It’s been awhile since my last post, but I’m finally getting settled into the Orange County area. I’ve been out there since early December having relocated for a new job. Despite moving a few times between hotels and corporate housing. I’ve finally found a place to settle down. I’ve also been able to get some riding in and the weather is conducive to year-round riding here. Yes, it’s joy being able to ride in January in short sleeves!

Besides all of the bike paths and bike lanes in Orange County, one of the things I like are the climbs. These might seem small compared to other climbs in the area, but are huge to me coming from Chicago. In fact, there are some 4000 foot climbs within just an hour of my house. I’d thought I’d post a couple of routes I’ve used to show you some of the climbing available to us riders in the area.

This first ride shows a shorter climb up the Shady Canyon bike trail followed by a climb up Ridgeline (2397 feet in total climbing). Not bad since both are just minutes from where I live. Lots of fun at night, since there are hardly any lights on the route!

The second ride is one of the more popular routes here in Orange County. It goes through Santiago Canyon at the foothills of the Santa Ana mountains (2958 feet in total climbing). Traffic can a little wacky at times, but there also tons of motorcycles so this often turns into a mostly two-wheel road on the weekends.