Bay Area Bike Rides by Ray Hosler

2009 Weekly Pictures

Big Dipper Ranch off Alpine Road, minus the barbed wire fence. This is
where Page Mill Road once ran. The ranch is now part of the
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. (December 26, 2009)

 

Salt Ponds. One day soon we'll see marshland at the
corner of Hwy 84 and University Avenue, Palo Alto, before
Dumbarton Bridge. (December 20, 2009)

Los Altos Rod & Gun Club on Skyline near Castle Rock State Park has a
soda machine, and they'll sell you food when they're open, just inside
this entrance. They're nice people. (December 13, 2009)

Talk about a nice view. This modest estate driveway on Mountain
Home Road in Woodside takes the cake. (December 5, 2009)

Tree Farm Traffic. Normally quiet, traffic on Skyline/Summit Road
picks up in the weeks before Christmas. (November 29, 2009)

Alpine Road west near Highway 84 has a beautiful redwood grove.
(November 22, 2009)

Bayside Canning grew to become the third largest canning company
in the U.S. in 1931. Owner Thomas Foon Chew was the first to can
asparagus. (November 26, 2009)

Silo House on Mtn. Charlie Road has a nice look in the fall.
(November 15, 2009)

A good way to get to Dumbarton Bridge is via this path starting at Geng
Road in Palo Alto. It passes the city golf course. Then left on Runnymede
St. (November 8, 2009)

Casalegno store on San Jose-Soquel Road -- dating back to
1929 -- now has a small coffee shop. (October 25, 2009)

Reservoir ride. We have water now in Chesbro, Uvas, and Calero
reservoirs. There's a Great Blue Heron just to the left of the front
wheel. (October 17, 2009)

Fog ride. With temps at about 45 degrees, I headed to Big Basin via
Hwy 236, shown here, and then down China Grade to Boulder Creek
and back up 9. (October 11, 2009)

 

Last stop on the ride up Hwy 9 a few miles from Boulder Creek.
(Oct. 4, 2009)

Hot ride. Ideal weather for riding on Skyline Boulevard, if you like
heat. It was 86 degrees at 9 a.m. Thirsty? This spigot is at the Skyline
CDF station just north of Highway 9. (September 27, 2009)

Cool ride. Saturday's ride up Kings Mountain Road, down Tunitas
Creek Road offered perfect temps (56 - 62 degrees) until the finish
through Santa Clara Valley in the early afternoon. Tunitas Creek Bridge
at Hwy 1. (September 19, 2009)

Watsonville overlook. About halfway down Mt. Madonna Road you
can see the ocean and the fruit and vegetable breadbasket of Watsonville. (September 6, 2009)

Dumbarton Bridge. Looking south from from the summit of Soaproot
Trail in Coyote Hills Regional Park. An easy climb. (August 30, 2009)

Summit View. Mt. Hamilton offered nice temps and a light breeze at
the summit. My VDO cyclometer, like other brands, loses accuracy
with altitude. Should be 4,213 feet. (August 23, 2009)

Coyote Creek Trail has a new extension reaching Tully Road. It has a
skateboard park, drinking fountain, and a new playground for the kids.
(August 16, 2009)

Skylonda draws two-wheeled vehicles of a different type.
(August 9, 2009)

Moody Road in Los Altos Hills bridges from Foothill Expressway to
Page Mill Road with a 12-14 percent climb. It's a good warm-up for
what's to come on Page Mill Road. Elevation at the Page Mill Rd.
intersection is about 950 feet. (August 1, 2009)

Pescadero Creek bridge in Portola State Park has a foundation, but it
doesn't look like much progress is being made. It was a cool 57
degrees in the park. (July 19, 2009)

Summit of Bear Creek Road looking toward Monterey. Nearby is the
well-known winery with two first names, David Bruce. They have
an excellent rosé. (July 12, 2009)

This large mural on the side of the True Value hardware store is in
Boulder Creek. Oddly, websites mention the site but don't name the
artist. (July 7, 2009)

Mt Eden Road at the high point, looking south. (June 28, 2009)

Saturday morning offered temps in the low 50s at LaHonda, cool and
foggy along the coast, or 90 degrees on Skyline Boulevard. Here on Old
LaHonda Road it was 74 degrees at 8 a.m. (June 27, 2009)

On the San Tomas Aquino Creek path at Central Expressway.
A family ride. (June 21, 2009)

Alameda Creek at Calaveras Road. The real excitement on this ride
was seeing the nesting Bald Eagle chicks in the power line tower.
(June 14, 2009)

Last time I visited Star Hill Road was around 1985, when the owl,
inset, was photographed. Today the road is paved and the owl is a bit
rusty, but still going strong. Star Hill Road dead ends at a private
road. The county abandoned this section of public road eons ago.
(June 7, 2009)

This is the Laurel entrance in the "town" of Laurel. (May 31, 2009)

There are great weather days and there are perfect weather days.
First the Mt. Hamilton Road Race had a perfect weather day, and today
Marin County cyclists enjoyed another perfect 10. Stinson Beach
couldn't be nicer. (May 26, 2009) 

By coincidence, the 63-mile Mt. Hamilton road race took place during
my ride. I followed them around to the finish line on Mines Road, and
going home a few riders even came my way on Calaveras Road.
(May 24, 2009)

Sierra Road overlooking San Jose on a gloomy day with an early
morning spring shower. (May 3, 2009)

Coyote Hills on Quarry Trail. My favorite path in the East Bay winds
along the shoreline. This was part of my Flat 100. Mostly on paths.
(May 9, 2009)

Jobst Brandt enjoys the view at Pescadero Creek Bridge, Hwy 1. We
continued to Santa Cruz and then home via Hwy 9 and Zayante Rd.
(April 19, 2009)

Ocean Beach, San Francisco. I took the Skyline Boulevard route, which
 has its ups and downs north of Hwy 92. Not a bad route from the South
 Bay, all things considered. (April 26, 2009)

This tree slice at park headquarters in Big Basin State Park shows
events in history it witnessed over 1,000 years, before its passing.
My 57-ring life would cover maybe an inch. (April 12, 2009)

Lower Stevens Canyon at the start of the dirt road that goes to Page
 Mill Road (April 5, 2009)

Checking out wildflowers in San Antonio Valley on the backside of
Mt. Hamilton. (March 29, 2009)

Oasis off Uvas Road. This scene in an otherwise bucolic Northern
California oak-hills countryside jolts the senses. These Mexican Fan
Palms (Washingtonia robusta) have not been "maintained," thus all the dead growth. (March 21, 2009)

Oak Glen Avenue at Sycamore Drive near Morgan Hill on a breezy,
cool day. Photo digitally altered to look nicer -- sky altered and fence
removed. (March 15, 2009)

Russian Ridge at the overlook on Skyline Boulevard. (March 8, 2009)

Tunitas Creek Road has a new layer of asphalt, thanks to the Tour of
 California passing through. (Feb. 28, 2009)

Pacific Ocean at Tunitas Creek. (Feb. 28, 2009)

Mt. Hamilton Road a mile from the summit. Snow lingered following a
week of badly needed rain. The road was partially closed. Bikes were
OK, but no stopping. Feb. 21, 2009

Narrowest spot on Old LaHonda Road. (Feb. 8, 2009).

Laurel Glen Road summit. Rodeo Gulch Road takes off here. Laurel Glen
becomes Mountain View Road to Branciforte Road. It's a fairly easy
climb from Soquel San Jose Road up Laurel Glen. (February 1, 2009)

Summit Road view looking at Oak Ridge and the Bear Creek drainage.
 Temperature 39 degrees on Skyline, and windy. (January 25, 2009)

Fine stone bridges spanning Penitencia Creek adorn Alum Rock Park,
made famous for its warm mineral springs. Jan. 18, 2009

Low water level at Calaveras Reservoir on a warm Sunday in January.
Photo digitally altered to remove fence. (Jan. 11, 2009)

China Grade at Hwy 236 on a frigid day in January. 31 degrees at ride
 start and 35 degrees in Boulder Creek, an ice box in winter.
(Jan. 4, 2009)