We arrived at Natural Bridges State Park (Santa Cruz) before the others doing Donny's club ride to Davenport. The weather was what one expects at such an early hour -- misty and chilly.
The Boyfriend said, "Let's ditch the ride and get a motel room ...." Naturally, I immediately agreed to his offer. Of course, he was kidding. Of course, I wanted to bop him over the head. What a teaser.
We had a good turn out. Everyone was much faster than me. Sigh. Our first climb was Bonny Doon. Haven't done that in ages. I was cautious (having spotted deer here and there) when we descended Empire Grade and Smith Grade. I've never done Smith Grade and that was a nice surprise, being in the redwoods. The sun came out, the sky turned blue and the temperature warmed. We stopped in Davenport to have lunch. By this time, I was suddenly spent and just wanted to go home and take a nap. Unlike
The BF who was full of energy and masculinity. He was certainly riding strong today. We had one more climb to do on Swanton (photo above). As the group marched on, I turned around.
Artichoke field! I wasn't thinking clearly. I remember thinking that I should send an email to George Clooney asking if I could stay at his villa in Lake Cuomo. How dumb is that? Okay, big signs telling cyclists to walk their bikes over the train tracks. I didn't have a problem going over the first time but on the return, my wheel got stuck and I went down, and onto Hwy 1. A little while later, who should appear, but, my knight in shining armour. He took care of me. The bike seems to be okay. As for me, I'm a bit banged up but nothing serious. Clearly, user error. And boy, do I feel dumb. Next time, pay attention to the signs, all of them.
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