Monday Blues: Sky and Water at Lake Perris

It was the ride I had planned to do last week. The ride around Lake Perris SRA. I had squeezed in a little dirt riding during high school mountain bike races there in the past, but had never done any more extensive exploration. Living relatively close, it has for years now, been an attractive alternative to the usual weekend rides. I've just never taken advantage of it.

You can do a full day of riding out at Perris combining various loops, or do a single big one around Teri's Peak, Mount Russell and the lake itself, but we kept our riding on this day to the lake and highland plateau area, making for a route that was about 70% dirt, 30% pavement. The "highlands" as I call them slope gently up, northeast from the lake. Dirt roads and double-track trails skirt around the perimeter of the highlands, past the volcano-looking hill, through a pass and down along the rocky Bernasconi Hills. This particular trail drops down near the lake at Pictograph Rock. 

Away from the main dirt roads, the trails can get pretty soft; though we didn't cross paths with any, the area is popular with equestrians and we saw many from a distance. If you are going for the full lake loop be sure to stop at the Big Rock (southern end of the dam); the Big Rock is popular with climbers, and you'll likely see some climbing and rappelling down the slick slope.

There was nothing the least big technical about the loop we did, though there are some rockier areas elsewhere, if that is your thing, and you know where to look. Pack a lunch and spend the day (heck, you're paying ten bucks to park so why not make a day of it). 

fire had recently burned through a large area of the highlands and there was still hose snaking along the ground all over the place

you get some more elevation gain by turning onto this double track which takes you up close to the Bernasconi Hills, which seem like a good place to ditch the bikes and do a little foot exploration

through the pass and down to the lake

Pictograph Rock

the paved road along the east shore (closed to motor vehicles)

surf shack on the beach

view from the dam - water is more blue than the sky

slicing through the rock like it is butter

while a couple climbing fellers were well along in their ascent...

(there now you see them better)...

this other feller was just beginning, and seemed to be thinkin' on whether or not it was worth the effort

such a distinctive look to that hill

The Monday Blues has been an occasional feature here at the blog since inception; the blues, an emotion, a color, a genre of music, with a cycling twist.