The other issue with incorporating Bonny Doon into your "Santa Cruz" run is that there are no services between the coast and Skyline, because you're bypassing civilization (the various towns along the lower flanks of Highway 9). So you're just out there on your own, in some ways miles from nowhere, on a road that just isn't very friendly when you're not at the top of your game. On the other hand, it's nice to do something different, and the views along Empire Grade are pretty amazing, plus you get to experience the Jamison Creek descent (which is so steep you can't even approach white-knuckle speeds) and the fun climb up China Grade. Make sure your brake shoes are in good shape before descending Jamison, because you could easily lose 1/4 of their life in just one descent. If wet, it's possible that you might not even make it to the bottom before they're gone (but anyone descending Jamison Creek in the rain needs to have their head examined, if there's anything left of it after attempting the descent). Once at the bottom of Jamison Creek, you turn left on 236 and after a mile or so, right on China Grade. But before you get to China Grade, there's a golf shop/bar on the left side of the road where you can buy a coke and fill up with water. Very friendly people; today, as we were looking for a place to park our bikes, a nice woman in motorized golf cart drove up to us and suggested we just park our bikes up on the porch. We explained we were just there to get some water, which she said no problem and pointed to the ice chest/water cooler on her cart which she nicely let us fill up from! China Grade, while steep, is only a mile and a half long and completely shaded, so it's actually a much more pleasant grind that anything on Bonny Doon. Unfortunately, at the top it connects back up to 236 which is in the process of being chip-sealed (oil & gravel), making a mess of our bikes and taking all the fun out of riding that section of road. Thankfully that goes on for only a couple of miles, after which you connect to Highway 9 at Waterman Gap for the 6-mile run up to Skyline. Kevin claims he doesn't like that stretch of road, but he rides it like he owns it, attacking it pretty hard despite just recently looking like he'd be asking for a sag wagon.
The question is, would Kevin be flying up Highway 9 if not for a date with Mr. Mustard? After a long grind there's nothing quite like an ice cold coke (just $1) and/or... heaven forbid but at the time it sure tastes good... a hot dog. Yes, we had hot dogs on a bike ride, with 35 miles to go. Seems like that should be about the worst thing you could eat, but somehow, it works. I'm not suggesting you try it yourself, but when the alternative is a Clif Bar or Shot Blocks, well sure, those work, and maybe they're even better for you, but at that point in the ride, you deserve what you want. After that we had a brief stop at the nearby fire station to mix up some more Cytomax and then headed north on Skyline for the quick ride back home. You're less than two hours from Redwood City at that point, even though it seems so much further. Skyline heading north is a pretty pleasant run, maybe 45 minutes from Highway 9 to 84, with just a couple of small climbs along the way. We arrived home at 6:10pm, just a bit later than planned, and about 9 hours after we'd left. Not as fast an average speed as prior rides (14mph) but definitely a lot tougher going, and definitely needed prior to France. --Mike--]]>