I’m running late this morning, so just a quick note about yesterday’s ride across Warner Valley. We drove up the ‘Glass Elevator’ (the grade up Montezuma Valley Road that climbs steeply up into the mountains west of town), parked the car, and biked west across the valley for just the right distance.
It was a refreshingly different ride from any we’ve done for the last two months - much higher elevation, much greener. The ride starts at 4,200’ and then drops from there, but never below 3,000’. Broad, open rangeland, more bird life, montane vegetation. From the saddle I see an interesting assortment of bird species up here: western bluebirds, stellar jays, a sharp-shinned hawk, and even some crows.
It’s refreshing too because it’s really heating up down in the basin, with a high that breaks 80. Up here it’s almost coolish at first and even by midafternoon when we make it back to the car it’s still quite comfortable.
That’s it. Just another nice ride in the sunny south.
We leave the Raven at the top of the Glass Elevator, the long climb up from Borrego Springs. He’ll like that - ravens like lofty perches with a good view of their surroundings.
Dropping west into Warner Valley - from here, it’s a 10 mile, 1,300’ drop to the valley floor. Going the other direction, it’s also a 10 mile drop, but a steeper one - 3,500’ to Borrego Springs. Someone should really drop down that thing and report back one of these days.
Crossing Warner Valley. The high ground to the right is Palomar Mountain, and I think the rounded white speck atop the ridge straight on is Palomar Observatory.
In Warner Valley, on S-2 now - another segment of the historical stage route we’ve ridden the past few days. We’re not really in the desert any more. We haven’t ridden country like this for a couple of months now.
Not much wind to speak of as we pass the Warner Springs Glideport. A tow plane coasts home as we pass by, and the pilot gives me a wave as he pops his canopy.
From our lunch spot at the Warner Springs fire station, I’m startled to hear some crows - the first we’ve heard or seen in months. Checking their range map, I see that this is right at their boundary - they don’t make it east of the mountains into the Mojave Desert.
Recrossing the valley, on our way back to the car. The road cuts give us a good look at the surface geology here. It’s interesting country, with rolling mounds that almost look like grassy sand dunes.
Back at the Red Ocotillo, for our last outdoor meal in Borrego Springs. It’s a missed opportunity though - if we’d only ridden four miles further today we could celebrate our 3,000th mile.
