https://video.benmook.com/videos/watch/1289c752-5642-4912-ba0e-17e2189c09b4 http://blog.benmook.com/w6-ct-116-sierra-pelona/ Last summer I installed a new rear tire on my dual sport moto, rode it around the block once, parked it in the back yard, then promptly forgot about it over the wet winter. I’ve wanted to visit Sierra Pelona and Mt. McDill for some time, with the idea to take the mountain bike up there on a cool winter day. Well, the moto was in the back yard all sad, full of spiders, chain rusted, and had a dead battery. What better way to wake the bike up for the next season than a 100 mile round trip SOTA activation? After hosing the bike off, evicting the spiders, installing a new battery and applying copious amounts of gear oil on the chain, the ole’ DRZ was ready to go. I left my house in Echo Park and headed up Hwy 2, made a left on Angeles Forest Highway, over to Acton and up the road to Sierra Pelona. The road up was somewhat steep, but paved, which caught me by surprise. I was under the impression you needed a truck or something to get up there. At the top there is a radio installation, including a AT&T long lines tower. This isn’t where the summit is though, it’s further along the ridge, and the road isn’t paved at this point. I think a regular car would still be fine. At the summit, I looked around for a benchmark, but couldn’t find one. I setup my EFHW antenna and started working the bands, 40M, 30M, and 20M + 5 S2S. After exhausting the chasers, I packed up my gear and headed over to Mt. McDill a few miles away. https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-116 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:10:03 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.benmook.com https://video.benmook.com/lazy-static/avatars/298a662a-dfdd-4a9f-b98f-8ffd38337b70.png https://video.benmook.com/videos/watch/1289c752-5642-4912-ba0e-17e2189c09b4 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.benmook.com/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.