Topanga Canyon Road

My regular Saturday morning riding group veered dramatically away from the normal routine this weekend. Instead of the usual 80 kilometre "out and back" on the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu, we ascended Topanga Canyon Road from the ocean up and over the Santa Monica Mountains to Encino in the Valley. It was probably the most challenging, but also the nicest, ride I have done yet in the Los Angeles area. The climb begins innocently enough, ascending on a gradual pace away from the ocean, and then suddenly a couple of miles into the climb you encounter the first of several "up and overs." About a half-mile of steep and winding grade with a sheer cliff on the side. Just as you begin to wonder why on earth you chose to spend your Saturday morning on this particular for of overzealousness, pretty views and the warm, dry smell of the canyon surround you, and you grind away! It is about this point that you really begin to feel that you have left the city behind as the canyon closes in around you. Although I am very much used to the drama and grandeur of the British Columbian forests, with their rich deep shadows cast by enormous trees, I am beginning to see the desert beauty in these dusty canyons north of Los Angeles. They have a kind of spare, minimal beauty. Like the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The separation from the city alone is worth the effort. Lots of twists and turns, and ups and downs later we reached the summit of Old Topanga Canyon Road and a nice view out over the valley below. The return trip featured a rocket descent and then a clockwise lazy right hand turn through Encino on Wells Drive, and then back into Santa Monica via Sepulveda Boulevard. All in all, the best Socal ride yet.