Santa Cruz & Loma Prieta

Santa Cruz and Loma Prieta

Fri. 03 Sep 04

I started from Palo Alto, riding over to the coast at San Gregorio
over HWY84 where most weekday traffic goes west-to-east in the morning
and the reverse in the evening so,I though I'd take that route instead
of the others that I had been riding more often recently. The road
was practically empty and was still in cool air even though I got a
9:00 start from Palo Alto.

I kept thinking of what affect the recent motorcycle fatality had on
the "cafe racers", some of whom I see at over 100mph at times. A
couple of weeks ago, one of the best of these came around the downhill
curve below the "Red Barn", a curve that straightens into a half mile
run to the bottom of the hill. This curve, when taken with elbow and
knee on the ground is over 80mph and no doubt Benjamin Cantwell of
Mountain View was going at least that fast when he met fatally with a
pickup truck making a U-turn. The place is marked with long skid
marks, a large display of flowers and notes along with a framed
portrait of Ben. Another memorial is at Windy Hill on HWY35.

On this somber note, I descended to La Honda into the cool redwoods
and on toward the coast. I haven't tried this route during the week
but was pleasantly surprised to find practically no traffic. After
the rodeo grounds and Boysville the dry brown meadows were a stark
contrast to winter and spring when the meadows are a rich green and
the trees light green with new foliage. A red shouldered hawk was
circling overhead but there were no song birds, or at least not
singing as they do in nesting season. At the coast, a mile beyond San
Gregorio, an on-shore breeze was refreshing in these last days of
summer that are often the warmest of the year.

San Gregorio Creek wasn't flowing to the ocean in the usual sense, but
rather seeping through a large sand bar with its reduced flow at this
time of year. This forms a large lagoon in which hundreds of brown
pelicans stood as though there were something to eat there, but they
just stood there in large groups while others flew by in line
formation, inches above the waves off shore.

Although this route avoids climbing over two mile Haskins hill, it
makes up for that with three half mile climbs over the high bluffs of
the coast highway HWY1. The difference is that here the road follows
near the edge of the coast giving a great view of the sea. I met a
group of birders with spotter's scopes searching for an arctic loon
that had been reported on the water. It looked pretty hopeless but I
am often amazed what diligent birders can find.

Along here I met a man who was taking pictures of the coast and, using
a monopod, held at arms length, to take pictures of himself in front
of the landscape. Tom was a Texan transplanted to this area so I I
mentioned some sights worth seeing along the coast, like Pigeon Point
Lighthouse, Ano Nuevo Park, kite surfers at Waddell beach, the cement
plant at Davenport, and Cliff drive in Santa Cruz.

I had a brisk tailwind and cool air until Waddell Beach where the wind
abruptly died as I climbed to Big Creek Lumber Co. and later even
reversed itself after Davenport. Just the same the surf was still up
and I felt like taking a long ride. In Davenport, I noticed that the
tri-weekly cement train had already been there as I stopped for a
snack at Arro's grocery before continuing to Santa Cruz. Although
today the wind was going the wrong way but it was dying. Even in
nearly still air, the prevailing breeze was on-shore so it was
pleasantly cool.

On the way, Tom, who was apparently taking in all the scenes I had
suggested, honked as he passed me heading south. Santa Cruz was in
fine form although the surf wasn't spectacular. In spite of being
mid-week, beach volleyball was in full swing. I rode along Beach
Street past the Giant Dipper roller coaster and crossed the San
Lorenzo on the recently refurbished footbridge attached to the
railroad bridge. I dropped in on Tom Sullivan at his Amsterdam Bike
Shop in the blue and white windmill before heading south to Capitola
and Aptos.

From Aptos, I took Valencia Road inland to Day Valley road and Freedom
Blvd from which Hames Road climbs a short steep hill to Corralitos and
the sausage factory/grocery store. I tanked up and took a spare 20oz
soda pop along so I wouldn't run dry after I got to the top of Eureka
Canyon Road (1850ft) at "four corners" the junction of Eureka Canyon
Rd., Highland Way, Buzzard Lagoon Rd., and Ormsby Cutoff. I stopped
for a drink of water at one of the waterfalls on Eureka Canyon before
I turned up Ormsby Cutoff, now known as Ormsby Trail and paved about
half way to the top at Summit Road.

Ormsby gives a beautiful view to Watsonville in the Pajaro Valley and
Monterey in the back drop at the tip of the Santa Lucia mountains.
Vegetation on this dry slope is mostly brush, manzanita, and digger
pines. I was passed by one pickup truck and no one gave me the "git
offa my land" routine even though there are threatening signs at the
lower end of the road where there is a permanently open gate, open by
law after the claim to a private road was tested in court. There was
no longer a gate at Summit Road (2860ft).

The ride along Summit Road is an up and down event with great views to
the coast and the Santa Clara Valley below the ridge. I met only one
pickup truck on Summit. I found the air pleasantly cool compared to
what it was in the valley, as I reached the junction with Loma Prieta
Avenue and headed up the "dirty bump" that we named years ago for its
steep and loose surface, a challenge to ride. Since then, because
even cars had trouble climbing it, the hardest part is paved, it being
access for people who live beyond there on Loma Chiquita road on the
east side of the ridge.

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I took Loma Ridge Road (3363ft) around the base of Loma Prieta Peak
(3808ft), stopping at the spring to refill my bottle before traveling
this road that has locked gates and practically no traffic judging
from the lack of tire tracks. The road descends half way and climbs
back up to about the same hight at Mt. Umunhum. It seems that some
road grading has taken place in the last year and that brush has been
cut back. I had ridden this road only weeks before and found it a
great scenic ride as always.

At Mt Umunhum, abut a quarter mile from the paved road, a resident has
a collection of dead motor vehicles, trailers, and other hardware
above the road. I haven't seen anyone there but I assume one of the
vehicles operates and that there is an operator. Mt Umunhum road
(3290ft), a paved road that served the Air Force station located
there, descends steeply in parts to Hicks Road (1400ft), itself an
extra steep road. It is a real brake burner and I suspect the reason
a rider recently crashed fatally near the bottom of this grade.

I did not think I could do any good by getting involved but I believe
the fatality was caused by a tire blow-off, rather than just
overshooting a curve, there being no tricky curves on this friarly
straight descent. I believe, there should be warning signs for
bicyclists planning to descend this grade because I have heard of
others who have had tire blow-offs and I recall tubular tire glue
becoming like honey casing stem failures on this hill.

I took Hicks down to Shannon and then to Los Gatos from where the ride
on SR9 to Saratoga and Homestead Road and Foothill Expy was mostly a
downhill cruise home. I guess that, once again, I missed getting too
overheated by doing my climbing on the coast side and by finishing late in
the afternoon.

140miles and 10350ft of climbing was a good distance for an adventure.
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Jobst Brandt




Jobst Brandt