The Other Side

Last night, I took the kids for a bike ride on the Pacific Electric Bike Trail but this time going east from Rancho Cucamonga.  We did the westward ride Sunday afternoon from East Ave to Arrow Route in Upland so they wanted to do a "different" route the following day.  I previously had not gone more than a couple miles on the bike trail into Fontana but this time we rode about 7 miles to Juniper Ave.  The demographic on the bike trail east and west of the I-15 is very distinct but that doesn't bother me at all.  What bothers me is the difference in the way the two cities, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana seem to treat the bike trail.  In Rancho, it seems to be a place where families walk, jog, ride and the upkeep of the trail is excellent.  On the Fontana side, the first obvious difference is the apparent lack of planning where the street crossings are basically done at your own risk.  In addition, I was really worried about getting a flat from the numerous broken bottles and glass that littered the trail in several places.  Thankfully, our short ride concluded with no incident and as we headed home to our car, it was already dark and I was really surprised by the number of people who ride at night -- with lights on, of course.  I know it's still summer but I do wonder how many of them will be around as the weather gets colder.  It's probably safe to say the kids and I will be riding west more than we'll be riding east.