Completism - Saturday, April 19 & Sunday, April 20

[The Passage Announcements]

There's completism, and then there's...

COMPLETISM

It's a bike ride.
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Meet at Union Station beginning at 6:45am
Antelope Valley Metrolink train to Palmdale departs at 7:39am
Ride ends at Azusa Metro station (on Sunday, April 20)

We're finally ticking off that last box here, and we're happy to have you with us. I can't think of a better way to wrap this thing up than with Passage #400 - Over the Hill, which Sean originally announced like this:

We've been doing this ride for a while now and, honestly, we're getting a bit old. Not that we were ever super fit racer types nor up on the latest hot trends with the kids, but after all these years (almost 8!) we are indeed rather long in the tooth. We don't have quite the same spring in our steps (or our pedaling).

Take this ride, for example. Sure, we probably could do it all in one day. But who has the energy for that any more? Not us, that's for sure! Nope, midway through we'll take a little break for the night, give our elderly bodies a rest.

(80+ miles total; lots of climbing; lots of off-roading; overnight camping; full details below)

It has now been *another* 8 years since we first did this route, and we, diligently sticking with the theme, have continued to get older in the meantime. But at least now, in addition to all the aches and pains, we will also get a sense of Completeness! There are quite a few logistical details to convey here, so let's get to those:

*** First of all, please fill out our interest list so we can get an idea of how many people to expect: https://forms.gle/y5VDMQGTurGjPLKSA

FULL ITINERARY:

Saturday —

- As noted above, we will be meeting on SATURDAY AT UNION STATION starting at 6:45 IN THE MORNING. We will load up our gear into the support vehicle between 6:45 and 7:15, then catch the 7:39am Antelope Valley Metrolink train to Palmdale. We'll gather in the corridor with the ramps to the tracks and head up to the train together shortly before it departs. PLEASE BE ON TIME and purchase your ticket before you meet up with us (even though we'll only be going one way, it's cheapest/quickest to just buy the Saturday day pass; you can also do this now through the Metrolink app). If you miss the train, you are out of luck!

- Passage regular David has generously offered to help shuttle our gear from Union Station up to camp and back again. He will meet us Saturday morning in one of the Union Station parking lots (perhaps in front of the station, but the exact location will depend on conditions that morning). We'll have a half-hour window from 6:45-7:15 to drop off our gear, and then he will take it to the campground for us.

- PLEASE keep the amount of gear reasonable, equivalent to a pannier or daypack per person.

- We will ride from Palmdale station out to Devil's Punchbowl. This is a long, mostly gradual (until the last few miles) climb. Almost all paved.

- Saturday lunch: bring it! We will probably arrive at the Punchbowl around lunchtime and eat there.

- The Devil's Punchbowl will also be a long stop to hike/explore. You should probably bring some sort of lock (we'll have a few, but no guarantees we'll have enough to secure everyone). You may want to bring adtl. footwear you don't mind getting wet, as there are some fun places to explore down along the water (the "punch"?) that runs through the Punchbowl.

- From there, we will ride to a relatively nearby campground to spend the night. We will be making pizza at camp! Bring your preferred toppings. We'll try to make enough for all, but given that we can't know exactly how many people will be there, you should also bring some food for dinner as well.

- Bring camping gear! The camp is at the base of a mountain, relatively near a stream, and may be a bit chilly. There were also quite a few bugs when it was scouted recently, so you may want to opt for an enclosure rather than sleeping out in the open (but, you know, that's up to you). There are primitive toilets at camp but no showers or anything.

Sunday —

- We'll be bringing some food to make breakfast for the group. Again, it may not be quite enough to fully feed everyone, so you should bring some food yourself too (especially true if you have dietary restrictions: vegan, gluten-free, etc.).

- We'll break down camp and load our gear into the support vehicle.

- Then we climb: First, we have a reasonably gradual climb on pavement, then a somewhat steeper dirt road that may involve some walking. Then we hit the 2 and have more climbing to do, but paved again and not too steep. It may be quite a bit cooler at the top, so bring layers.

- You'll want to bring food/snacks for lunch after the climb.

- Then a looooong (mostly) downhill to Azusa! Make sure your brakes are in good shape.

- We'll take the Gold Line to Union Station and meet the support vehicle with our gear there (or possibly nearby)

- Hard to say when exactly we'll get back to Union Station, but maybe around 3 or 4?

YOU SHOULD BRING:

- Bring lots of water/electrolytes. Very important! We'll have some in the support vehicles to refill at the Punchbowl and camp, but there are almost no water stops anywhere along the way. You'll want to have plenty to begin with and plenty of carrying capacity.

- Bring food for Saturday and Sunday lunches, toppings for pizza, and some extra food to accompany communal dinner/breakfast.

- Bring sunscreen (70+ miles of no shade whatsoever).

- Bring lights. We probably won't be riding in the dark, but we'll definitely at least be camping in the dark.

- Bring layers. May be cold at night. Probably will be cold at the peak.

- Bring a bike that has gears. You will want gears. And good brakes. Super skinny tires are a bad idea (that being said, the route is 90+% paved so super wide tires are also a pretty bad idea).

*** Again, please fill out our interest list so we can get an idea of how many people to expect: https://forms.gle/y5VDMQGTurGjPLKSA