1 January 2007

Upper Zayante Since I had the day off and it wasn't going to rain, I decided to ride. Since future opportunities to climb Jamison Creek this month could be rained out, I decided to include the climb. At first, I was thinking of going up Skyline from Bear Creek, then going down Hwy 9 and Hwy 236 through Big Basin, but then I figured the store would be closed, so I decided on a shorter route straight down Bear Creek to Boulder Creek.

Since I had just gotten my club jersey, I wore it instead of the vest I had usually been wearing, and put my camera phone in one of the pockets. It was cold and damp at first, and the wind cut right through the jersey. So, in the future, I'll wear the vest over the jersey when it's cold. Passing through the downtown area, I would see the last cyclist I would see until the last part of the ride. Some club members would be riding in the Corralitos area, nowhere near where I was riding, and lots of riders from the valley would be climbing Mt Hamilton. So, once I was in the mountains, I wouldn't see any other cyclists.

I headed up Graham Hill, which was pretty quiet. It normally has heavy traffic on weekdays. The descent to Felton was shaded and cold. I turned right at East Zayante and headed up. Just before the steep right turning switchback leading up to the Upper Ellen gate, I stopped to take a picture, fumbling a lot trying to manipulate the camera with gloves on. Although the picture looks foggy, it was a very clear day. The lens probably fogged up when sitting in my jersey pocket. The dog near the top must have been napping, since it didn't start barking until after I said, "Woof woof." After reaching the top, I continued to Bear Creek Rd and headed down to Boulder Creek. The views showed the bay completely covered with thick, white fog.


Jamison Creek Rd At Boulder Creek, I stopped and got an orangeade and ate a snack. It was warm in the sun, and I took off and stowed my gloves for the rest of the ride. When I started off along Hwy 236, it was cold and damp in the shade, so I thought about putting my gloves back on. It wasn't all that cold, so I left them off.

It was around 12:18 when I turned left onto Jamison Creek Rd. Just before the left-turning switchback marking the beginning of the steep climbing, I got out the camera phone. I was glad not to be wearing gloves then, as there wasn't room for more pictures, and I had to delete some pictures. Then, I took the first picture I've taken without stopping. It looks like the lens was still fogged up. There were trees and branches down, but all the large debris had been cleared off the road. The last half mile or so to the top, debris still carpeted most of the right side of the road, though. Around the 1.42 mile marker, I saw a deer high above me to the right runninng and jumping through the trees. With my attention drawn that direction, I noticed for the first time the remains of a wrecked car to the right and above the road. It must have slid down a long way after being driven or dumped off the right side of the road at some point above the 1.33 mile right-hand switchback that was upcoming. Since this was a shorter ride, I was stronger than usual on this climb, and picked up the pace going up the final stretch, finishing the climb in under 30 minutes at 12:48. I was also using 30/21, a gear higher than the 30/23 that I had been using for this climb the last few times.

I only stopped briefly at the top of Jamison Creek for a drink and to get my GPS to record the point, then headed up Empire Grade. It was a little cold in the shaded upper stretch. By the CYA camp/prison, a deer stood a couple of yards off the right of the road, unmoving, except for its head following me as I rolled by. The shaded straight section had signs warning of debris, but it had all been cleared off the road. Nonetheless, I proceeded with slightly more caution than usual until I passed the curve to the right without seeing anything on the road. Beyond Pine Flat, it was sunnier and warmer, which felt good.

Finally, at Chinquapin Trail, I saw two mountain bikers crossing the road from upper UCSC to Wilder. They would be the first cyclists that I would see since I was in downtown Santa Cruz. I would see a few more cyclists climbing Empire Grade in the subsequent final descent back to High St.