Angeles Crest Highway

Date: November 15, 2008 – 1 day
Departure: 1000 Return time: 1830 Miles: 297
Riders: Tom Miller
Route: Ridgecrest - 395 – Garlock – 14- Angeles Forest Highway – Angeles Crest Highway – I-210 - I-5 – Lake Hughes – Lake Elizabeth – Johnson – Avenue L – I-14 – Garlock – 395 - Ridgecrest

Beautiful day for a ride, I thought while sitting at my desk at work. Warm for a late fall day and clear. Wish I was riding somewhere right now. Where would I go if I had the opportunity to anywhere I want I wondered? Where haven’t I been? The California map on the wall has practically all the roads within 200 miles highlighted, indicating I’ve ridden those. It’s getting to the point, I’ll need to consider overnighters to get to roads I haven’t been on yet. A little more planning than I can manage today, so back to the unanswered emails in my inbox.

A few minutes pass and the phone rings. It’s my riding buddy Tom. He wants to know if I’m going to work all day. Beautiful day for a ride, Tom says. I’m shutting down now. Give me 15 minutes to get home.

We’re off. I forgot to ask where. Heading down 395, taking the Garlock cutoff to 14 (I love this road for the 45 mph curves easily taken at 65 mph or so). South onto 14 past the 58 turn off to Tehachapi, exit Palmdale, to top off.

Tom asks if I’m ready to go get some lunch. Sure. We’re off again. Back on 14 headed south, exit 14 onto 138. So we’re taking the Pear Blossom Highway. East or west I wonder. Actually neither. We head south on the Angeles Forest Highway. That routes not highlighted on my map, I thought to myself. How does he come up with these rides to places I haven’t been to yet and where’s lunch from here?

We continued up Angeles Forest Highway until it passed Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Rd on the right and in a few minutes arrived at Angeles Crest Highway (State Highway 2). We turned left headed east. Angeles Crest Highway is a great road for bikers, sports and touring types. Sports bikes pass the touring bikes at incredible speed, so you may not get a very good look at them before they’re gone from sight. That is until you see them parked in front of a black and white with flashing lights. Angeles Crest highway is getting more attention by law enforcement these days.

Our trip was casual, very few cars or bikes on the road. We got to enjoy the twistiest virtually by ourselves. The hills, overlooks and vistas are spectacular. The back side of Mt. Baldy can be seen around nearly every bend. We passed through several wooded areas with the smell of evergreen pines among other trees with autumn color leaves of red, orange and yellow all around us.
After several miles we came to a café. Newcomb’s Ranch Café is 33 miles west of Wrightwood, 17 miles east of where we turned onto Angeles Crest from Angeles Forest Highway. Angeles Crest Highway runs from Glendale all the way to Wrightwood, then heads down to 138 (Pear Blossom Highway). Several years ago there was a landslide that closed the road east of Newcomb’s to Wrightwood. If you go to Google Earth, you can zoom in and see the extent of the damage that was caused. It will probably be a while yet before the road’s repaired and open to traffic.
Newcomb’s nearly always has a selection of motorcycles and sports cars in their parking lot. Mostly bikes though. Newcomb’s has mixed reviews online as far as food and service go. Our lunch experience was excellent for both. The pastrami was particularly good. The place looks recently remodeled. Restrooms are nice. I’d recommend it.
Back on Highway 2 headed west. The sun’s shining, there’s little wind, no traffic to speak of. How could this be better? We pass the Angeles Forest turnoff. We must be taking Angeles Crest all the way to Glendale. Now that’s better. The road winds out in front of us, left, right, wide turns and narrow turns, rarely needing brakes. I can easily tell when Tom accelerates or decelerates by his exhaust. Some say it’s loud. When I hear it I know what to expect. I follow in like manner. We’re starting to see glimpses of the Los Angeles basin. It’s actually fairly clear out there. Before I’m tired of the twistiest, we’re out of them and getting on the Foothill Freeway (I-210) headed west. Now where, I wonder? Exit Foot Hill Freeway merging I-5 headed north. We must be taking I-14 back, I think. Tom pulls into the left lane passing the I-14 exit, headed up the “grapevine”. Traffic is increasing quite a bit. We exit at Lake Castaic, headed for Lake Hughes canyon. This route’s highlighted on my map. I’ve been down this road before so Tom didn’t pick a new road this time. Have not been up it I think to myself. I wonder if Tom knows that.

We take Lake Hughes up to Elizabeth Lake Drive (N2) and head east. This is another windy road passing small communities homes, parks Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth. We turn left at Johnson Rd and head north over the foot hills. We must be going to “the shop” (Antelope Valley Harley). I love going to the shop, the new bikes, the familiar faces, the smell of leather. My wife on the other hand, has a different perspective. She’d rather be about anyplace else. This can be a dangerous place if you brought the right plastic, the kind that has a high balance remaining. Tom shows me all the latest bikes and newest features. The new rocker has a foldaway pillion seat. Check out the Screaming Eagle Softail with the springer front end. Low on the comfort factor, but maxed-out on style. We better make tracks, the plastic in my wallet is heating up.

Fire them up, head out the back way. From the front of the Antelope Valley shop, both exits feel like the back way to me. We top-off, call home to check in and hit I-14 headed north. Sun’s going down off to our left. End of another great ride. To think, I could have wasted the whole day at work. More unanswered email in my inbox, I’m sure, but it will keep for another not so nice day.


Tom Lystrup