Turn Around

Our plan was to start a bit later (than last week). I'd brought an extra layer.

So, you know what that means ... No fog. Not a wisp.

I knew we were in trouble when I saw the electronic sign on the highway: Road work, June 27. (Is that ... today? Saturday?!) Who thought that road work was a good idea on a hot summer Saturday when everyone (it seems) heads for the coast? During prime daytime hours, no less. On the first weekend when Santa Cruz gave up trying to restrict crowds and opened their beaches.

We were in trouble because traffic would all-too-soon spill onto the back roads.

As I approached Summit Road I saw more cars than I liked. They came in bursts, five or six at a time; maybe we could manage?

I pulled out my phone and looked at the traffic map. No. Way. South of Summit, the highway was a river of darkest red. There was a marker for an accident as well as the scheduled road work. For too many miles, we'd be tangling with impatient motorists who'd veered off the highway. No peaceful, cool ride through the redwood forest for us.

We turned back to follow the same route we took last week, tacking on a few more miles (and more climbing). I'd forgotten how far it was to the end of Aldercroft Heights. My legs had forgotten that the road has a few steep pitches. Some nice redwoods, though, as a consolation prize.

Back at the start, I chatted with other cyclists who'd started earlier (and cycled over the hill). They confirmed what I'd feared might be true: Wazombies going down Mountain Charlie Road. As they pedaled up from the coast, they faced a steady stream of oncoming cars. Which is ridiculous (and terrifying), though they reported that the drivers tended to be well-behaved). I suppose that makes sense, as that twisty road is not conducive to reckless driving—it's barely one lane wide.

21 miles, 2,205 feet of climbing, and one flat tire. (Rear, of course.) A pair of holes, maybe from a small two-pronged tack that popped in and out at the end of the ride—discovered and repaired at home.