Going the Distance

What an outing Miss P and I had today on a club ride.  Dr. G. joined us for the bit on Old Santa Cruz Hwy.  The route also included a cold descent down Soquel San Jose in which we were treated by a caravan of colorful Thunderbirds.  I thought, at last, my limo has arrived.

Next, we passed through Aptos and onto Trout Gulch, a road I've not done before.  I wanted to stop every 2 minutes to take photos because it was so pretty.  Vineyards, redwoods, orchards with ripening fruit, small farms and flowers along the roadside to brighten the gloomy misty sky. We also did Browns Valley Road and Pleasant Valley Road with stop at the Corralitos Market before tackling Hazel Dell and Mt Madonna (we skipped that climb).  We returned via Eureka Canyon, Highland, and finishing on  Old Santa Cruz Hwy.  I must do the ride again to capture the lovely scenery.  Would appreciate better road surface here and there, so, I'm sending an email to Santa Claus.

Another treat were the playful goats before the climb up Mt. Madonna.  Given that we weren't racing, I'm rather pleased with my stats and certainly impressed by Miss P's strength.

Just the Stats:

69.47 miles
6 hr 22 min
10.9 avg mph
30 mph descending