Montebello in the Rain

This is getting to be a habit - it was raining the last time I climbed (and descended) Montebello Road. Today the radar showed no rain for miles around, and the skies were supposed to clear before 9 a.m. Caveat: when you climb above 2500 feet on a cloudy day, you may meet the cloud. And get wet.

Having survived this climb once in the rain, I didn't have a good excuse to stay dry in a warm house instead. (I lack imagination, or common sense, or both, you say? You can think of plenty?) Well, once you're wet, you're wet; and you'll have to clean the bike later anyway. Bundle up, back off on the tire pressure, don't lean the bike aggressively, and for goodness' sake stay off the painted lines and and all metal (grates, tracks, plates, covers).

An angry horn on the road below me was a harbinger of a common species, The Aggressive Driver. Soon enough, I could hear the accelerating engine and sliding tires, and conveniently tucked myself into a driveway before The Jerk in the Black Mercedes roared past.

I am a Privileged Person in a Powerful Pricey Car, and I am Most Inconvenienced by that Road Closure down there. The Speed Limit on this curvy, slippery detour doesn't apply to Me.

Downed trees were blocking Highway 9 just south of where we'd turned, diverting unexpected traffic onto part of our route. Back on the road after The Jerk had passed, I was left to enjoy the whir of my tires and the creek splashing alongside the road. That, and gunshots reverberating through the canyon from the nearby firing range. The road climbs high enough to escape all that noise.