5 July 2008

Jamison Creek

Hwy 236 and Jamison Creek Rd I just wanted to do a relatively quick ride, so I headed up Hwy 9 to Boulder Creek, then up Hwy 236 to Jamison Creek. It was 10 when started at the bottom of Jamison Creek. At the 1.33 sign, there was still the US flag and the skunk tail remnant. There was also a strip of paper that had something printed on it stuck to the top of the sign. I was thinking that this could be the first time I did this climb without encountering any traffic, but then 2 descending motorcycles went by, and a few minutes later an ascending CDF fire pickup truck went by. From about .8 miles to the top, I was paranoid that my rear tire was going flat, as I had 2 rear flats in the last 2 months. At times, it felt fine, as when I got out of the saddle, but other times, over the bumps in the road, it seemed soft. I felt the benefit of fresh legs, especially approaching the top when I could push harder than usual. I was still breathing very hard, though. It was 10:24 when I got to the top. My tire was not flat; I was just paranoid. My time of 24:02 was a new personal best.

It was sunny on the way back down Empire Grade. At the fire station at Felton-Empire and Ice Cream Grade, there were fire trucks were out. Probably still finishing up with the Martin fire.