130 mile bike ride.

I often spent some time during the summer in the San Joaquin Valley living with my sister Thelma. Her oldest son Donald was just 21 days younger than me. I bragged on the fact that I had been an uncle since I turned three weeks old. I enjoyed my summers in Kern County, either at Taft or Weedpatch.

One summer I was at Weedpatch and had my bicycle with me. I thought that it might be fun to ride my bike home to Pomona. The trip would be 130 miles long and involve going over the Tejon Pass. My sister Thelma gave me a ride over to Highway 99.

The elevation went from around 400 feet in Weedpatch to 3800 feet at Gorman. The summit was about 4160 feet. Gorman was in the Tejon Pass which is located where three mountain ranges come together. Gorman was the hight point on the road between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. I traveled this stretch of road many times in my life. Before and after this bike ride.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor I was at Gorman and there were US Army soldiers guarding the pass and the bridges. I remember their guns and big olive drab overcoats.

I had a single speed bike and did a lot of walking and pushing my bike during my ride. It was all up hill to Gorman. There are many wildflowers in this area.

South of Gorman is the five mile grade going south toward Castaic. The road is downhill for five miles. Five mile grade is a pretty good name for it. I really had a ride there. Passed some cars.

I rode through the San Fernando Valley and across Pasadena. Soon I was home. The ride lasted 20 hours. 6 !/2 miles per hour. It was quite a trip for a little boy and I bragged about it for years. I guess that I am still doing that.