Licorice, Cicadas, and the Mythic Marshall Creek Trail

Since any of the good Tuesday rides I do lately start and end at the La Verne Brewing Company I decided to follow through with that even though it was the 4th of July. There was no question that mountain biking would be on tap this morning, but when I noticed that the brewery would be open for a few hours, beginning at 11am, the start location shifted from the more usual Norms Hanger. If you think a Copperhead tastes just right after an evening ride, let me tell you it is even more refreshing after a hot mid-day ride.

Summer, cicada time. I woke them today, gave them life. Or so it seemed; the hills were empty of riders and thus, largely, quiet. Except for the cicadas. Their song was like a wave, come to life as I approached, rolling wheels, rolling sound, rising, passing, fading in sequence, one after another, across the hills. The only time the spell was broken was when passing emergency vehicles, somewhere down on the road, brought a family of coyotes to life, their howls and yips answering sirens from a shallow, shady draw on Beverest's southern slope.

Some are ready, some still have a little way to go, others a longer way still

a sprig of fennel on the handlebars - sort of like an air freshener in a car, only natural - will have you smelling licorice for the rest of the ride

The Vargas, one steep option

peak panorama

At the point where my dirt ride ended, I still had a little energy and so decided to look for the mythic southern end of the Marshall Creek Trail. It was not particularly hard to find. I cruised up the channel, easily one of the strangest, officially designated off-street bike routes around, until I reached a long dark tunnel that I wanted a light for. I am intrigued now with riding the entirety of Marshall Creek and Canyon from low end to the top.

cliff dwelling for Swallows

sighting a familiar peak

dark

sighting a familiar hill top

the end