11 August 2007

Pescadero, La Honda and Tunitas Creek

Lower Tunitas Creek Rd It was cloudy when I started off around 7. The club ride was starting from Pescadero at 9. The ride to the start had the type of riding that bothered my hip the most -- hammering into the wind while seated. At first, there wasn't much of a headwind. Then, it picked up a little. The wind sock to the left at the descent to Waddell was at 45 degrees. It was briefly sunny in spots, but mostly cloudy. After Año Nuevo, the headwind was mostly moderately strong. At Gazos Creek Rd, I turned off and got immediate relief from the wind as well as the smell of manure. After the ups and downs on Cloverdale gave way to the wider, flatter two-lane Cloverdale, the headwind was back, though less than before. At the end of Cloverdale, there was a stream of 5 or 6 joggers turning from Pescadero Rd onto Cloverdale. Finally, I made it to ride start.

I got signed in. There were a number of guests on the ride from San Francisco. There was also another ride taking the same route up Tunitas, and I think those riders were mostly from San Francisco. After the leader reviewed the routes, we got going along Stage. At the machine gun skeleton statue, I noticed a smaller gun-toting skeleton statue to the right for the first time. On the first climb, I took a moderate pace and went ahead on my own. On the second climb, I overtook some riders that had started earlier. It was also drizzly from the second climb all the way to San Gregorio.

I didn't go into the store at San Gregorio, since it was still pretty early. I headed out with a group, and, a little ways into the climb, went ahead with two others. There were multiple groups of cyclists descending. Next was the descent on Hwy 1, and then Tunitas. At the beginning, I dawdled a bit so that the rest could catch up. There was also a tandem doing another ride -- they had started riding at Daly City, and were headed to Foster City. After Lobitos Cutoff, one guy went ahead so I went with him for a while. Eventually, I had to drop back. The route sheet had the route going up Star Hill and Swett to Skyline, but since that wasn't brought up in the route discussions, I figured most people would continue straight up Tunitas, so I decided to do that too. And I was right. After a break at the top, we headed down to Sky Londa.

I got lunch at Alice's Restaurant, and got a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a lemonade. The route sheet then would take the route down West Old La Honda and Hwy 84, then Pescadero Rd back to Pescadero. Another option on the sheet was to go to Alpine, then down to Pescadero Rd and back to Pescadero. However, I and another guy who had ridden to the start from Boulder Creek would continue to Hwy 9, then down Hwy 9 and Hwy 236. I led the way at a tired pace. At Hwy 236, the other guy went ahead, and I let my pace get even more tired.

I took a break at the park headquarters and got a soda and ate a snack and rested in the sun. There were lots of visitors there. The headquarters had the campgrounds full sign up. After the break, I continued on 236 at a tired pace. I got to the bottom of Jamison at 3:21, and climbed it at a tired pace. The dead skunk was still on the 1.33 sign. I got to the top at 3:54, but the GPS wouldn't register, so I guess my time would be around 33 and half minutes, the first time my time got worse on this climb since my injury. Then, I took Empire Grade back home. The batteries in my GPS died around 4:45, so I had to make up a time for when I got to Bay St. 4:52 seems reasonable, and would give a time for the final descent that was a little worse than recent times.