Today’s ride was meant to be our typical “short” 20-mile ride, just to get some miles and time on our new bikes. We set out around noon with no particular destination in mind. We decided to head west for a change and ride through Glendora. Shortly after we left I told Jim about a place I read about called “Joe’s Place“, located in Duarte. It sounded like a bike-friendly place to stop and rest and get a bite to eat. Jim agreed to try it, but it meant riding on Huntington Drive through Azusa. <Insert scary Hitchcock music.> Now, Asuza is on my way to work. Nicknamed “The Canyon City”, I’d like to recommend a new name — something like “The City of Very Bad Drivers and Way Too Many Red Lights”. There seems to be a phenomenon that causes many of the drivers in that town — or at least along this stretch of road — to suddenly and inexplicably slow down to 10-15 mph BELOW the speed limit and drive with one arm hanging out the window and weave around in the lane as if looking for an address in the dark. Adding to that aggravation, there’s a stretch in town where the city blocks are very short and the lights at each corner always seem to be red. I knew we were in for a harrowing, aggravating ride ahead.
The ride through Glendora was pleasant as usual. Heading in to Asuza, the road conditions turned from decent to gravelly and pitted. Suddenly…… ka-BOOM!! Jim, who was about 50 feet in front of me, thought he heard a gunshot. Thank God, it was only my front tube! Upon examination we noticed that the huge hole blown through the tube was blown from the inside out — meaning, I didn’t run over anything sharp. Whew! After a quick change of the tube and a drink of water, were on the road again.
We decided to bi-pass the even more harrowing San Gabriel River bridge on which the lanes are just wide enough for a car to pass, let alone a car AND a bike, and, given that we were in Asuza… oh never mind. Suffice to say we took a detour just before the bridge and headed up the San Gabriel River bike trail.
At some point along the trail we turned left to cross a bridge. Along the bridge we stopped to take a picture through the fence, facing south. The bridge we bi-passed is in the distance.
At the end of the bridge we turned into a nice park. We made it to Duarte! After all the excitement I was famished so we stopped for a snack and water.
We left the park and turned back onto Huntington Drive and rode for a short distance to Joe’s Place. As we rode up in front, 2 guys and a gal were sitting at a table in front and gave us a warm greeting. One of them was the owner, Joe, who invited us inside and said we could take our bikes with us. Wow, what hospitality! We parked our bikes in a corner near our table .
The main room is like a homey coffee house. We immediately felt at home.
We shared a generous turkey sandwich on good whole wheat bread with cranberry sauce spread, cole slaw, pickle spear, and water. While we were eating our sandwich, Joe offered each of us a cup of their albondigas soup, on the house. YUM!!! In addition to delicious sandwiches, soups, and salads, Joe’s Place also serves coffee, espresso, and “to die for” desserts. We think Joe’s Place is going to be a regular stop on our rides… whether by bike or by car.
There’s Jim (left) with Joe (center) and Joe’s business partner Matt.
Back on the road we headed up Buena Vista to Foothill Blvd. in Duarte and rode along the trail that separates Duarte on the south from Bradbury on the north.
At the end of the trail, we rode the Asuza river trail for a while, then headed for home.
It was quite an adventure of twists and turns, surprises, and a very pleasant experience at Joe’s Place.
Total mileage: 41.8 miles
Total actual riding time: 3 hours 38 minutes
So much for that “short” 20-mile ride! 
Great write-up and pics! Keep ‘em coming!