GMR Friday...

i watched this red-tail climb effortlessly out of the canyon below

These autumn days with their shifts in the weather infiltrated the household this week; the son spent a couple days out of school with illness, and both the wife and I have felt not quite right. The one day warm, next day cool just somehow plays a little havoc with the body. As a result I wasn't sure how this weeks ride up Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) would go. No worries, as it turned out, balance had been restored at least for the time being. A foggy soup filled the valley and all the way to the coast by the look of things, but it didn't take long to rise out of it; with just a few turns of the roadway I could look back over my shoulder with a view out and across that thick grey blanket. The climb was nice and sunny until crossing the saddle; with the mountain tight against the right side of the road, much of the ride from that point was done in cool shadow. Climbing into the mountains this time of year is kind of like a mirror of the day by day changes in the weather; turns in the road take you from warm sun to cool shade. Pull the arm warmers up, then push them back down. What's a rider to do - it is a season of change.

view down canyon from the top of monroe (ToM) truck trail

ol' mr. t climbing the mountain against traffic. i tried scooting him off to the side, but he was stubborn