Thursday, May 12, 2016

Tehachapi to Kernville Day 8

Mileage"  61
Total Ascent:  5817

Riding through the Tehachapi mountain range today was absolutely beautiful.  My favorite day so far.  It was a tough day but I think they all are.   We didn't have the wind today but we had knats that kept buzzing around our face.  I spent more energy swishing them away than climbing our 8 mile climb.   There were 3 climbs today and it was really hot.   I had 5 miles left to go and  I decided it was time to call it and sagged in.  I wanted to complete the day but I decided to be smart about it as there is another good day of riding.


We passed the historic marker for the Tehachapi Loop.  This loop is a .73 mile long spiral on the Union Pacific railroad line through the Tehachapi Pass.  The loop derives its name from the circuitous route it takes in which the track passes over itself.  This lessens the angle of the grade.  The railroad line connects Bakersfield to Mojave in the Antelope Valley.  I was hoping to see the loop but you could only see the marker and a small piece of the tracks.






Climbing up the one pass there was a skink which is actually a lizard.  He was in the middle of the road and a truck came along and ran over him.  I was so sorry to see that.  

Coming down one of the descents there were cows in the road.  They were so curious but moved back once we got to them.

Then we came across about 6 donkeys.  We stopped to see them and they wanted our attention.  One of the donkeys got a little jealous and wanted the attention so he started biting and kicking the other donkey. 








Here is Gail and Patty (our guide) petting the donkeys.



Lake Isabella is a resevoir in Kern County.
Its much larger than what it shows but only took one pic of it.  This was about 8 miles from our destination of Kernville.

Tomorrow is another day of 60 miles but only 3700 feet of climbing.  Should be an easy day.










No comments:

Post a Comment