Ron, Tim & I left Fontana around 8 under sunny skies with less smog than the night before. Riding in this L.A./ Orange County basin is not as horrid as I expected. We safely navigated through four cities on boulevards, some with bike lanes, and saw industrial complexes, cow pastures and everything in between. About 30 miles later, we connected to a bike path in Corona that follows the Santa Ana 'river' which is really an aqueduct for storm runoff. Coming into the city of Orange, I could see the 'A' in front of Angel stadium. Ron took us down memory lane for a lunchstop at Poncho's Burrito's and it was delicious...someday I'm going back. He guided us through the town and this is another place to visit when in the area...but do it on foot.
In the first photo, I am exhausted and Tim looks perky...but I recovered in a matter of seconds. The bike path along the river is an excellent way to travel in this area; no lights, no traffic and it's long (40 miles). It runs out at Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, in the posh town of Newport Beach. Just beautiful! And yes, the residents have more than their fair share of snobbery, but let's face it, you can find that anywhere. I loved the setting, the homes, the shops, the cars (Ferrari dealer nearby) and more. Coming back here too. 67 miles on the day. We are on track to finish Friday.
At 1:15 A.M. a mystery man slunk into the trailer...Rich is BACK!
