I'm feeling the street bike stoke today. Full of the vim and of the vigorish, that comes from a bright and temperate Indian Summer day riding Big Sur(ish).
Every time it comes up, the idea of rounding my knowledge of the trail options in/around Ventana seems shiny and buoyant. Problem has been, it fizzles in the face of my knowledglessness combined with the easy lure of the known quantity of my local loops. My local loops are only qualifying rides, though. They lack the scale and visual impact of Big Sur (or the Santa Cruz Mountains) and I am so much more heartened by the big loops available there.
This day I took it upon myself to get out of a rut by getting onto the cross bike and pointing it South with a pocket full of possibles. I also brought a map, extra tube(s), patch kit, space food, a jacket, phone, a multi-tool. And, plus a frame pump. Who knew what I might pull off on a day like today.
And it was everything for which I could hope.
No dirt (that's real hard to square in the Wilderness), but I did make it out to the end point of Palo Colorado Road and learned several things about trail passability and campsites of particular interest from the head of the USFS trail crews (out of King City), P__ B_____, who was at the trailhead with a horse-trailer wrangling volunteers clearing several sections out from Botcher's Gap. If these names strike your ear like a wake-up gong you should get at me in the Real World and we can lay some best plans type ish. I got some real interesting beta on what and where. He was a super nice guy, who as soon as I mentioned taking kids camping became excited and we sat down for 15 minutes or more, 1st with my map (a Wilderness Press, which L___y, the camp host at Botcher's says is mistaken in several instances) and, so, 2ndly with his (a USFS copy of which I have got to get a hold for future outings). We talked of many things, and I may have some brand-new plans, including volunteering for trail maintenance through Ventana Wilderness Alliance. Who's up for some adventure on the scale of "this may be a real bad idea"? Those are the ones which really pay.
41miles out-and-back. Palo Colorado Road is waaaay steeper than Nascimiento Ferguson, and climbing (and speedingly descending) through the redwoods on a single lane (as soon as you are off HWY1 it's shady and quiet) is as Good as it gets. I don't especially dig the no-loop, and the HWY1 legs are not my favorite (with the rushy rush and the tourists gawking and straining for sights of the Pacific/condors/anything but me), but it was glorious and sunny on the way there and foggy and tail winded on the way back.
I feel great!
5 comments:
your phone called me at 4:07pm.
sounded like waves. maybe cars passing?
well, i can't say you didn't call me.
You would have loved it.
i've dreamed about the palo colorado-coast road connector for some time. never attempted. gone in from both ends, never connected. since it burned a couple years ago, who knows?
j__ is in with the owners of pico blanco: granite rock. they bought it thinking they could knock off the top few hundred feet, as it's made of white marble. campout?
from there its "all downhill to the coast." dropping off the back side, toward the reservoir would be a suicide attempt.
let's do it when my dumb achilles heals (not the suicide part).
getting the itch for some coe, too...
I'm amazed L____y gave you the time of day, had he only known your tendencies towards disobeying trail rules. Dude is pretty high strung for a CG host in the middles of nowhere
_arr_ was there when _at _ailey axed me if I didn't ride in Wilderness?!?! and I told him what I tell everone who asks that: NO. That is illegal.
So he knows I know.
It is not great news that he is antsy. I was kinda hoping he might be more worldly in his views. You know- a inclusive type.
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