Riding what trail there is on the Homestead Trail heading EAST from the Cottonwood and Homestead Junction

A couple of weekends ago we rode the Homestead Trail heading WEST to Overlook and turned around as the trail turns into "slick" gravel on a STEEP downhill with several switchbacks and we just didn't feel safe riding that kinda trail with our standard/non-suspension trikes!!  We decided to try to head EAST on the Homestead Trail to try to make it to the bottom of that Steep/Slick gravel trail. Well we started but riding the Cottonwood Trail north, then turned at the Junction sign with the Homestead Trail. 1st. problem, that was the LAST signage posted for the whole rest of the ride??  Then the trail turned from concrete to asphalt with big cracks and weeds but we kept riding to we ended up at the end of the trail on Templeton Gap Rd. We asked a couple of MTB riders how we could get to the rest of the Homestead Trail, the said we'd have to ride down one busy traffic road, then up another one and then, ride 2-3 miles on "DIRT, Single Track" to pick up the trail at the High Chaparral Open Space but we decided to head back to ride Cottonwood Creek Trail, South. which we did! The Homestead Trail needs Repaired badly but it was still fun to check out a new to us trail!!