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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | APRIL 2019 15 By Clare Mendez, Resident A favorite location for bikers and hikers living at Solera is Lake Perris. Larry McGary, contact for the group, sent out the call, via email, to anyone who wanted to go on March 2. My husband and I stepped up to the challenge of circling the lake, a nine-mile loop with very slight hills. What worried me was the distance. Normally, Daniel and I pedal around Del Webb for about a mile or two and call it quits. Three months later we might take our beach cruisers out again for another similar spin. There were seven of us on this outing to Lake Perris. Bikes were loaded onto the back of two trucks and the adventure began. Already I was planning to pedal two miles and turn around. That would double my current record and I'd be quite satisfied. It's amazing what you can accomplish with encouragement from others. Ave Gordon led us along the route and helped me adjust my gears so I wouldn't be struggling so much. He also showed Daniel the proper height for his seat so he would put less strain on his knees. At three miles we rested. Daniel and I considered turning back. "Don't do it," Ave said, "There are more up hills going back. You're better off continuing in this direction and finishing the ride." Oh no! We had reached the point of no return. After a few more miles and a couple more rests we arrived at the dam. This marked the home stretch. Only a couple more miles. Larry and some of his group of more experienced bikers circled back around and rode with us for the last mile or so. At last the trucks were once again in our sights. We did it. We bicycled (on beach cruisers) around Lake Perris and it wasn't as difficult as we thought it would be thanks to good friends who encouraged us to push forward. As if completing the challenge wasn't rewarding enough, we stopped at Jolene's Country Kitchen on the way home for some refreshing milkshakes. If you want to enjoy a day hiking or biking with others, ask Larry (larrymcgary@hotmail.com) to add you to his contact list. Hiking & Biking Group By Andrea Jeric, Resident On Presidents' Day weekend a group of us traveled to the Lake Havasu 95 Speedway in Arizona for their 30th Annual Western Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Show. And what a show it was! The Western Winter Blast is a 5-day event for those in the pyrotechnics trade. It consists of seminars, workshops, and vendors. On the weekend though, it's open to the public for their aerial and ground displays. We were all awed at the spectacular fireworks, and plan to return again next year. Three couples camped at the RV park at the Blue Water Casino in Parker and one wimpy couple opted for the casino hotel (my husband and I!). We also had a chance to do some fun off-roading in the ATVs brought by Gary 1 and Gary 2. Solera Drifters RV & Camping Group Trip Alex & Andrea Jeric, David & Pam Yang, Gary Ulrich & Patricia Howard, and Carol & Gary Valdez.