Path Community and Chalan Rest Stop

August 11, 2019

Path Community and Chalan Rest Stop

Can the gathering of cyclists that is Chalan Rest Stop be a destination in its own right?

I think it can and, for many riders, I think that is what it has become. I have never asked Omar (though, now, I may need to), but I suspect the social aspect is a big reason for the gathering, the incentive to haul all the goods, the tools of the bike trade, the ice chests filled with cold drinks, and everything else packed into those couple trailers, every weekend day without fail.

Sure riders stop in because they know they can find a spare tube, fix a flat, lube a squeaky chain, make a small adjustment to their saddle height, or tighten up some cranky part that has been giving them grief for the past few miles. You feel your tire starting to lose air, what are you going to do? Stop beside the trail in the blazing sun? Heck no! Pull up at the nearest homeless encampment and ask for a patch kit? Heck no! Push on to Chalan Rest Stop and fix it in the shade with a floor pump at hand so you don't need to waste a Co2 cartridge? Of course!

Sure riders pull in for a cold drink to refresh their energy before finishing their ride. Sure people pull in for a sandwich to put the kibosh when the engine knock starts and the bonk raises its ugly head.

But I'll bet most anything that pulling in for the conversation, to greet old friends, meet new friends, to inegrate into the Path (as in San Gabriel River Trail) community is the most common reason of all. From my observations, that has always been a big part of the appeal of Chalan Rest Stop and, hopefully, always will be.