Boony Doon to Palo Alto

Bill Bushnell – Saturday, May 30, 1992

I wasn’t planning to do this ride at all. On the prior Wednesday night Western Wheelers Bicycle Club members marking routes for the Sequoia Century gathered at Andy Kirk’s house in Los Altos Hills to divide up the task of marking all four routes for the Sequoia Century. Co-worker Hy Tran and I volunteered to mark a portion of the 200k route, a 30-mile segment that runs from Pescadero to Bonny Doon. When we got to our starting point at Pescadero Rd. and Butano Cutoff, the weather was foggy, cold, and drizzly. We both wimped out and decided to mark the route by car and then do a ride in the Bonny Doon area. Maybe the weather would be warmer there, and we wouldn’t have to haul around orange spray-chalk cans and a big, messy stencil.

Anyway, we were going to ride around the roads in Bonny Doon and head down Empire Grade into Santa Cruz and then come back up the closed section of CA-9 and Felton-Empire Grade. This would be about 35-40 miles, so I could do a longer ride the next day. We started heading up to Pine Flat Rd. and then down Pine Flat and Bonny Doon Rd. When we got to the Bonny Doon Winery building, the temperature had dropped 15F. (It felt like 15F, probably more like 8F or 9F. We were at the edge of the fog bank.) We decided not to ride Smith Grade Rd., so we headed back up Martins Rd. to Ice Cream Grade and planned then to take Empire Grade all the way into Santa Cruz. “Why”, we wondered, “doesn’t the Sequoia Century take pretty Martins Rd. instead of busy Pine Flat Rd.?” When we got to Ice Cream Grade, Hy said he had a sore throat and didn’t feel like riding any more. I don’t blame him. Why ride if it’s not fun? Wanting to do a longer ride, I asked Hy if he’d mind my riding back to Palo Alto. Hy said, “Fine.”

At first I thought I’d head back the most direct way over CA-9, but then I remembered there were some back roads between Bonny Doon and home that I wanted to explore.

“Do you want me to take anything back in the car?”, Hy asks. “Let me see. Would you mind taking my longs and wool cap? I don’t think I’ll need those.”, I reply as the sun begins to shine.

“No problem. What time will you come by to pick them up?”

“Oh, I’ll be by sometime around six. It shouldn’t take me more than about four hours or so.”

Hy drives off. I begin pedaling up Empire Grade toward Pine Flat Rd. again. “Let me see, what route can I take that minimizes the distance on already-traveled roads?”, I ponder. “I’ve never ridden Jamison Creek Rd. Nor have I ridden the lower section of China Grade Rd. I think I’ll ride up Empire Grade to Jamison Creek Rd. and then take China Grade to CA-236 to CA-9 to home.”

The weather is becoming very warm now. By the time I reach Pine Flat Rd., it’s downright hot. I remember riding up this way when I was living in Santa Cruz. In the days when 30 miles was a long ride, I used to imperil my bike on the county bus up to Pine Flat Rd., wander around Bonny Doon and then zip down Empire Grade. I’d never trust my bike to the bus nowadays. I never had a problem, but one friend’s mountain bike fell off the rack destroying the rear wheel. Fortunately, we had doubly fastened the bike with a cable lock, otherwise we would’ve lost the whole bike. Another time with another friend, the driver started driving off with my friend’s bike unhooked but still on the rack! Anyways, every time we got off the bus at Pine Flat and Empire Grade, the air was always hot and still at the dusty intersection.

I continue on Empire Grade. I pass Alba Rd. on the right, then the Christmas tree farm on the right and the California Youth Authority camp at the top of the Grade on the left. The road heads down. Very soon I reach Jamison Creek Rd. I stop to record the data and mentally prepare for a fast, steep, tricky descent.

The upper two-thirds of Jamison Creek Rd. is the steepest. The grade must be somewhere around 10%. The curves are tight, but the surface is clean if somewhat bumpy. I worry about letting my rims get too hot, so I try coasting on the straightaways and jamming on the brakes before the turns rather than riding the brakes all the way down. I don’t know if this reduces my chances of a blowout, but it does seem a little more risky in other ways. What if my front brake cable breaks? When the road reaches Jamison Creek, it becomes less steep and can be ridden the rest of the way with minimal braking.

At CA-236 I turn left. Soon I reach the Boulder Creek Country Club. I stop at the little snack bar and refill my water bottles at the drinking fountain. A large woman with a three-legged dog is talking with the proprietor. While it looks beautiful among the redwood trees, somehow a golf course doesn’t seem appropriate. I remember reading several years ago about water shortages in the San Lorenzo River Valley.

I continue riding up CA-236 until I reach China Grade Rd. I turn right. China Grade Rd. continues lazily uphill for a while, passing some houses, a few roads leading to small residential areas, and even a mobile home park. But, shortly after passing the “Entering Big Basin Redwoods State Park” sign, the road crosses the creek and begins a very steep, nearly uninterrupted ascent through a dark redwood forest. This is another one of those hills where I’m glad to have a 27-inch gear. I can spin up the hill, but I’m still working hard.

Before too long, the road levels off somewhat and I reach CA-236. CA-236 describes a rough “C” as it passes through Big Basin State Park. China Grade Rd. connects the lower part to the upper part of the “C”, like the vertical line in the “cents” symbol.

I stop to take down some notes, and while I’m resting I get an idea: I’ve wanted to try the dirt road that passes from Big Basin State Park down to Pescadero Creek County Park. This would be the perfect opportunity. The only problem is I’ve got slightly narrower tires on my bike than I’m accustomed to using for off-pavement riding. But they’re only slightly narrower. So I plan my route.

Instead of turning right on CA-236 and heading for Waterman Gap, I continue up China Grade. The upper part of China Grade is less steep than the lower part, but I stay in my low gear. The redwood forest has given way to thirsty conifers strewn over a drier shrubbery-covered hillside. Later, I pass through some groves of oak and madrone. The climate is much different. Soon I reach the big boulder and the log at the end of the pavement. To the right, the Gate 12 Road descents sharply. On an previous adventure, I took my friend Frank down Butano Fire Trail which continues straight ahead.

Within the copse of young redwood trees to the right and beyond the intersection, I notice that someone has stored several multi-gallon containers of water. Does someone live up here?

I start down Gate 12 Rd. Fifty feet later I reach a gate. A sign reads: “Keep Out, No Trespassing, Owner: Santa Cruz Lumber Company” Another big red sign reads: “No Trespassing, <something> Homeowner’s Association, CA Penal Code Section 602 (k)” Homeowner’s Association! Who lives up here?! I usually don’t like to trespass if there are houses in the area, or if I’m going to have to walk through someone’s flower garden, but on land that is clearly open space, I have fewer qualms. [Since I did this ride a hiking easement that parallels the route I took has opened up between Big Basin and Portola State Park. Unfortunately, the trail is for hikers only, and in spite of the existence of perfectly good roads, a new foot trail, separate from the roads, was cut for the entire length of the easement.]

I lift my bike over the gate and continue down the moderately steep road. I look at the tire tracks. It seems there are quite a few deeply-treaded tire tracks, probably from a pickup truck. When I was up here last with Frank, I saw a guy driving out the gate in a white pickup truck. He looked at us suspiciously as we rested on the log at the end of China Grade Rd. There are also what appear to be fat, mountain bike tire tracks on the road, a pair of bikes, it seems.

On the way down, I pass a road off to the right. “Gate 11” reads the sign on the gate. At the bottom of the hill there’s another fork. To the left, the road goes down into “the hole”, or Butano Creek. The pickup truck tire tracks go that way. I turn right, up the Butano Ridge Trail. This road continues all the way along Butano Ridge and ends at a locked gate on Cloverdale Rd. near Pescadero High School. The dry, rocky road ascends with high bushes on either side up a cut in the hillside. About a quarter mile later, I reach another fork. The Butano Ridge Trail continues steeply up to the left. I take the road to the right, the Gate 10 Rd.

100 feet later I reach another gate. The bars are high, and there doesn’t seem to be a good walk-around as the road is cut steeply through the hillside. I think for a moment and then decide to pass my bike through the largest triangular opening in the middle of the gate. My bike barely fits, but I manage to scratch some paint off my bike rack in the process.

I remember hiking down the Gate 10 Road about seven years ago with my dad. The road descends an easy grade 3 miles and 1400 feet down to Old Haul Rd. along Pescadero Creek. Jobst Brandt tells me that there used to be a logging railroad on this right-of-way back in the logging days. Though I’m not afraid of riding on dirt, I still prefer pavement, and I wouldn’t mind if the road from China Grade through to Portola State Park were paved but closed to motor traffic.

I begin the long descent. Someone must have recently graded the road because the center portion is packed like hard mud. Since it’s smooth, I ride down the center.

Once or twice, thinking I’ve heard the sound of an approaching motor, I stop a couple of times and listen. Nothing but a slight breeze and birdsong. What shall I do if I really do hear a motor? Shall I run off the road and try to hide in the bushes? That might be difficult with a bike if there are steep slopes on either side. Should I just continue and act like I own the place? That’s probably easier. What if I’m ordered off? What if I have to ride back UP the hill? Maybe I’ll just tell them I started at Portola State Park. I continue. About half way down the hill I hear a “Snap!”. That sounded like something falling off my bike! I look back through my mirror and see a small black object lying in the dirt about 20 yards back. I go back and pick it up. It’s my VistaLite! The darn clip fatigued and broke off. I put the light in my pack and continue. As I continue, I notice a hard rattling sound coming from my headset. Darn! My headset’s getting loose, and I don’t have a wrench with me. I think it’ll be O.K. ‘til I get home.

About a quarter mile from the bottom, the road grade becomes steeper. Apparently the old road washed out in one of the storms back in the early ‘80s and a steeper bypass was built. Soon I reach Old Haul Rd.

As I turn left I see another bicyclist coming up Old Haul Rd. from Pescadero Creek County Park. What’s this?! An attractive young woman about 30 years old comes riding up on a mountain bike all by herself. What’s she doing out here?

“Am I still on Old Haul Rd.”, she asks?

Assuming she knows where she’s going, I offer, “Yes. If you continue up Old Haul Rd., you get to a sawmill. The folks there don’t like visitors. If you want to avoid being seen, head up the Gate 10 Road, here.”

I point up the hill. She looks at me strangely. I don’t think she knows where she’s going.

“Where are you headed?”, I inquire.

“Portola State Park. I started at Portola State Park, rode down to Memorial Park with my friends and then we were riding back. I got ahead of them. Is this the way to Portola State Park?”

She points up Old Haul Rd.

“No. You passed the turnoff to Portola. It’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. Did you know you were on private land?”

I try not to sound severe.

“No,” she says, “I don’t remember having to go around a gate, though. There’s a sign that says ‘No Motor Vehicles’, so I assumed it would be O.K. to ride a bike.”

“Well, I’m heading back toward Portola State Park. Why don’t you follow me.”, I suggest.

We ride back down Old Haul Rd. At the gate I look at the signs. One says “Keep Out.” The other reads, “No Motor Vehicles”, and then a lot of fine print. [Note that less ambiguous signage and a seven-foot cyclone fence have since been erected across the road here, making it all but impossible to pass with a bike unless one were willing to throw the bike over the fence and climb over or bushwhack around the end of the fence either up- or down-slope. I have also heard reports of the area being patrolled more frequently.] We continue on to the Portola State Park access road.

“See. It’s hard to see the sign in the shade.”, I tell her.

We say goodbye. I continue on to Bridge Trail. At Bridge Trail I stop and eat my third sandwich of the day. Several groups of bicyclists come ambling by.

After a few minutes, I start down Bridge Trail. The road heads down and crosses Pescadero Creek. I carefully ride across. Noticing the wide gaps between the wooden planks, I ride a straight line keeping to one plank. I wouldn’t want to catch a wheel in a gap and be thrown from the bridge. On the other side, the road rises steeply for a short distance then rolls up and down until it ends at Camp Pomponio Rd.

Camp Pomponio Rd. is a single-lane paved road that connects Alpine Rd. to the San Mateo County Jail facility located in the heart of Pescadero Creek County Park.

After walking my bike around the gate, I turn right and start up the hill. The road rises gradually through a dark forest, then begins a steep ascent. This is a steep road! It’s 27-inch gear most of the way. All of the roads that come down to Pescadero Creek from Skyline are steep: Camp Pomponio Rd., Portola State Park Rd., and Alpine Rd. It would be more fun to descend this road on the way to Pescadero. I’d also avoid climbing Haskins Hill, but a look at the topo map shows that there’d be just about as much climbing going this way as there would be taking Alpine Rd. to Pescadero Rd. and climbing over Haskins Hill.

On the way up, only one car passes me. After much huffing and puffing, I arrive at Alpine Rd., turn right and head up to Skyline. At Skyline, I stop and eat a couple of fig bars. Then I turn left and head north to Skylonda. The ride down CA-84 into Woodside is uneventful. I manage to catch up to a long line of slow-moving cars. At the hairpin to Portola Rd., a Blazer has been following too closely and rear-ends an old orange Fort LTD as the driver negotiates the tight turn. “Honk! Honk!”, honks the Blazer. “Some heated words are about to be exchanged.”, I think to myself. They pull off into the inadequate turnout on Portola Rd. I pass by and manage to stay ahead of the line of cars behind me.

With a little energy left, I decide to meander home through some of the nearby scenic roads. I head through Portola Valley along the Parade Route. Wanting to avoid the controversial stop sign at Portola and Alpine Rds., I turn left on Westridge and head up the hill. The final descent down to Alpine ought to qualify for the fun descents list, if anyone is keeping track of these things. It’s 390 feet down in about 2/3 mile, and it doesn’t have any nasty turns. I reach my maximum speed for the day on this, and I might break 50 except that I chicken out and apply my brakes at the last right-hand turn.

On my way home, I stop at Hy’s house and pick up my stuff. Since he has a headset wrench he helps me tighten the headset since I’m still learning how to do these things. Thanks, Hy.

Well, the bike’s a bit dusty, but it was a fun ride.

Ride stats:

distance: 69.0 miles

climbing: 6290 feet

total time: 7:36

riding time: 5:36

average speed (mph): 12.3 mph

maximum speed (mph): 46.5 mph

index: 86.9

An article on indexing can be found here.

©2004, Bill Bushnell

Please do not publish or distribute for profit without permission.