The Blue Balls Ride

Been a long time since I've done the Blue Balls ride, aka Donny's Corralitos club ride.  The ride started from Lexington Dam, over to Old Santa Cruz Hwy, Summit Road, down San Jose Soquel, and into Soquel, Aptos, Corralitos and back up Eureka Canyon.  Donny has varied the route a bit and that was a pleasant surprise (White Road). 

Miss P was my companion on this ride and she kept me on my toes.  The Boyfriend did not join us because he was out riding with his new bike buddy.  We shall refer to him as The Other Man. 

Meanwhile, let's discuss what The Boyfriend missed, shall we, much to my delight. 

Steaming down San Jose Soquel road, my silk scarf blowing wildly along with me, a male cyclist and his team caught up to me and he said, "Love the scarf.  It's pretty."  Note to BF:  That's code for "I'm pretty."  I think I must have been exuding phermones because boy I sure caught the fancy of a few men, cyclists, motorcyclists, etc.

I arrived at the park with the blue balls only to discover that half of our Eastern Sierras gang was also on the ride!  Another thing The BF missed out on.   Miss P. chatted with a nice looking cyclist who was wearing the same jersey as hers.  Too bad he had other plans....

We lost the sun (not be found until the climb into Eurkea Canyon) after the rest stop in the park with the blue balls.  It was somewhat chilly today.  Good thing, wait, wait for it, note to The BF, that I was wearing wool.  Here I am in Corralitos before the climb up Eureka Canyon. A male cyclist said to me, "You're pretty."  Sweet.  Take note Boyfriend. 

Flowers everywhere today, here as Miss P. and I began the climb up Eureka Canyon.  The photo doesn't do justice to the beauty we experienced.  We also saw daffodils, a few poppies, and some other lovely flowers, making our ride just swell.  I learned by the way that you can get water from the, wait, wait for it, fire station on Eureka Canyon.  I was worried that I'd bonk climbing the canyon but Miss P. and I hammered up it despite the less than desired road surface.  I do believe the mountain bikers enjoyed my singing. 

As I came into the home stretch at Old Santa Cruz Hwy., my favorite frenchman was waiting to escort me back to the car.  Note to BF:  what a nice finish, eh.

I am, of course, delighted that The BF has a new biking buddy and I hope he enjoyed his ride.  We enjoyed ours. 

Just the stats:

4868 feet of climbing
57.67 miles
10.2 avg mph
31.5 fastest speed
5 hr  37 minutes (not bad)

Doing the Loop

Lookey, a redwood or two.

Lookey, a family of redwoods.

Going to go out on a limb here, and guess that's yet another redwood, and betting that we're not in Kansas, anymore.

Miss P, The Boyfriend and I decided to do Donny's Big Basin Redwoods State Park club ride.  And guess what, if you haven't guessed by the many clues above, we encountered redwoods.  60 miles later, I pretty much was done.  Actually I was pretty much done after climbing Hwy. 9 but we can't always just hang out in bed with bonbons.  Miss P. waited for me at various stops along the way as I struggled with my stamina and puny muscles.  Gotta start somewhere and what better place than amongst towering redwoods and with the world's greatest biking buddy.  Define slow.  Me.  But not for long.   The BF treated me to a slice of pizza and a movie afterwards.  A very nice way to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Some Scenes from Paicines

Miss P and I volunteered for the annual MegaMonster event in Paicines.  The story of the day was whether it'd be a washout due to the much needed rain that came through Friday and Saturday in Northern California. 

The event was a go.  Some riders experienced some mishaps, unfortunately.  What a disappointment for them.  I, clearly, was focused on the beauty of the area, and well, duh, a few of the male cyclists....

For being a volunteer, I received a bottle of Power Gel, tropical flavor, a gel flask, and a copy of The Complete Guide to Climbing, 2nd edition.  Seeing Kevin, Cara, Dan, Bill, Stella, Frank, and being in the company of Miss P and the cyclists though was far more rewarding.   I'd say the cyclists who came out bravely handled the occasional rain shower, and they had fun in the sun, as evidenced by these photos.  Til next year, folks.

A Stroll in Sierra

Yesterday, I managed to do 33 miles in 3 hours on a club ride out by Uvas Road.  Not bad for my 3rd outing on the road bike since the foot surgery.  Today, I did 3 miles in about 3 hours with friends, doing the Boccardo Trail Loop in the recently opened Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve.  Above is the start of the trail.

We were joined by other hikers and hot looking mtn. bikers. 

Stunning views everywhere we went.  Did I mention the hot looking mtn. bikers....

Another stunning view.  It was warm and the hike was moderate to strenuous.  We were feeling the burn.  Everything seemed straight out of the opening scenes to Sound of Music.  We sang a few lines and broke out in laughter.  We also wished there was a butler to serve us refreshing cold drinks.

It was only 3 miles but it seemed to go on and on and we were wiped by the time we finished but really glad that this preserve is now available to enjoy.  I definitely need some hiking poles.  Many of the views afforded glimpses of Alum Rock Park and we could see a hike we did in the past, plus, we also saw Mt. Hamilton/Lick Observatory, parts of the bay and downtown San Jose.  We're definitely going back to do other trails.  We need rain especially if we want the hills to remain green.