver>

Oh, I shall return to Southridge. I shall. When the time is ripe and the worm has turned. When the mooooon is in the Seventh House and Joooopiter aligns with Mars...

For me, these other hills seem like a better option 'cause it's downhill (mostly) to my house from them.

[dirttorpeedo]

ride to live (jon) and other friends of ours did that ride around the start of the year.i drove them to the gate on the back side at 7am they called me at 430pm a$$kicked.they turned left at the stream crossing,ooooops,rong turn cause it took them longer to walk down that huge ass river bed than ride that dirt rode they didnt find.SO HEED MIKEs WARNING.but i may be in too if the time is rite.......

[gurp13]

Originally Posted by dirttorpeedo

ride to live (jon) and other friends of ours did that ride around the start of the year.i drove them to the gate on the back side at 7am they called me at 430pm a$$kicked.they turned left at the stream crossing,ooooops,rong turn cause it took them longer to walk down that huge ass river bed than ride that dirt rode they didnt find.SO HEED MIKEs WARNING.but i may be in too if the time is rite.......

Are you talking about the ride that goes past the campground? Or, the San Sevaine singletrack down near the sign with the INCycle tag?