A Ride to the Cemetery

Happy Halloween!  My favorite holiday of the year.  I think adults should be allowed to go trick or treating ... just saying.  Anyway, today I joined Donny's ride in search of dinosaurs and a cemetery in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  We began on Old Santa Cruz Highway and snaked through Redwood Estates, where we encountered our first dinosaur of the day.  Had I stopped to take a photo, I would never have gotten back on the bike.  I climbed most of the steep pitches save one where I had to walk.

We went under and then over Highway 17 to Summit Road where we explored a number of hilly side roads.  It was ever so fun descending but climbing was ugh, ugh, and ugh.  There were bits where I dropped below 3 mph.  I had dressed in black wool and that was so wrong.  The day heated up quickly and I was roasting.  Easily in the 80s.

After climbing out of Wrights Station, we found the house on Skyland Road,  decorated for Halloween, Another climb.  Ugh.  I was spent and could not do the few remaining miles to visit the dinosaurs.  I turned around and while passing the Summit Store, what do you suppose I saw.  Wait, wait for it, yes sir, a firetruck.  The firemen waved me to pass them.  I think they just wanted to watch me bike... they got their treat, alrighty.  As did I.  I did 25 miles instead of 30 and close to 4,000 feet of climbing. It was a spooktacular ride!