Sunday, September 26, 2004

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.

Sunday, September 19, 2004

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.

Sunday, September 12, 2004

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.

Thursday, September 09, 2004

8 September 2004

Start north on Western Drive from Meder.
Turn left onto High Street.
High Street becomes Empire Grade.
It's a very hot day.
One hour.
Turn right onto Jamison Creek Road.
Turn left onto Highway 236.
Two hours.
Stop at the park headquarters to fill up the water bottle.
Continue on 236.
Three hours.
Turn left onto Highway 9.
Man on a yellow bike passes me, asking how I stay cool. I say it's just hot. Soon he disappears ahead.
Turn left onto Skyline Boulevard.
Four hours.
Stop at the Saratoga Summit Fire Station. Yellow bike man is sitting by the coke machine. Get a drink from the machine. Yellow bike man has lots of interesting things to say. He clues me into the water spigot by the picnic table, and advises me to take Cloverdale, then Gazos Creek from Pescadero rather than going straight to Highway 1 on Pescadero Road. The fire truck takes off, sirens going, during this stop, and then returns. Yellow bike man heads home, off to go down Page Mill Road to Palo Alto.
Continue along Skyline Boulevard.
Turn left onto Alpine Road.
Turn left onto Pescadero Road.
Five hours.
Stop at Pescadero Nursery and Grocery for a bottle of water.
Continue on Pescadero Road.
Turn left onto Cloverdale.
Signs at Gazos Creek Road say the road is closed. Continue on Cloverdale.
The approach to the coast brings cool, damp air.
Six hours.
Turn left onto Highway 1.
25 miles to Santa Cruz.
Hit 44-45 mph at Scott Creek. Previous top speed was 34-35 mph on this ride.
Seven hours.
Heat is no longer a problem. Extremely hungry. Should have gotten food at Pescadero, or at Davenport, or at Fambrinis. About seven miles to go. Wind up coasting a lot.
Turn left onto Western Drive.
Turn right onto Meder.

About 100 miles in about 7:35. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.

Monday, September 06, 2004

6 September 2004

Leave Soquel Street Garage.
Turn right onto Soquel.
Turn right onto Pacific.
Turn left onto Locust.
Turn right onto Center.
Turn left onto Mission.
Turn right onto Highland.
Turn left onto High.
High becomes Empire Grade.
Turn left onto Smith Grade.
One hour.
Turn left onto Bonny Doon Road.
Turn left onto Highway 1.
Turn left onto Western Drive.
Turn right onto Meder.
About 25 miles in about 1:45. Bike was Trek 4000 mountain bike.
Having to work all weekend prevented my intended ride. However, never having ridden on Smith Grade before, take it as an opportunity to take a relatively short ride to check it out.