In Search Of…

Two notes to keep in mind:

1. We’re going to ride on the coast and inland, and at altitudes ranging from sea level to 4,000 feet. There WILL be fog in the morning, and it WILL be hot as we move inland, so dress in layers.

After motoring down I-280 to Highway 92, the ride truly starts on Skyline Road, aka Highway 35. We’ve all ridden this road about a million times, but it’s so good it never really gets old. Twenty-three miles of winding road later, we’ll arrive in Woodside for a QUICK – did I say quick? Yes, I did! – stop at the Skylonda Market to use the Porta-potties, which aren’t too disgusting.

Back on the road, we’ll continue south on Highway 35 to Highway 9, where we’ll make a left turn and head west toward Big Basin. There’s a big ’ol sign pointing the way; you can’t miss it. Well, you can, but you’d have to be trying really hard to.

Highway 9 is a fantastic stretch of road – how can it not be, with that “winding road – 26 miles” sign there at the beginning – that takes us through Castle Rock State Park. Great curves that aren’t too tight make it easy to fall into a nice rhythm.

We’ll take Highway 9 to Highway 238, where there’s a sign pointing the way to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The road gets a little narrower and a little rougher, but it’s a lot of fun and you can’t beat the scenery – we’ll be riding through a redwood forest. You’ll undoubtedly come upon traffic headed into the park, but the drivers are generally polite and easy to pass. A word of warning – slow down for the “children and deer crossing” signs, because there’s often a ranger around. How do the deer know to cross at the signs, anyway?

About 9 miles out of the park is Boulder Creek, where we’ll stop at American Gas. Anyone with a smallish gas tank (Ducatis…) will definitely want to top off here. Grab a snack if you think you might get hungry later, because we’re still about 80 miles from lunch near New Almaden.

Make a left out of American Gas onto Highway 9; two blocks or so later make a right onto Bear Creek Road. This is a fantastic stretch of road, with more twists and turns than a Russian novel. Check it out at Google Maps -- http://maps.google.com/maps?tab=wl . You’re probably going to come hot out of a curve after 10 miles or so and see a left turn – for Skyline/Highway 35. Ignore it. Stay on Bear Creek Road until it crosses Highway 17. Go over Highway 17 and make a right on the frontage road, which becomes Old Santa Cruz Highway. They’ve just repaved several sections of this road, and it is SWEET.

Old Santa Cruz Highway ends at Summit Road, where we’ll turn left/south. Summit becomes Highland Way, which is a nice stretch of road that takes us to Eureka Canyon Road. You will see several signs warning you that the road is closed – ignore them. It’s not really closed, it’s just washed out – but there’s plenty of room for motorcycles to pass. Trust us on this. Eureka Canyon Road is narrow and rough, but we’ve ridden rougher roads – the road to the Lost Coast comes to mind. Watch your speed and be careful and you’ll be fine. The road skirts the edge of Forest of the Nisene Marks State Park, which is stunningly beautiful.

Eureka Canyon Road ends in the tiny town of Corralitos and the Corralitos Market and Sausage Company. We can make a quick stop here for something to drink and a snack, and there’s a reasonably clean Porta-Potty across the street in the town “square.”

We take Brown’s Valley Road out of Corralitos; it takes us through an agricultural valley of vineyards and becomes Carlton Road, which passes through strawberry fields before intersecting Hecker Pass Road/Highway 152 just west of Watsonville. We’ll stop here for gas before heading east on Highway 152 to the summit of Hecker Pass. It’s a nice road with lots of high-speed curves, but traffic can be a bit thick and passing tough. Be careful. When Tramp and I scouted the ride, the Mt. Madonna Inn at the summit was closed.

Go down the other side of Hecker Pass to Watsonville Road, where we’ll make a left/go north. This is a nice high-speed stretch of road with little traffic. Go left/west on Uvas Road for more high-speed riding past Chesbro Reservoir City Park and Callero Reservoir. Uvas Road ends at Harry Road; make a right on Harry and then a left onto Almaden Expressway. Yeah, I know – suburban thoroughfares suck. But we’ve gotta take Almaden to Camden Avenue, where we’ll have lunch at Almaden Center. There’s Mountain Mike’s Pizza, ToGo’s, a good taco joint and even a Baskin-Robbins. If anyone needs gas, there’s a station on the corner, and Ace Hardware if anything’s fallen off someone’s bike.

After lunch, we’ve got a little more suburban hell to endure as we head out of town on Camden Avenue and Hicks Road. Take a right from Hicks to Shannon and follow that through Los Gatos, where we take a right on Saratoga/Los Gatos Road. Follow that to Big Basin Way / Highway 9 in the town of Saratoga and go left. Watch your speed through Saratoga – cops there get bored because, let’s face it, it’s Saratoga – but once you’re clear of town you’ve got the best section of Highway 9 ahead of you.

It would be difficult to overstate just how sweet this section of Highway 9 is. Tight curves but not too tight, and smooth pavement make it one of the best stretches of asphalt in the Bay Area. Have a ball as you reach Motorcycling Nirvana on your way to the summit, where you’ll go right/north on Highway 35. Take 35 back to Woodside where we’ll stop at Alice’s for coffee and pie before heading home.