Monday Afternoon Over-the-Hill

I hadn't been over to the coast since last December. Two years ago I
wasn't quite so busy with work and I could ride over 84 to San
Gregorio once or twice a week, just a little afternoon getaway. I
live in the East Bay and in July I can wait for 3:00 for the commute
lane across the Dumbarton bridge to open, I can get over to the coast
and back across the Dumbarton before dark. This year I'm busier so I
can't always just go on the spur of the minute, I have to plan it in
advance, and I never think to do that. But I miss it, especially with
the weather getting so nice.

I took most of Friday off for a ride. I had a couple of deliveries
down in San Jose (and, luckily, the work I do is easily delivered on a
motorcycle). So after I dropped them off I continued south on 880/17
to Santa Cruz. I had meant to stop for a coffee there (at Peets on
the Pacific Ave. mall) but the weather was so beautiful and I didn't
want to stop. So I went right through town to Hwy 1 and up 1 to
Pescadero.

One of my favorite rides is Pescadero Road up going up the hill from
Pescadero. It starts out with gentle curves, then you go up the hill
and the curves get progressively tighter. This gets me all warmed up
and into a sort of 'zone' by the time I'm in the tight curves, I'm
swooping into corners like I was on my own wheels. I am the bike.
The bike is me. -All- the roads up the hill from either side do
this, but this one is my favorite. And just as an added inducement,
they put fresh blacktop on the whole road just last year (or the year
before that. I lose track.) My bike's tires are almost new and the
effect is very nice.

You pass a few 'estates' (big homes with land), then you go into this
beautiful, dark redwood forest. Through the tiny hamlet of Loma Mar,
then more beautiful forest and sweet curves. At one point there are
three gentle hairpins all in a row. At the top of the hill you break
out into open country. I think there must have been a forest fire at
some point that cleared out a lot of trees and left grassy meadows.
(Anybody know?) It's not ugly, just a nice change. And then you
start going down the eastern slope and you're deep in the forest
again. A short crossover takes you back to 84 just west of La Honda,
and then you get the nicest part of 84 back to Alice's. I'm enjoying
just remembering it.

I stopped at Skywood Trading Post for a coffee. The coffee out of
that little automatic machine is really bad, but it's a nice place to
stop for a rest in the hills before going back down to the real world.
I usually don't see more than one bike there on weekdays but now there
were three or four. And while we stood there talking, a group of
sportbikes descended on us like a swarm of bees. They parked all
clustered all around my 1978 BMW, making it look like a vintage bike
(and the kids on the sportbikes make -me- look 'vintage' too). Anyway
I was surprised how many bikes were there on a weekday. Could the
economy already be that dead? 8^O

While I was at Skywood, a firetruck pulled up, then a Hwy Patrol car,
then a LEO on a bike. They had found a wrecked bike down 35 towards
Saratoga, maybe half a mile, but couldn't find the rider. They
thought he might have walked back this way to use the phone at Alices
or something. Nobody had seen him. Anybody know?

I left San Jose about 3:00 and I got home across the Dumbarton before
dark! About 120 miles from home to home. Nice way to spend an
afternoon!