Finds from the Grind - Full Descent from Mount Wilson

Here's the full 19 mile descent from Mount Wilson down to La Canada Flintridge. This is the companion video to the 19 mile climb. For the most part, this is why you climb two hours up a mile high mountain. Unfortunately, my inner thighs (the groin muscles to be technical) love to cramp up about 20 minutes into a descent. And I mean, full on clenching, where trying to move the leg feels like I'm literally tearing muscle away from my femur kind of painful cramping.

I've never been able to get rid of these things no matter how much hydration with electrolytes I take in, or even using the sour taste protocol to unlock the Vagus nerve. The only thing I can do is not contract my thigh all the way up into my chest as I let that muscle slowly get blood flow. This is hard on technical descents where you have to flex your legs this way just to maintain speed around curves. In those situations, I just bear with it until I have to start pedaling again, which hurts my pride as a speedy descender, but whaddyagonnado. Eventually, the cramping works itself out with prolonged pedaling in the tuck position.

Oh, one more thing. I took a picture of the "red box" at Red Box.

I don't believe this is the original red box of Red Box Canyon, but I'm sure the Haramokngna tribe have a story.