SANTA CRUZIN' 2012!
Join us for another very enjoyable stay in Santa Cruz. Plan to arrive in Santa Cruz the evening of Wednesday, September 19, in order to ride Thursday morning. We'll depart for home with an optional brief ride on the morning of Monday, September 24.
Those of us who work honest jobs can drive down Friday night and join the rides on Saturday and Sunday. You'll enjoy many miles of coastal scenery, hills, beaches and Redwood groves.
1. Please register online. This imparts no obligation on your part, it just means you'll be kept informed of any trip plans, restaurant reservations, route descriptions, via email.
2. Book your lodging ASAP (you can always cancel). Most folks have stayed at The Comfort Inn, 110 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz. Phone # for reservations is (831) 426-2664. Mention the Petaluma Wheelmen when you call, and you should receive a reduced rate of $79 weekdays, $149 Fri/Sat. Other hotels right next door, slightly more expensive, are the Best Western and the Holiday Inn Express. For spouses and companions looking for other activities while we’re out on our bikes, the village of Capitola with many shops and restaurants is nearby. There is a pier that rents kayaks for some easy ocean trips.
The rides that are planned will have some climbing, but the beautiful scenery will be our payoff. Following are brief descriptions of our routes. There will be B and C paced rides. Each ride can range from 40 up to 60 or 70 miles, depending upon your preference. Terrain is hilly, no getting around it!
1. Gazos Creek: We meet around 20 miles north of town, at a beach parking lot opposite Gazos Creek Road. We will travel on Cloverdale Rd., Stage Rd., and up La Honda Rd. and down Pescadero Rd. to Hwy. 1. We might want to visit Pigeon Point Light House before returning to Gazos Creek. Add-on miles for if you want to take in beautiful Tunitas Creek Road.
2. Eureka Canyon: A beautiful, shady 9 mile climb up lightly traveled Eureka Road, followed by an exhilarating descent down newly repaved Old San Jose Road. Gayles Bakery is a popular stop after this ride.
3. Swanton Road: We will ride north on the Pacific Coast Highway past Davenport, turning right onto Swanton Road, an absolutely gorgeous 7-mile ride through farmland and redwoods. (You may be familiar with Swanton strawberries at the market!) With luck, we will enjoy a tailwind down Highway 1 back to the start. Optional 5-mile each way add-on to view the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo, or a substantial trip up Bonny Doon Road on the way back.
4. Mountain Charlie Loop: The basic loop is only 30-plus miles, but all of them vertical! This is a challenging but amazing and satisfying ride into the Santa Cruz Mountains around Scotts Valley. We'll be looking at add-ons for the most intrepid riders.
5. "Joe's GoodBye Ride": A sweet little 16 miler to squeeze in before check-out time. An early enough start might leave time for a breakfast at The Buttery before heading home.
