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Main Divide Road - Cleveland National Forest - Orange County, CA Beautiful day for a ride in the dirt. After having knee surgery earlier this year, I've been doing some short conditioning day rides like this. Rode Main Divide this past weekend from hwy-74 going north. Didn't initially intend to go all the way through, till I got past the halfway point and things were working really well for me. Road was in good shape, scenery and temperature was great, and the knee was holding up really well. At the top of Santiago Peak the clouds were low and it was really pretty. Was all going well, till I got to the north end and the gate was locked. This is about when the thunderstorm started to show its teeth. High tailed it back the other way to try and beat as much rain as I could. Then it just started dumping... It wasn't more than a few minutes and the trail became a river in many places. I was cursing myself for potentially getting in over my head, when I turned a corner and found two fellow riders seeking shelter beneath an oak tree. After telling them the gates were locked to the north, and chatting about the quickest way off the mountain, we decided to head to Indian Truck Trail together. Stopped to get this shot at the top before heading down to the north gate. No rush at this point since I wasn't expecting it to be locked. Made it out safe and sound, even if soaked to the bone... at least it was a warm rain. There were some pretty gnarly hill climbs in the rain, and the trail was pretty flooded in some sections. Thankful to have run into those two, it made the next couple hours of riding through the rain much better. Wish I'd gotten their names though... Didn't drop the bike at all so overall I'd say it was a great day!! Definitely will be checking for locked gates online before heading out around inclement weather, I learned my lesson.

Wish they would just put up a dirt mound or dig a hole that moto's and ATV's can get through but eat a Prius.

Whats the deal with locked gates everywhere in California? I was born and raised in Redding Ca. There were tons of trails and roads and now they are all locked.

thanks to this ride review, I spent some time looking at Penticton B.C. That is a great looking area. I think I will put it down as a potential stop on my proposed 2016 Inuvik ride. Got to love those river valley photos. Well done Bruce.