Spent the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day biking from my house in Menlo Park to my housemate Bernie’s parents’ place in Santa Cruz. Some say hunger is the best pickle, and I will not deny that it enhances a meal, but you haven’t really given thanks, I would argue, until you’ve tried hunger in conjunction with exhaustion, mild dehydration, and wind chill. All four were part of my plan, and the plan was a resounding success.
People often ask, when you say you biked to Santa Cruz from the Bay Area, which way you went, even though the answer is easy to deduce. You must not have taken the most direct route, Highway 17, because you’re still alive. No, you probably went down the coast highway, because it’s scenic, and the only other option is taking Skyline to 9, a route that climbs another 1,100 feet just after you’ve finished the 1,300 foot climb up Old La Honda Road.
Needless to say, I stuck to the coast. Well, almost. Highway 1 is a picturesque but ultimately a tiresome ride. Not because it demands much physical exertion—just the opposite, actually. “Highway 1 is boring,” said the man sitting in the windowsill at the San Gregorio General Store, and I wholeheartedly agree. Once you’ve seen a few hundred miles of it, you’re set for life.
What I’m saying is that I spent more time on the coast Thursday than I really wanted to. Next time I ride to Santa Cruz, I think I’ll avoid the coast altogether by turning left, not right, on Gazos Creek, and taking Empire Grade down past UCSC. I was moved to tears (even if it was only the wind making my eyes water) by the beauty of the farmland between San Gregorio and Pescadero, and I suspect Big Basin Redwoods State Park is worth a look, too. Here’s the way I have in mind:
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