# Trip Report - Riding home from Noble Canyon (pic heavy)



## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

This past weekend Barcy (Scott Forty G) and I started out on an adventure. I had done some shorter overnighters as prep/gear testing but this would be the first long bikepack for each of us. We met at my place in Mission valley (San Diego) and drove out to Mt Laguna, parking at Penny Pines. We would be riding back to San Diego, the ultimate destination being the beach, as well as beers at Pizza Port in Ocean Beach. I would ride home from there.










Climbing wasn't as much a problem except on steep pitches.

















Pic by Barcy

Descending was more an issue with bike handling due to the weight, and our inability to lower seats very far. Line selection became critical, and speeds were much slower than normal. I wouldn't say descending Noble was as much fun as normal but it was more about the stoke of being able to descend a technical trail with all our gear, sort of like cheating death if you will.









When you increase the weight you'll find that more things go wrong. Barcy discovers his hub is loose and must re-tighten









Wildlife was out, but not as much as I would hope for an evening ride









We descend lower Noble without incident. Barney Rubble was tough. Barcy cleaned it, I had a dab.









We were starting to get the hang of riding with full load








Pic by Barcy

I cleaned this part of the tech climb but not the far side of the canyon, not that I normally clean that regularly anyways...









Yucca in bloom









Entrance to Stairway to Hell









Doing well on upper Stairway. Neither of us would clean it.... but we did a lot better than I expected









Reaching Pine Valley we crossed I-8 and got onto the Bear Valley Rd. 









We missed a turnoff for the route I had planned. I'm not sure it even exists as my topo map could be out of date - we saw no sign of any trail turning off. The result was an extra 1.5mi with some extra climbing.









Extra climbing leads to extra descent, so not all was lost








Pic by Barcy










We eventually hook up with the intended route. Either way, it was to be a lot of fire road over from Pine Valley to Corral Canyon.









Eventually Kernan Cycle Trail splits off from the road. 









It is ATV-width moto trail more like other trails at Corral, but still a thrill as dusk approaches









We did not quite reach our goal for the night as I was hoping to get in one more climb, but it would not be a big deal in the scheme of things. We set up camp and enjoy a refreshment to end the day.


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

We woke up at a reasonable time for day 2. Plan was to be rolling by 730, but cool temps and condensation delayed our getting packed up dry and ready to go. I think we were about 1/2 hr later than plan and soon headed over to conquer the obstacle that had kept us from moving on up the hill the night before.

In the dark we weren't able to tell how deep or mushy this crossing would be, so with limited clothing we opted to leave this crossing for morning. Maybe not a bad move, but I would have preferred to be at top of the saddle for morning sunrise and to start the day with a descent. Instead, we started the day off with a water crossing and a steep climb. Was deep enough to get feet wet, I changed into flip flops to be safe.









We rode a surprising amount of Espinosa Trail. Some was HAB, but I have always HAB'd some of Espinosa. It gets steep toward the end and is a relentless climb.









Flowy bit








Pic by Barcy

Crossing Los Pinos Road we had nice views. Espinosa turns into fire road at that point and descends down to Corte Madera Rd









We turn south from there to Skye Valley Rd and then north on Lyons Valley Rd. Plans to approach Lawson Peak from the north are thwarted by private property









So we approach via Carveacre Rd which is a mean HAB up to the saddle. 









Some offroaders at the Saddle tell us my intended route down (Wisecarver Rd) is gated and blocked by private property, not passable. Glad to find that out without dropping all the way down and then having to climb back out.








Pic by Barcy

We bail on any thought to bushwack to Lawson peak which would be an additional 90min scramble in mid day heat








Pic by Barcy

Instead, we head back down Carveacre Rd to Lyons Valley Rd, to Honey Springs Rd, to the back side nasty climb up Honey Springs Truck Trail into Hollenbeck Canyon. 








Pic by Barcy

We had Hollenbeck to ourselves aside from one Gator and four friendly equestrians.









From the top of the fire road into Hollenbeck it was all downhill singletrack to Hwy 94.








Pic by Barcy

All downhill except for one or two little rises

















Pic by Barcy



















And another short climb 









Hollenbeck was beautiful with a bit of green to contrast the grasses. 








Pic by Barcy

Hollenbeck trailhead









After a bit of pavement we connected onto a nearby dirt road for a few miles









A bit of bushwacking led us back to the road.









We stopped there at a store for re-fuelling and managed to poach a swimming pool at the adjacent campground. In all fairness, Barcy asked permission from some lady riding a golf cart. Its possible she was just a camper, but looked legit enough as far as we were concerned...








Pic by Barcy

Refreshed, it was on to Otay Reservoir. There is the option next to Otay Lakes Rd of taking the California Hiking and Riding Trail, but it is in reportedly poor condition (rocky and overgrown) so we gave it a pass. Somewhat of a bummer, I would think the South bay guys would be all over fixing this trail up as it would be a killer connection from Otay to Hollenbeck. 

















Pic by Barcy

On to Otay, we skirt the eastern side of Lower and then Upper Otay Reservoirs


















Our destination for the night is the lower hill on the left









We stop in Eastlake at Albertsons to fill up on water and grab some provisions (beers) for the night ahead. With an hour to spare before sunset we head up Rockhouse.








Pic by Barcy

The climb up Rockhouse wasn't as bad as I imagined. I cleaned the first tough switchback at the bottom. Walked some steeper parts but not that much...









A little late for final sunrise at the top but we still manage to catch some epic light on the way up









At the summit, priorities started with capturing the moment, then opening the beer, then setting up camp









View from the top was excellent









My soda can alcohol stove performed flawlessly









I was a little surprised there were no night riders up there, but I guess on a Saturday everyone gets there rides in during the day. No matter, we enjoyed a perfect evening up on the mountain with awesome views and great beverages.


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

...Too many beverages, as it turned out...Wakeup seemed to come early. I was up in time to get some shots of pre-sunrise. While there was not the heavy marine layer that would have made it spectacular at sunrise, it was awesome all the same.










Sun rising









Views were incredible as the sun rose









Our friend Gil rode up in the morning to meet us. Recounting the prior night's ride...








Pic by Barcy

He showed up far before we were ready to leave, so he rode down to meet billy without us









I think we rode out around 830 or so








Pic by Barcy

Descent off rockhouse was a blast









We descended to Sweetwater Reservoir, then crossed Bonita to the Performance shop. From there we turned south and climbed up Cemetary









We crossed a couple inner canyons towards H Street









And picked up a New to me trail on the south side of H street that took us towards I-805









You never know what you'll get with canyon trails but this one was pretty good








Pic by Barcy

From there we had a 3 mi pavement ride south to Otay Valley Regional Park. I continued due west across the Park to Silver Strand


















It took me across to the bike path for Bayshore Bikeway, a path that is to run around the whole length of San Diego Bay. I picked up the Bikeway and followed it up the Silver Strand to Coronado









Coronado is incredibly scenic. While there was some dirt up the Strand next to the paved path it didn't bother me much that the rest of the way was paved









Ride into Coronado was awesome.









A short ride across took me to the ferry terminal where I was just in time to catch the 2:30 ferry. First view across was the USS Carl Vinson at North Island Naval Stn.









Nice view of the bay was next, including Coronado Bridge









Welcome Home? Thanks! (USS Midway Museum)









Nice view of the bay









From downtown I followed bike paths around to Point Loma where I picked up some bonus singletrack next to Canon St, climbing over to Sunset Cliffs









Once at Sunset Cliffs I explored a bunch of short trails and enjoyed the view of the water









Some challenging trail led back to the Ocean Beach Pier where I got back on to pavement for a little over to Dog Beach









Always a favorite









The bike survives! (barely, the v-brakes had worn deeply into the back rim which seems to be cracked)









Proof of arrival









Lots of folks playing in the waves









After a couple beers and some pizza at Pizza Port I had a bit of a spin back home on the bike path









Of course I couldn't resist a slight detour to Tecolote Canyon where I was able to pick up an additional mile of singletrack. I helped maintain this one, so it was extra cool being able to incorporate it into this ride









The most refreshing of beverages waiting for me at the end of the ride. 









This trip has got me more stoked on riding than any trip I've done lately. All I have been thinking about lately is how I can turn any ride or trip into a bike pack. Seems like the possibilities are endless... Gooseberry, Tahoe, anywhere in AZ, you name it you could put an epic loop together.

Stats were: 127mi total over 3 days with 10,400ft climbing and 15,600 descent. 1st day was 24mi, 2nd was 51mi, 3rd was 52mi.

I was interested to see totals by surface type since I wanted to maximise dirt:

40mi singletrack
23mi fire road
37mi pavement. Aside from two long stretches most sections were short, didn't seem like 37mi.
8mi dirt path (6-8ft wide smooth DG paths the cities in SoCal like to call "trails")
17mi paved bike path
2mi ferry ride from Coronado to downtown

It should be possible to tweak the route to add more ST and fire road, and eliminate some pavement. Regardless, it was a fun route that took us on some back roads we would never have seen otherwise. Very cool to explore your back yard this way!


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## SHNIPE (Jun 14, 2006)

Simply awesome! I didnt take nearly enough pics on my last outing. You did a great job.


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## squidward (Apr 16, 2008)

Great pictures! Nice way to piece together some trails.I'am always having to much fun to take pictures.


Dave


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## intheways (Apr 19, 2004)

Thanks for the report. I didn't know there was so much good riding around SD.

PS-Is your bike a Canfield? Looks like a cool setup


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## fleetwood (Apr 1, 2009)

Great write up. Thanks for sharing. Looks and sounds like it was an awesome ride.


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## Bill in Houston (Nov 26, 2011)

Shnipe and squidward, I have the same problem with not taking enough pictures. I have set a goal for myself to take at least one picture per mile on my upcoming trip.

evdog, awesome pics, awesome trip.


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## Mr Cup (May 31, 2011)

Excellent pictures. Looks like a great time. If I get sent back to San Diego again, that's a trip I'll have to take.


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

Thanks guys!

I take lots of pics. Many people don't like to stop. Just do whatever works for you. I tend to stop for lots of quick breaks especially when there is a cool view or something that looks like it could make for a cool shot. Helps me catch my breath and I like to take in the scenery. I do this more on road trips, or rides with great scenery or lots of features. I go through my pics every so often and it keeps me stoked on riding and going out to check out new areas.



intheways said:


> Thanks for the report. I didn't know there was so much good riding around SD.
> 
> PS-Is your bike a Canfield? Looks like a cool setup


Its a 1992 Rocky Mtn Stratos. Recently revived for bikepacking. There is some cool riding in SD. A lot of the areas are small and maybe not that great on their own (I get bored easily riding the same stuff). But when you can combine them like this it is very cool.


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## SoCal-Rider (May 25, 2009)

Very cool to read and see the pics. Thanks for taking the time to post this. 

Did the planning take longer than the ride? I spend a lot of time "connecting the dots" in my local area. I can't imagine planning a trans-county ride is easy.


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

It wasn't that bad to plan this out. There were a few areas we wanted to hit (singletrack sections) which we knew already. Then it was just a matter of joining them together with as much dirt as possible. Most road options were easy to pick out on maps. The only challenge is there is lots of private property, Indian Reservations, and even ecological preserves and Wilderness that are not well marked on the maps, all of which have access issues. We got turned around twice near Lawsons Peak and had to do some additional pavement miles due to private property (road went right into some guy's back yard). Its all part of the adventure though, and before I do this trip again I have some specific areas to scout go-arounds for and to replace pavement with dirt.


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## mikedeber (May 10, 2006)

hell yeah! Nice TR


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

:thumbsup:Inspiring! Headed out tomorrow for my first solo overnight bikepacking. Stoked!


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## beagledadi (Jul 18, 2004)

Well done. Great pictures and r/r, keep'em coming :thumbsup:

Matt


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## CycleAddict (Aug 8, 2009)

This looks like it was incredibly fun. I'm truly envious. Thanks for sharing!


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## schillingsworth (Oct 23, 2009)

A little late to the party, but AWESOME writeup & pics Evan. You'll be happy to know there's a Central AZ 500 in the works....


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## drazic (Aug 19, 2012)

*five post rule*

sorry, just posting replies so that i can post a question.


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## drazic (Aug 19, 2012)

sorry, just posting replies so that i can post a question.


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## bikecycology (Apr 26, 2010)

drazic said:


> sorry, just posting replies so that i can post a question.


Ha! been there.


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## evdog (Mar 18, 2007)

freeskier46 said:


> A little late to the party, but AWESOME writeup & pics Evan. You'll be happy to know there's a Central AZ 500 in the works....


Thanks! Not sure I'm ready for 500 yet, baby steps....


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## dirtmistress (Sep 2, 2005)

Wow! What a fantastic report! Did you share that on STR? You should! they need a Ride Report boost!


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## bailout (Mar 2, 2005)

Nice! I love SD! Thanks for the stoke.


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

Pic heavy, but absolutely worth it. Thanks for the photos! They're fantastic.


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## fltplan (Dec 9, 2008)

I'm out in Julian right now, riding parts of noble tomorrow. Great write up, lots a work I know.:thumbsup:


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

Right on!!


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## RckyMtnRider (Sep 12, 2012)

WOW! That had to be an amazing ride! Great pictures!


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