Monday, August 22, 2005

How many faces does Mt. Soledad have?

Before my bike trip along the Pacific Coast Mt. Soledad was the "challenge" of a local ride. I could not, in fact, make it up to the Cross at the top. To long and too steep a climb and not enough fortitude. After all, I didn't have to get over it to get home!

After the trip though, Soledad has become a regular part of my rides during the week. having built up some hill climbing capacity I am determined not to lose it. And in fact, it is now a friendly and doable ride.

But lo and behold, Soledad has more than one way up! From the top I can count at least four different routes. Two from Pacific Beach and two from LaJolla. So now I am thinking that I should be climbing all four faces and maybe even on the same day! I have done the two face from pacific Beach and today I road down one into south Lajolla (see the Mission Bay picture).

There is one more that I can see just as I leave the monument, which I think heads to what is now called LaJolla Parkway. I will do my next descent along it to see where in LaJolla it brings me out.

I have picked up a wonder long distance bicycling book called "Medal Cowboy: Tales from the Path less pedalled" It is a delight series of stories of people this rider has encountered as he has Forrest Gumped his way around the US and the world on his bicycle.

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