My air mattress has sprung a leak. I now need to reinflate it during the night to sleep comfortably. I got going early anticipating, correctly, a hard day. On Hwy 138, I rode 12 miles to Cajon Junction with I-15. Lots of commuters passed me. At the Junction, the I-15 commuter traffic crawled along. I had coffee and ate two egg muffins at Mc Donald’s and bought two more for lunch. A mile later, I began a 3,000-foot , 9-mile long climb to Wrightwood on little-travelled Lone Pine Canyon Road. Gradual climbing at first but it steepened toward the top. I barely made it under blue skies and warm air temperatures. In Wrightwood I bought food, drank part of a half gallon of chocolate milk (saved the other half) and ate an egg McMuffin. Onward on Hwy 2, the Angeles Crest Highway, heading uphill for another 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Climbing sapped most of my remaining energy. I kept going to a Forest Service Visitor Center and a bathroom with water. As soon as I saw the bathroom, my lower tract started to rumble. I leaped off my bike and ran into the women’s bathroom where I exploded. I’ll not go into details. Suffice it to say that cleanup took a while - thank goodness for water and TP. I felt fine afterwards and kept biking mostly downhill but with climbs to keep me honest. Lots of recent forest fire damage along the way (see photo). I planned to stay at the Buckhorn Campground but a fire turned it into a day-use area. But at least I got a liter of cold water from a guy. Onward for 8 miles to the Chileo Campground, which a couple told me, was open. A mile from Chileo, I stopped at a restaurant for water and confirmed that Chileo was open. Was I ever glad to find a shady spot under pine trees for $6 plus water. A long, hot, tiring day with 7,000 feet of elevation gain and 56 miles of biking.
