Trail Mix - Saturday, March 16

[The Passage Announcements]

Trail Mix Again

Saturday, March 16

OC Metrolink from Union Station departs at 8:40am
Ride starts at Fullerton station at ~9:15am

Yes, let's try this again, again...

Heard from Nathan that he unfortunately will not be able to make it into town on Saturday to lead this month's Completism after all. 

So, while I swapped out this route for another last week — since a key trail was closed due to rain — I'm still in the mood to do some more day riding (and trying to get in a bit better shape in advance of doing route #400 on Completism next month, which is still the plan). The weather report is looking good. Let's give this one another go.

I know this is sort of short notice, but hopefully y'all can make it!

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The details:

- Approx. 40 miles, much of it off-road. Includes one long climb, as well as some smaller ups and downs.

- The original route ended in Anaheim, but please note that I am once again going to use the updated route from last time, which ends back in Fullerton instead. To repeat, the ride will start AND end at Fullerton Station.

- Arrive at the train in the morning with a ticket in hand. The Metrolink app is pretty convenient, but there are ticket machines at Union Station too. Buy a weekend day pass for $10. We're taking the Orange County line.

- We will stop for lunch at a restaurant. The particular strip mall has pretty limited options (we've stopped at a Mexican place both prior times we've done the route); vegetarians should be okay, but any vegans might want to plan to bring their own meal.

- I doubt we'll make the 3pm train back (especially since I am still in fairly bad shape and will be moving extra slowly). Likely we will return on the 7pm train, getting back to Union Station at ~7:40. We may have extra time to stop for a little food too before returning.

- It's a long day, yes, but will be worth it. Given all the recent rain, it is likely to once again be lovely and green.

- Bring water and snacks. Bring sunscreen. Bring lights. And I cannot stress this enough, bring plenty of layers of clothing. It might be chilly in the morning and will almost certainly be so after the sun sets.

- - - - -

This was the original ride description when we did this route in January 2015:

Almonds or cashews? M&Ms or chocolate chips? Cranberries or raspberries? Wasabi peas? Or maybe just good old raisins and peanuts? So many snack choices when you're out on a trail! A dozen donuts makes a nifty repast. But, despite all evidence to the contrary (the picnics, the homemade bread, the donuts), The Passage is not in fact a culinary society. No, we are an exploratory bike ride. So the "trail mix" in question is actually, you know, a mix of trails. 

Who said we can't be clear, straightforward, to the point?

And what a mix of trails we have for you this week. Foot trails? We got 'em. Horse trails? Check. Use trails? Yep. Bike trails? Natch. Indeed, around three fourths of the ride is on one form of trail or another -- two thirds of that (half overall) unpaved. Trails: we will be on them, and a mixture thereof.

So we guess the thing you need to ask yourself is not so much "Can I do this ride?" but "Do I WANT to do this ride?" If you tend to wish we'd just get on a road already, enough with the dirt and the rocks and the bumps and the nonsense -- your wrists and your 700x23s both conjuring up mental sad-face emojis -- then you probably want to sit this one out. If, however, you can't get enough of the off-roading (and have a bike that can't get enough of the off-roading), well, you're golden. You'll be treated to a variety of surfaces in a variety of settings, and some truly spectacular views. Yum!