Purissima Creek Trail

Bill Bushnell Ņ Friday, April 17, 1992

 

I managed to get the day off from work.  My friend Frank and I were going to meet for a ride, but he called at about 8:45 and said he had a sore throat and didnÕt feel much like riding.  Since I didnÕt want to waste any of the expensive SPF 45 sunblock I had slathered myself with, I decided to head out on my own and try the Purissima Creek Trail, a ride Frank would most certainly not have enjoyed.

The morning is hot and muggy as I ride out Sand Hill Rd. and begin my ascent of Old La Honda.  As I near Skyline, the roads are all wet, and its even sprinkling a little bit.  I reach the top to rest for a minute or two.  After a few minutes some other riders reach the top.  I talk for a while to one of the riders.  Unfortunately, I canÕt remember his name.  He says heÕs a slow climber, but he claims to reach 45 mph while descending the east side of Hwy 84 riding on his aero-bars.

Since itÕs wet and foggy on Skyline, I decide to head straight down the west side of Old La Honda and out to San Gregorio.  For the last 5 miles to San Gregorio I battle a fierce headwind.  After eating lunch at the General Store, I continue up Stage Rd. and then head north on Hwy 1.  After fighting the headwinds for a few miles, I turn off onto Verde Rd.  Verde Rd. is a relatively flat and quiet parallel to Hwy 1.  After riding a couple more miles on Verde Rd., I turn right on Purissima Creek Rd. and head toward home.  Purissima Creek Rd. is very much like Tunitas Creek Rd.  According to the AAA Peninsula Points map, Purissima Creek Rd. does not go through to Skyline Blvd.  After about 3.5 miles I reach the parking area for the Purissima Creek Open Space Preserve.  Now begins the fun part.

From here up to Skyline, the road is unpaved.  I stop at the large map at the trailhead.  It seems there is a road up ŌGrabtown GulchĶ to Tunitas Creek Rd. that I donÕt remember from my hiking days.

I start up Purissima Canyon.  The road is mostly level with occasional short, steeper rises.  There are several bogs I must ride through.  Oh well, so much for keeping my tires mud-free.  Some of the bogs are deceptively deep.  About half a mile from the trailhead, I reach the turn off for Grabtown.  What a funny name.  Did this name originate from German Grab <-> grave for ŌGrave-Ō town, or was it one of those Old West appellations indicating that this is the place where people ŌgrabbedĶ or got grabbed?

After another 0.6 miles, I pass the second turn off for Grabtown.  I continue straight.  The road becomes steeper.  IÕve left the mud bogs behind, but now I face a new problem: In places the road is quite steep, but it is also muddy and slippery.  My slick tires canÕt find much to grab, so I frequently have dud pedal strokes where I pedal, the wheels spin, and I go nowhere.  If only Frank were here.  He would be in a state.  I try to find the optimum distribution of my weight for the most effective traction.  The overall grade is steep, about as steep as the upper section of Redwood Gulch Rd. near Saratoga, for those who are familiar with the area.  I huff and puff my way up nearly being thrown off my bike every 50 yards as I cross diagonally-cut drainage ditches.  This road might be better in summer, but these drainage ditches are difficult to negotiate on a road bike.  Perhaps this is one road where the more laid-back geometry of a mountain bike would come in handy.  A couple of mountain bikers come zooming past me down the hill.  There is one short section where I cannot get my tires to grip, and I have to walk.

I find IÕm concentrating more on maneuvering up the hill than on the beautiful scenery around me.  Maybe itÕs good that IÕm forced off my bike to walk once in a while.  Looking around, I see some tall redwood trees and can finally appreciate the stillness and tranquility of the forest.

Finally I reach Skyline.  I pause and take stock of the condition of my bike and myself.  Of course, the bike is a mess.  ItÕll be a disassemble, shampoo, and hose-down cleanup.  After doing a few stretches, I head south on Skyline past Kings Mountain Rd. and on to Skylonda.  Then I head home.  I finally catch a tailwind as a fly down Sand Hill Rd. and past the Stanford Medical Center.

Ride stats:

distance: 57.2  miles

climbing: 4460 feet

total time: 6:00

riding time: 4:18

average speed: 13.3 mph

maximum speed: 37.0 mph

 

index: 75.0

An article on indexing can be found here.

Š2004, Bill Bushnell

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