RIDGE ROUTE

Oh, dear, after yesterday's post about a Herculean effort, now you're expecting something of equal import and my story is about a little bitty glimpse I had one travel day. We've given you some idea of the landscape one traverses to go from the Los Angeles Basin to the San Joaquin Valley. The elevation is such that often when it rains, the Tejon Pass gets snow and ice and people can get stranded for hours. It's happened to me twice, once long ago when I was riding with my father and again with Mr. Bob when we had to wait for a while until we were directed to follow an escort car to a safer part of the highway.

When we've gone through that area in the spring there are always patches of wildflowers to see in the distance as though Mother Nature had brushed the hillsides with color. It's magical.

At the beginning of the climb, one can see a portion of the
California Aqueduct System. Sometimes no water is apparent, other times it's a river of bubbling foam as the water tumbles down its pathway. If you have time on your hands and any interest at all look here at some of California's water history of the precious commodity.

As one nears the end of the Ridge Route, the mountains tower hugely, probably because the drop into the valley is so sudden. As many times as we've traveled it, I am always impressed at the size of the hills as we exit. The next picture gives a feeling of relativity.

Well, the minor story I want to share with you is of one winter when we crossed the divide and were near this location. Rain had been falling, the clouds were low, but they parted briefly and I caught a glimpse of the powdered sugar snow scene at the top. It was a miniature landscape, another countryside altogether.........almost reminding me of a glimpse into a fairytale. I snapped a picture before the clouds closed, but the impression was lasting. You have to look hard, and I'll admit that  the event couldn't begin to rival the 1,760 yellow umbrellas, but in its way it was every bit as memorable.