Mountain biking 7/25: North Sonoma Mountain Ridge

I joined John and two of his regular mountain biking pals Chris and Pete try some trails at a park none of us had visited before. Chris drove us all up to Glen Ellen where we took Sonoma Mountain Road. It is a narrow, somewhat winding road with a mix of fancy homes and farms/ranches here and there.  I've ridden my road bike up that road, but it has been a while and I had no memory of seeing the park we were headed for.

Eventually we found the sign to turn and headed down that even smaller road, part of which was gravel.  At the end was a nice trail head.  We took North Sonoma Mountain Ridge trail, having no idea what to expect except that we were going to ride to the end of the trail, about 8 miles and then turn around and come back.

The trail started by going down, which, while fun, I really dislike, because that means that at the very end I'll have to climb to get to the car.  After the intital bit going down, we started climbing.  The first part of the trail had a fair amount of hairpin turns and hikers.  It was fairly warm, but not unmanageable, in part due to plenty of shade.  I could feel all the 90 miles from earlier in the week in my legs.  I could tell I wouldn't have much power.

View from a look out point early in the ride

Resting in the shade.

After continuing on the first trail for about 2 miles we crossed the park boundary into Jack London State Historic Park. We continued on the trail, primarily climbing.  There was very little flat or down hill. We moved on to Hayfields Trail and then on to Mountain Trail, also all primarily going up.  I'm not sure which it was of these, but I stopped and had some blackberries from bushes that were growing wild.  They were good, but not much to each one.

At the boundary for the two parks. Jack London State Park lies ahead and North Sonoma Mountain behind.

 The last trail we took, Sonoma Ridge Trail, was fairly short and came to a dead end. The surrounding land was privately owned.  The terrain was mostly rolling on this trail. 

Our return had lots of down hill, which was good for me because I was getting quite tired, but it also went up, too.  We came to a steep fire road with a fair amount of loose rock and soil.  When we went down it earlier in the day, I knew it would be very hard for me to go up it.  I was right.  I didn't have enough power in my tired legs to do it and had to walk most of  the way, pushing my bike. When I got closer to the others 
(who were waiting on a bench at the top), John came down and helped me by pushing my bike up for me.  It might not seem that like would make much of a difference, but it did.   

Because we were able to go down hill for most of the return, I did okay, but did have to do a little more walking at another uphill with loose dirt and rock.  Obstacles and moving soil need a lot more power to climb than smooth, packed soil. 

I expected to see a lot of hikers again as we neared the parking lot and trailhead, but there were only a few.  We felt a nice cool breeze on the trails on the return, but out it the open areas and at the parking lot it was blowing strongly.

The climb at the end that I was dreading (even more so given how tired my legs were) turned out to be a non-issue.  The slope up was so slight as to not be a problem at all.  Thankfully.

Bikes in the truck, ready to go home.

Stats:
16.01 miles
2,876 feet of elevation gain
Map of the park:
http://www.access4bikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SonomaMtnRT-AAT.pdf

Training Ride 7/24: Three Bears

It is my training goal to get in 130 miles per week until time to leave for the bike tour down the Oregon coast.  To hit that goal this week, I made a last minute decision to do a short ride by myself; I didn't have other plans on Friday afternoon and knew I would likely  fall short otherwise.

After lunch I started riding right out my front door and headed out to do the "Three Bears."  I road through El Cerrito and Richmond to San Pablo Dam Road (SPDR).  There was a lot of traffic and some contruction on SPDR, which made some of the worst traffic conditions I've experienced on that road.  It was a relief to turn off on to Castro Ranch Road.

By the time I got to the bottom of Castro Ranch and over to Alhambra Valley Road, I could feel the temperature going up.  I was concerned that the clothing I had chosen that would be too warm, especially on the climbing, but it turned out to be about right.  I enjoyed turning on to Bear Creek Road, knowing that I wouldn't have to climb Pig Farm Hill again (yet).   

This stretch of Castro Ranch is full of all these crazy tire tracks.  A lot of people must come out here to try all the driving stunts they see in movies.  A lot of people also dump garbage on this road.  It is really a shame.

 Thanks to the folks at the cemetery who let me use their restroom so I didn't have to go in the bushes or wait through most of the climbing.

Bear Creek Road fruit stand sign.

There are "three" bears (hills) to climb on Bear Creek Road, however, because of false tops, it feels like more.  The first is mama, then baby, and last is papa.  After papa, it is all down hill back to SPDR except for the very end where there is an unpleasant little hill.  It is very short, but pretty steep.  It feels a bit unfair in that location.

I crossed SPDR and went up Wildcat Drive to get back home.  There was a pleasant breeze on Wildcat, especially above El Toyonal.  I did a quick spin around the parking circle at Inspiration Point to look at the view back toward the reservoir and then continued to Grizzly Peak where I went through Kensington to 
go home.

Inspiration Point sign.

 Stats:
31.70 miles
2,562 feet of elevation gain

Training ride 7/22: Ride around the peninsula/south bay

I met my friend Debra very early for this ride.  We don't live very close to each other and trying to find a place to ride that is a reasonable distance for us to both travel to is sometime challenging in the summer.  To beat the gnarly Bay Area commute traffic we agreed to get up and at them early, a task more challenging for me than her.  I am not a morning person.  Debra and I met at the arthritis training group rides in 2013 when we were both getting ready for the SF to LA ride.  

We were pretty successful in not getting stuck in traffic.  We met at Canada Drive and Edgewood Road in Woodside. From there we went down Canada to get to King's Mountain Road.  We went up King's Mountain.  It was nice to be on the road on a weekday with very little traffic.  Despite starting up it at about 7:30 in the morning, it was a hot and sweaty climb the while 5 miles up to Skyline Blvd.

At the top, I noticed that Skyline was some kind of weather dividing line.  Warm and sunny on one side and fog coming up the other.  We crossed it, had a brief pause to put on arm warmers, and then we went down hill. The name changes to Tunitas Creek Road on the other side of Skyline. I've always been up Tunitas Creek, never down, and have wondered what it would be like to go the other way.  Now I know.  While it was grey and cold on the way down, it was also a really fun ride.  It was 3 miles of swoopy road with almost no traffic of any kind to the Bike Hut where we regrouped. 

Chickens across from the Bike Hut.  I have never noticed them before.

My fingers were very cold at end at that point, so it was good to stop for a few minutes.  After the break, we continued to the end of the road and then went about 1.5 miles on highway 1 to Stage Road.  We turned down Stage to the town of San Gregorio and then headed up highway 84 (La Honda Road). 

We continued on La Honda until veering right on to Old La Honda Road.  I've always been down this part of Old La Honda, never up. I envisioned it being a really tough climb because of how fast you can go down, but it was only moderate, had great scenery, and no car traffic at all.  It was a treat.  

At Skyline, we turned down toward Alice's Restaurant to reconnect to highway 84, which we took to Portola Valley. In Portola Valley we stopped for lunch at Robert's Market.  From there we took Atrascadero to Foothill Expressway.  While we were pedaling toward Sand Hill Road, we noticed a tandem bike on the other side of the road that looked familiar.  It turned out to be friends of ours, Bill and Gail.  They were on their way home from a week and a half trip down northern California on their tandem.  What a coincidence to be in the same place at the same time!  They were riding all the way to their house with about another 20 miles to go, but had their sights set on a ice cream before getting there.

After seeing Bill and Gail, we continued and then went up Sand Hill Road. Sand Hill has mild climbing and a wide shoulder, which is great until you come to the part with all the freeway exits and entrances.  It can get pretty tricky in that segment.  Once past that, it is pretty much down hill all the way to Manzanita, then Mountain Home, and a return to Canada.

All that by 2:15 pm!

Time to load up to beat the traffic back home.  Unfortunately, I didn't quite beat it on 880 and 80, but it could have been worse.

Stats:
61.61 miles
5,476 feet of elevation gain (Debra loves to climb)

Mountain biking 7/20: China Camp

I joined two friends of John's, Chris and Adam, for a loop around the front side of China Camp State Park.  John mountain bikes regularly with Chris.  This was Adam's first mountain bike ride. 

It was a warm day, but it turned out to be not too hot due to a cooling breeze that came up.  I had filled my hydration pack with two trays of ice cubes, expecting HOT temperatures, but luckily it wasn't that bad.

The route we take starts at the entrance to Miwok Meadows.  That provides a good warm up before beginning climbing.  There is one main climb that covers about 2 miles.

Because it was a weekday, it was very quiet in the park.  We did happen to see two electric recumbent bikes along the way.  I've never seen bikes like that, even on the road, much less off road.

The climbing was challenging for Adam.  I could really empathize.  The first time I went to China Camp was early in my path of taking up cycling as an adult, so I was not very fit; it was also a warm day.  I had to stop over and over on the trail to rest before I could get to the top of the climb.  

After the main climbing is finished, the trail is mostly down or rolling, with a few flat spots.  

View of Peacock Gap and out to the bay from China Camp.

Stats:
9.04 miles
990 feet elevation gain (but I could swear Gamin gave me a different number in the past for the same route)

Hybrid ride 7/19: Wildcat-Tilden

It was hot and humid, so John and I didn't leave the house for this ride until about 5 pm.  We took our mountain bikes, but headed out on the road.  We followed the Ohlone Greenway multiuser trail to Key and McDonald in Richmond and then city streets over to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, about 5 miles.  There was some steep climbing at the end before entering the park. 

Once in the park, we continued on the main trail, Wildcat Creek Trail (the one that used to be a road, but has been "abandoned" for many years and is returning to nature) for a short distance to the start of the Havey Canyon trail.  Havey Canyon is a narrow trail that mostly climbs through trees and shrubs.  There are a couple of gates to go through and one stream to cross.  The entrance and exit to the steam are very steep without much room to maneuver, so we walked it.

Entrance to Havey Canyon Trail.

John closing one of the gates after we went through.

At the top of the trail, it connects to the paved Nimitz Way trail.  We took Nimitz across park boundaries into Tilden Park. Along the way we saw, cows, rabbits and various birds.  Nimitz is the trail that begins at Inspiration Point.  We exited the trail at Inspiration Point and took a right on to Wildcat Drive.  We rode a very short distance to Seaview Trail on the opposite side of the road.

View from Nimitz Way.

Seaview starts by climbing up to a ridge.  (The trail seems to change names to East Bay Skyline Regional Trail and then again to Bay Bay Ridge Trail.)  There were some good views from the ridge.  We also got a very small amount of rain.  After a while, it was starting to get dark, so we decided we better hurry up and head home.  We took Upper Big Springs Trail downhill to South Park Drive. 

View from Seaview Trail.

We got on the road and went a short way down to the intersection with Wildcat Drive.  We pulled off to the side of the road and put lights on the bikes.  We continued on Wildcat toward Grizzly Peak Blvd, then headed down Spruce and through Kensington to get home via paved roads.

Stats:
19.7 miles
1,748 feet elevation gain

Park maps:
Tilden: http://www.ebparks.org/Assets/_Nav_Categories/Parks/Maps/Tilden+map.pdf
Wildcat: http://www.ebparks.org/Assets/_Nav_Categories/Parks/Maps/Wildcat+map.pdf.pdf

Training Ride 7/15: Duncans Mills to Fort Ross

I debated about going on this Wednesday ride because of the distance to the starting point.  Duncans Mills is on highway 116 between Jenner and Guerneville.  Luckily, I was able to get a ride from Sandy.  It is good to have company on a long drive.

It was cold and windy with a hint of fog at the start.  Before we took off, some park rangers came by and asked about our route.  They said there was fog at the coast.  I was hopeful that it would burn off by the time we got there, however, it was good to be somewhere that wasn't too hot.  Many places were experiencing some pretty warm temperatures.  I rode off with both leg and arm warmers on and a jacket in my bag due to the wind.  I know I tend to over-dress, but the amount of clothes seemed reasonable given the conditions.

However, within a few miles we were on the Cazadero Highway, the sun was shining, no fog at all, and the temperature was going up.  It was a nice ride through town, but there was more traffic than I would have thought on a weekday.  

When we got to the small business area of Cazadero, many of us stopped to take a layer (or more) off.  I didn't know the route at all, so I had no idea what was coming next.  As it turned out, we were about to start climbing up Fort Ross Road, so I am glad I took off both the arm and leg warmers at that time!  

The temp continued to go up and I'm not good in the heat.  Living right on the bay, I'm used to cool summer time temps.  The start of the climb was a very steep "wall."  After about a half to 3/4 of a mile we settled into a less steep grade.  We climbed for about 5 miles before reaching the first summit.  About a half mile from the top (although I didn't know that at the time), I had to stop and take a break in the shade.  It was really warm.

Fortunately, there was very little traffic along Ft. Ross Rd.  It is much nicer to climb without cars zipping by all the time.  

From the first summit, there was some fun down hill, but the a steep climb up again for the start of the second summit.  This one also leveled off after a while.  Total climbing here was about 2 miles.  After that, there was some gently rolling hills, most of that was on Seaview Rd.  At this point we were on a ridge and started to experience the marine influence from the coast.  When we turned left on to Timber Creek Road, we got to go down hill, at times up to 18% grade.  It was a great bit, but relatively short; about 1.5 miles to highway 1.

We turned left (south) and went a short distance down the highway to the Fort Ross Store where we stopped for a lunch break.  When we sat down at the picnic tables on the back deck there were some CalTrans workers also having lunch who were surprisingly knowledgeable about the status of the Tour de France and all the racers.  It was somewhat cool and foggy.  The fog seemed to be acting like an insulator, so it wasn't that cold.  In fact, if I got out of the wind, it was surprisingly warm.  

I was feeling pretty hungry by this time, so I was happy to take a break.  I had a sandwich with me, but I got some chocolate milk at the store.  I haven't had chocolate milk in a long time and was surprised at how delicious it was.  Chocolate milk is reputed to be a great sports recovery drink.  (Why is chocolate milk a good recovery drink?  "Compared to plain milk, water, or most sports drinks, it has double the carbohydrate and protein content, perfect for replenishing tired muscles. Its high water content replaces fluids lost as sweat, preventing dehydration. Plus it packs a nutritional bonus of calcium, and includes just a little sodium and sugar — additives that help recovering athletes retain water and regain energy."  From http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/)

A group of us arrived at the store together, but other folks on this ride were somewhat spread out on the road.  Most of those took the short cut down Meyers Grade Road, bypassing Fort Ross and cutting off about 16 miles. Those of us at the store waited for our ride leader, Phil, who had been at the back staying with the riders who were feeling overly challenged by the climb.

Lunch on the deck at the Fort Ross Store.

After Phil had his lunch, we continued down highway 1 over rolling hills, a few steep, but not too bad compared to what we had been doing before lunch!  There was also some fun twisting and turning on the down sides.  Below the junction with Meyers Grade, we met up with the riders who had bypassed Fort Ross at a roadside cafe.  Looked like some good baked treats, but I was still full from lunch.

The cafe where we met the other riders.

The sun came out again as we left Jenner and turned back on to highway 116 to return to Duncans Mills.

Stats:
42.13 miles
4,083 feet elevation gain
 

Training Ride 7/11: Second Saturday Club Ride

Every second Saturday of the month (except May) the Grizzly Peak Cyclists have their all-club ride, the ASSR.  All club members and other interested parties are welcome.  There are five different groups that go varying distances and at various paces. All start together at the Orinda BART station and move at social pace along San Pablo Dam Road to Castro Ranch Road.

The Marin fountain.  I passed by here on my way to get to the BART station.

I have to admit that I've only been on the ride one other time about a year ago.  At that time, I joined the Allegreto group (65 miles), but the pace was challenging for me and I was pretty whipped at the end.  I felt slightly under-trained for that group, so I joined the Adagio group for 50 miles and a slower pace, but I did want to get in more miles, so I rode over to the BART station from home.

After regrouping at small parking lot on Castro Ranch Rd (at San Pablo Dam Rd.), we continued in our various paced groups.  My group headed over Pig Farm Hill.  Yes, Pig Farm Hill twice in one week even though I'm not a fan.  Why did I make this decision?  Honestly, it is as simple as the fact that I didn't know what the route would be since I only did this ride once.

Another hard climb up, another great ride down to Reliez Valley Road.  The sometimes open golf course on Grayson was open, so we stopped there for a break and regroup.  We made our way to Olympic Blvd and then a turn at Newell to get on to the residential streets and over to Danville Blvd.  We continued as far as Danville's downtown and stopped at Peet's for a beverage and a break.

Outside Peets.

 I have only been at this Peet's a handful of times, but every time it is full of cyclists outside and fairly quiet inside.  It was no exception today.  The bike racks were full, as were any surface a bike could be leaned against and a few unusual places as well, like in the trees and hanging from light fixtures.  We relaxed for a while in the sun, had lunch, and chatted.  We had nice moderate temperatures with a mile breeze.

One of the alternative spots bikes got parked. We returned on a similar route, but briefly took the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail and then moved on to Happy Valley Road.  I forgot how much climbing there is on that road.   We turned down Sundown and then took some residential streets back to SPDR and a short hop back to the BART station.  After that I returned home via Wildcat with Sherrie. Stats: 72.56 miles 4,241 feet of elevation gain www.grizz.org