July Rides in Bonita

Amy, Leah, Laura and the couch on Proctor Valley Rd.

In July we tried something new, and opened up LUNA Chix rides down in the South Bay. I was really excited and spent quite a bit of time mapping out the route and asking advice of the local riders.

Leah

Armed with a route I thought looked interesting, challenging, but not overwhelming, I met the other girls at Donny's Cafe at 7:45am for our ride. My husband came with us, which made us a group of four: Leah, my partner in crime and fellow LUNA Chix rider, Amy, our intrepid rider, and the most patient man on the planet, my husband Steve.

Steve, Leah, Amy

Here is the route we followed. About that loop you see around the CA-125... I was looking for the continuation of Proctor Valley Road, but not really intending to go back towards the west. I was trying to connect with Hunte Parkway to get us to out the the reservoir so we could have a scenic ride. Well, we got a scenic ride, alright.


I had us turn right onto Proctor Valley road, which looped us back west. We were already down the hill when we hit the gravel road. I turned to Leah and Amy.

"So, have you ever ridden your road bike on gravel before?" I ask, with all the concern in voice that I would have if I were asking if they'd ever tried eating with chop sticks.

"Um, like, on purpose?" is the response.

"It's not really difficult," I explain. "Like water running over rocks will find the best route, your front tire will try to find the best route around the gravel. Your job is to stay light on the handlebars, allow the front wheel to find the best way through as you gently guide it in the direction you want to go. Tighten up your core muscles, relax your shoulders, get in a good spinning gear, and you'll be fine."

They seemed so unfazed by the whole riding through gravel thing that I hardly gave it a second thought. We were about a quarter mile down the gravel when I noticed the couch.

"Hey! There's a couch!" I call out.

"Haha!! Hey look!" Leah says.

"Oooo!! Let's get a picture!" I exclaim, and call after my husband to please come take a photo of us with the couch. Being the most patient man on the planet, he simply smiles and waits for us to say cheese.

Amy, Leah, Laura and the couch

We continue our ride, realizing we have just made a loop and not looking forward to re-riding the hills we just struggled to get up. We decide to head back to Otay Lakes Road, then take Otay Lakes south then east, which will take us to the reservoir.

We enter Wuestse Road, winding around the lake road, and see the Olympic Training Center's Athlete Entrance. Perfect place for a photo!!

Olympic Training Center Athlete Entrance

Continuing down Wueste Road, we're appreciative of the lack of traffic, the cool breeze, and the fun, winding road.

Leah on Wueste Rd

We take a quick break at the rest area near the dam, then turn around and head back to Donny's Cafe.

Amy and Laura at the picnic area

Leah at the picnic area, "Don't take my picture!"

It was a great ride! And even though we took a slight detour down the gravel road, it turned out the adventure was kinda fun, and we got to take a picture on a coach on the middle of nowhere!

We should bring a tea set next time.

Laura: This should be a regular stop on our rides!
Leah: You think we should serve Earl Grey or Chai at this stop?
Amy: Did something inside the couch just move?