26 December 2004

Start north on Bay from Meder.
Turn right onto High St.
Turn left onto path.
Turn right onto Coral St.
Turn right onto Encinal.
Turn left onto Highway 9.
Turn left onto Felton-Empire.
One hour.
Turn left onto Empire Grade.
Empire Grade becomes High St.
Turn right onto Bay.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 21 miles in about 1:45. Windy, rainy, and cold.

14 November 2004

Start north on Bay from Meder.
Turn right onto High St.
Turn left onto path.
Turn right onto Coral St.
Turn right onto Encinal.
Turn left onto Highway 9.
One hour.
Turn right onto Bear Creek Rd.
Two hours.
Turn left onto Skyline Blvd.
Three hours.
Turn left onto Highway 9.
Four hours.
Turn right onto Encinal.
Turn left onto Coral.
Turn left onto path.
Turn right onto High St.
Turn left onto Bay St.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 65 miles in about 4:50. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.

31 October 2004

Start south on Western Dr from Meder.
Turn right onto Mission St.
Turn left onto Natural Bridges Dr.
Turn left onto Delaware Ave.
Turn right onto Swanton Dr.
Turn left onto West Cliff.
West Cliff becomes Beach St.
Walk on footbridge.
Turn right onto East Cliff.
Turn left onto Seabright.
Turn right onto Murray.
Turn right onto 7th Ave.
Turn left onto East Cliff.
East Cliff becomes Portola.
Portola becomes Opal Cliff.
Turn right onto Capitola Ave.
Turn left onto Monterey.
Turn right onto Park Ave.
Turn right onto Cabrillo College Dr.
Turn right onto Soquel.
One hour.
Turn right onto Freedom Blvd.
Turn left onto Bonita.
Turn right onto San Andreas Rd.
Turn right onto Sunset Beach Rd.
Turn left onto unnamed road to Sunset Beach.
Apparent dead end at Sunset Beach.
Rather than turning back, pass through gate onto unmaintained road.
Pass through another gate back onto a maintained road, which turns out to be Shell Rd.
Turn left onto Beach St.
Turn right onto Thurwachter Rd.
Pass over Pajaro River into Monterey County.
Turn left onto Trafton Rd.
Two hours.
Turn left onto Salinas Rd.
Salinas Rd becomes Porter Dr.
Back into Santa Cruz County.
Porter Dr becomes Main St.
Turn right onto Freedom Blvd.
Turn right onto Green Valley Rd.
Turn left onto Pioneer Rd.
Turn right onto Amesti.
Amesti is closed. Turn around.
Turn right onto Varni.
Turn right onto Corralitos Rd.
Corralitos Rd becomes Eureka Canyon Rd.
Three hours.
Eureka Canyon Rd becomes Highland Way.
Four hours.
Turn left onto Skyland.
Turn right onto Miller Rd.
It descends steeply.
Turn left onto Soquel-San Jose.
Five hours.
Turn left onto Soquel.
Soquel becomes Water St.
Water St becomes Mission St.
Turn right onto Highland.
Turn left onto High St.
Turn left onto Bay St.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 79 miles in about 5:56. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.

10 October 2004

Start north on Bay Street from Meder.
Turn right onto High Street.
Turn left onto bike path paralleling Highway 1.
Turn right onto Coral Street.
Turn right onto Encinal.
Turn left onto Highway 9.
Turn right onto Glen Arbor.
Turn right onto Highway 9.
About a mile before Brookdale, I heard a popping sound. Coming around a bend, I saw two county police cars stopped on the opposite side of the road. One cop had a gun pointing down at something, another was joining him from the cars. I passed by. I think I smelled gunpowder. There was another shot a few seconds later. I'll choose to believe that they were shooting an injured deer or something.
One hour.
Turn left onto Highway 236.
Turn right onto China Grade.
At the bridge where it gets steep, I reach for my water bottle. Crap. I left the water bottle at home.
Turn left onto Highway 236.
Two hours.
Stop at Big Basin Park Headquarters and buy a bottle of water from the camp store. $2.04. The same size bottle of water cost $.95 to $1.25 at other places.
Continue on Highway 236.
Turn right onto Jamison Creek Road.
See five cars wrecked off the right side of the road. I'd noticed only two of them two weeks before.
Three hours.
It took 30-31 minutes to reach Empire Grade from Highway 236.
Turn left onto Empire Grade.
Turn right onto Ice Cream Grade.
Turn left onto Martin Road.
Turn left onto Pine Flat.
Pine Flat becomes Bonny Doon Road.
Turn left onto Highway 1.
Four hours.
Turn left onto Western Drive.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 62 miles in about 4:34. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.
I saw a fair number of cyclists on Empire Grade and Ice Cream Grade. Perhaps there was some group riding through that area at that time.

3 October 2004

Start south on Bay Street from Meder.
Turn left onto West Cliff Drive.
Turn left onto Front Street.
Turn left onto Pacific Avenue.
Turn right onto Soquel Avenue.
Turn left onto Ocean Street.
Turn right onto Water Street.
Turn left onto Market Street.
Turn right onto Goss Avenue.
Turn left onto Branciforte Avenue.
Turn left into De Laveaga Park.
Road forks at the north end of the park.
The right fork says it's a private road.
Try the left fork first. It's poorly maintained. It rises, then becomes a dirt road that goes nowhere.
Return and try the right fork. It's Old Pilkington Road, which, according to my map, should eventually lead to Branciforte Drive.
It dead ends at a private dirt road.
Try Maybee Lane. It dead ends at a gate.
Try going up Loma Alta Lane. It dead ends at a gate.
Return back out of De Laveaga.
Turn left onto De Laveaga Road.
It ends at a one way road going the opposite direction.
Turn right onto Elk Street.
Turn right onto Goss Avenue.
One hour.
Turn right onto Branciforte Drive.
Turn left onto Glen Canyon Road.
Turn right onto Mount Hermon Road.
Turn right onto Graham Hill Road.
Turn left onto East Zayante Road.
Turn right onto Quail Hollow Road.
Turn right onto Larita Drive.
Turn right onto Glen Arbor Road.
Two hours.
Turn right onto Highway 9.
Turn left onto Alba Road.
Turn left onto Empire Grade.
It took about 42-43 minutes from Highway 9 to Empire Grade.
Turn right onto Pine Flat Road.
Turn right onto Bonny Doon Road.
Three hours.
Turn right onto Pine Flat Road.
Turn left onto Smith Grade.
Turn right onto Empire Grade.
Turn right onto Bay Street.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 49 miles in about 3:58. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.

26 September 2004

Start north on Bay Street from Meder.
Turn right onto High Street.
Turn right onto Storey.
Turn left onto King.
Turn left onto Mission.
Mission becomes Water Street.
Turn left onto Market Street.
Market becomes Branciforte.
Turn right onto Mountain View.
Mountain View becomes Laurel Glen.
Turn left onto Soquel-San Jose.
One hour.
Turn left onto Morrell Cutoff.
Turn left onto Summit Road.
Turn right onto Old Santa Cruz Highway.
Turn right Aldercroft Heights.
Two hours.
Turn left onto Alma Bridge Road.
Turn right onto the dirt trail to Los Gatos.
When the sign suggests walking bikes down the hill, dismount and walk down.
Turn left onto Main Street.
Stop at the park. There seems to be some event. It looks like a band is set up for live music, but isn't on at the moment. Fill up at the water fountain.
Continue on Main Street.
Turn right onto Santa Cruz.
Turn left onto Saratoga-Los Gatos, which is Highway 9.
Turn left onto Big Basin Way, which is Highway 9.
Big Basin Way becomes Congress Springs, which is still Highway 9.
Three hours.
Stop at Saratoga Gap and buy a coke at the hot dog stand.
Continue down Highway 9.
Four hours.
Turn right onto Highway 236.
Stop at the park headquarters and fill up on water. Rest in anticipation of Jamison Creek Road.
Continue on Highway 236.
Five hours.
Turn right onto Jamison Creek Road.
The yellow volvo off the right side seems to have been turned on its side and has slid down a bit since I saw it last a month and a half ago. A little higher up, a yellowish hatchback is also wrecked down the hill off the right side of the road.
From the mile 2.58 marker to the top, it took 28-29 minutes. Estimate that the entire 3 miles of Jamison Creek Road took 32-33 minutes.
Turn left onto Empire Grade.
Six hours.
Turn right onto Bay Street.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 85 miles in about 6:45. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.

19 September 2004

Start north on Bay St from Meder.
It's cold and cloudy. The streets are wet.
Turn right onto High St.
Turn right onto Storey St.
Turn left onto King St.
Turn left onto Mission St.
Mission St becomes Water St.
Turn left onto Market St.
Market St becomes Branciforte.
It starts to drizzle. Maybe it's just coming off the trees.
Turn left onto Granite Creek Rd.
It's a definite drizzle.
Crossing over 17, it's raining.
I consider turning back.
Turn right onto Scotts Valley Dr.
Turn left onto Glenwood Dr.
The rain picks up. My shirt is soaked. My shoes are soaked.
Opposite Weston Rd, fallen tree branches block the right side of the road.
Turn left onto Mountain Charlie Rd.
I consider ways to cut the ride short.
One hour.
Climbing out of the rain.
The soaked shirt makes any wind feel cold.
I definitely decide to shorten the ride.
Turn left onto Riva Ridge Rd.
Turn right onto Hutchinson Rd.
Turn left onto Summit Rd.
There are what looks like llamas on the right opposite a Christmas tree farm.
Turn left onto Bear Creek Rd.
Turn right onto Skyline.
Two hours.
Past Black Rd, the road is dry, and the sun shines for a while.
Climbing towards Castle Rock, it gets foggy for a while.
Turn left onto Highway 9.
Three hours.
At places, the wind makes the going a bit slower.
Four hours.
It's now sunny and dry in Santa Cruz.
Turn right onto Encinal.
Turn left onto Sylvania.
Turn left onto Harvey West.
Turn right onto Coral.
Turn right onto the bike path.
Bike path ends at High St.
Continue west on High St.
The wind is blowing pretty strongly from the west.
Turn left onto Bay.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 61 miles in about 4:20. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.

12 September 2004

Start south on Western Drive from Meder.
Turn right onto Mission Street.
Looks like there's something going on. Lots of cyclists wearing numbers.
Turn left onto Natural Bridges.
Turn left onto Delaware.
Lots of runners wearing numbers too. Probably a triathlon or something like that.
Turn right onto Swanton.
Runners are using all of the road.
Turn left onto West Cliff.
Now, the runners are not on the road.
West Cliff becomes Beach Street.
Too many people crowding the bike lanes watching the cyclists wearing numbers.
Get past the event at the Boardwalk.
Walk the bike over the bridge.
Head right on East Cliff.
Turn left onto Seabright.
Turn right onto Murray.
Turn left onto Lake Ave.
Turn left onto East Cliff.
Notice Amsterdam Bike Shop for the first time. It's next to Star Bene. Never noticed it riding this way before.
Turn right onto Opal Cliff.
Turn right onto Capitola Ave.
Turn left onto Monterey.
Turn right onto Park Ave.
Turn right onto McGregor Dr.
With Highway 1 to the left, it's very noisy. New Brighton is to the right.
Turn left onto State Park Drive.
Turn right onto Soquel Drive.
Turn right onto Spreckles Drive.
Get confused when Spreckles Drive turns into something else, and turn around and turn left onto Aptos Beach Rd.
Turn left onto Rio Del Mar Blvd.
Turn right onto Sumner Avenue.
One hour.
Turn left onto Seascape Blvd.
Turn right onto San Andreas Road.
Turn left onto Beach Road.
There's something going on at the park in downtown Watsonville. It sounds like someone's giving a speech in Spanish.
Turn left onto Lincoln St.
Turn right onto Lake Ave, which is 152.
Two hours.
Turn left onto Casserly Road.
Casserly Road becomes Mt Madonna Road.
Turn left onto Hazel Dell Road.
Hazel Dell Road becomes Brown Valley Road.
Turn right onto Browns Valley Road.
Stop at Corralitos to buy a bottle of water. $.99. It was $.95 at Pescadero.
Head up Eureka Canyon Road.
Three hours.
Eureka Canyon Road becomes Highland Way.
Four hours.
Turn left onto Soquel-San Jose Road.
Stop at Casalegnos to buy a bottle of water. $1.25.
Turn right onto Laurel Glen.
Laurel Glen becomes Mountain View.
Turn left onto Branciforte.
Five hours.
Branciforte becomes Market Street.
Turn right onto Water Street.
Water Street becomes Mission Street.
Turn right onto Highland.
Turn left onto High Street.
Turn left onto Bay Street.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 80 miles in about 5:35. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.