February 10, 2019
Day 3 - I'll Pass on the Rain, Just Get Me to Pasadena
San Bernardino to Pasadena
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Waking up at a decent hour with an awesome sleep in the hotel things were looking good, but little did I know that a second storm (in a series of THREE) was coming later. While setting off I saw a massive traffic jam which seemed odd for a Sunday morning and it was actually cars turning into a parking lot of a megachurch. I figured why not check it out also and this would bide some time out of the rain. It turned out to be a really awesome church and the people greeting at the door were very friendly and there was good vibes all around from the people I met so it was totally worth it. But the positive morning delay didn't help with the weather as I caught the brunt of the rains which only got worse in the afternoon. It really took the fun out of touring and somehow I made it with multiple stops at various fast food joints, at least they were abundant and made for easy access.
For some of the way they had this dedicated bike path called the Pacific Electric Trail that seemed like a neat idea in theory. For a good portion I gave it a try but eventually abandoned that route because it would meet with street-level crossings every block that required stopping to press the button for the traffic lights. On occcasion the crossing was offset to the trail, meaning you had to move down to the next intersection, cross at the lights, then move back to the trail. After all these time penalties that came from the said crossings, I gave up and just biked on the road. Since it was Super Bowl Sunday the traffic was virtually nonexistent the whole way. In my opinion if there's a bike trail then it should be completely separated from the traffic but I understand that the US is a car culture just like my home country so the mere existence of a bike trail is better than none at all.
At a McDonald's stop some guy remarked on my plight and said "Why don't you get an umbrella bro? They sell them at Home Depot for 5 bucks!" He had a point but an umbrella would do no good for a bike and my lack of raingear was my own fault for not expecting rain in this normally dry area.
There was a city called Azusa that had the light rail train the rest of the way to Pasadena so it was a no brainer at that point to roll the bike on the train and finish the ride in style. I was very tempted to roll on without a ticket since there were no gates and they used the honor system just like in my home country. But there was a sign saying if caught it's a $1000 fine so I couldn't take the risk and ended up buying a TAP card which can be used all over the LA metro.
There was a nice cozy Airbnb waiting on arrival and the host complimented me on the ride as well as the international nature of my trips. Pasadena was a really cool place, and if only the weather was cooperating could enjoy it more. Besides the rain hiccup, another reason why I rerouted here was to complete the process of applying for the bank account that had been started in Vegas. Depending on how things go and of course with the weather forecast, I could be bouncing into Mexico as early as Monday night.
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 370 km (230 miles)
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