Riding from Santa Clarita to Newcomb's Ranch tomorrow.

[Gold Metal Flake]

http://www.newcombsranch.com/home_iframe.htm

Hopefully we won't run into any large rock spills. Gonna be cold, but fun. I'll post about the ride tomorrow.

[david13]

1. It's going to be very cold. And, I think Newcombs has closed

again, and the road is closed beyond Newcombs, again.
From Santa Clarita? You will come in from the north, on Angeles Forest? Ok, I'd like to know if it's open.
etc.
dc

[Gold Metal Flake]

2. It was a great ride!

And by great I mean my ass did not hurt as much today. The stock seats on the Intruder 800 tend to put a lot of pressure on my tailbone.

Yup, it was cold today. I started out with thick socks, jeans, a thermal henley, a flannel shirt and my leather jacket with a fleece liner. Winter gloves, full face helmet and a neck band that I pull up over my chin. Temps were in the mid to lower 40s, so it was not that bad. It got colder as we rose in altitude but no one was really uncomfortable.

There were 4 of us and we left Canyon Country on the 14 to Acton where we gassed up. Two Harleys, one Valkyrie and my Suzuki. We went south to Soledad and then to Aliso Canyon road. This we took to Angeles Forest. It was on Aliso that we saw the moonscape left by the fire. Tragic devastation that we would see all the way up. We took a right onto Angeles Forest and made our way to Big Tujunga. Halfway up Big Tujunga there was a patch of unburned forest that stood in stark relief to the charred remains surrounding it. We would see more of such islands as we rode.

There were many conifers that were full of a brown canopy, and many more that were just sticks, and even more that were so burned that only the trunk was left standing like some giant toothpick. The scrub and grass was completely gone leaving the hills denuded except for the corpses of trees. Occasionally, a strip of green would give a hint as to the beauty that stood before the conflagration.

Big Tujunga to Angeles Crest and then, in an oasis of green there was Newcomb's Ranch Restaurant & Bar. Bathroom! I had a ham, cheese, pepper and onion omelet (off the winter menu, ask) with hash browns, sour dough toast and coffee. Excellent. There were not many patrons there this morning, but a server told us that it was busy Saturday. We had a table right in front of the fireplace. Perfect!

Most of the bikes there were rockets. There was a brand new BMW with 1200ccs and carbon fiber everything. Maybe one other cruiser. There was one old Norton with the shifter on the right, very nice. One old 911 and I think a 260Z parked in the distance. I decided after breakfast to put on my overpants which I had stashed in my saddlebag and I'm glad I did as the temps did not rise any at all. It was sunny the whole trip up (in my eyes and me without a visor) but as the day progressed thin cloud cover formed and got progressively thicker. We left Newcomb's around noon and I led us down Angeles Crest to Angeles Forest skipping Big Tujunga. There was some debris on the roads but not as much as I thought there would be. At Angeles crest and Angeles Forest there is a forest station with a public restroom. The fire had partially burned the fencing there.

Back up through Acton to Sierra Highway and on to home. Beer and bull afterward. Many threats by the Harley riders to forcibly remove my stock baffles. It was a damn good ride today.

[david13]

3. Ah, good report. dc