Training Ride 8/22: Deb's Ride to Pescadero

I met my friend Debra at the Park and Ride at Page Mill Rd. and Arastradero Rd, which seems to be on the border of Palo Alto and Los Gatos.  We hit the road and headed to Woodside in order to go up Kings Mountain Rd.  Debra is fitter than me and climbs more easily--climbing is not my natural state--so I am always happy when I can keep her in view and stay pretty close.  I was able to manage that this morning. The weather was cool at the start became quite nice on the way up Kings Mountain.

At the top of Kings Mountain, we took a left on Skyline and continued to the El Corte de Madera Preserve parking area for a restroom break. I can always count on Debra to have sufficient restroom stops so there is no need for peeing in the woods.  The weather had been beautiful but turned cold and damp we we moved along Skyline. Accumulated dew was falling from redwoods like rain. We both put on jackets for the down hill portion ahead on Syline and 84 (La Honda Rd). 

Cold and wet at El Corte de Madera.

The sun came out as we neared 84. It's a nice down hill on 84 for quite a few miles and then it changes to rolling hills.  The weather also changed.  As we approached San Gregorio some fog moved in and it became over cast, but not too cold, so it was time to take the jacket off for the hills coming up shortly on Stage Road.  From this direction, there were only two 400 foot hills to go over, so it was relatively easy to keep up with Debra.

Cows at a bend in Stage Road, near Pescadero.

Cows at a bend in Stage Road, near Pescadero.

We had lunch at Arcangeli's market in Pescadero. We shared a picnic table in the back with a couple of other women cyclists and chatted for a while. 

From our lunch stop, we headed up Pescadero Creek Rd.   I had never been on this road in this direction.  It was a nice, easy-going up hill until a little past Memorial Park (where we stopped for a water fill up). 

Once the going got tough (and warm), the tough got going and Debra was out of sight.  I was sweating a lot and had to stop at top of the climb to get the sweat away from my eyes; it was starting to sting. 

From that point, there was a down hill for a bit, some rolling, and then time to climb.  Debra went out of sight again..  There was too much accumulated climbing for me to continue to keep up with her at that point.  We went up 84 (La Honda Rd.) for about four miles and then turned off to finish the climb on Old La Honda.  Old La Honda is always quiet and often car-free, much more relaxing that all the traffic whizzing by on 84! We stopped for a short time to look at what Debra calls the Old La Honda Petroglyphs.  Not real petroglyphs, but someone with a sense of humor did create something inspired by.

The "petroglyphs."

Close up of one of the "petroglyphs."

Once we reached Skyline we went left to connect with 84 again and go down hill for a while. Unfortunately, before we could get all the way to Portola Valley we had to stop because the traffic was backed up and there wasn't a shoulder for us to continue around it.  We sat without moving for some time, not knowing what was going on.  The women we met at lunch were both in their cars ahead of us on the road, but had been stopped so long they made a turn across the road and spotted us as they were heading in the opposite direction.  They didn't know what happened, but offered us a ride.

We declined as they were going the opposite direction as we needed to go and I was on a bit of a deadline to get home and clean up before meeting a friend to go to a performance. After a while, people were able to drive through from the other direction.  They told us that there had been a crash.  Before too much longer, the traffic moved a bit and there was enough shoulder for us to continue around it to the front of the line.  Indeed there had been a motorcycle accident, but things were mostly cleared away but the time we reached that spot.  The police were alternating traffic through one lane and we were able to continue to Portola Valley. 

By the time we got to Portola Valley and were returning to the park and ride, my legs were very tired and I could feel every little rise in the road. I was glad that Debra said she was tired, too. 

Stats:
74.01 miles
6,432 feet of elevation gain 
only 3-4 stop signs or stop lights