Sunday, 13 Mar 2016
Markus writes:
Being the only rider this morning, I guess I can’t have anybody else write the report ;)
And being the only rider should have been the first sign that this would not all go as planned. I ignored that sign. How bad could it be? Rain was steady but not torrential. So I headed for my usual route to go up Hwy 9: Pierce -> Mt. Eden -> Stevens Canyon -> Redwood Gulch.
I ignored a few more warning signs: A couple of minor water crossings, then half a lane being blocked by rocks and mud on Mt. Eden. Never mind. Last summer Stevens Creek was pretty much non existent and completely dried up. Not so today: It has become a treacherous torrent (see pictures and short video clip below)! Wow!! I saddled back up and made my way up to the intersection with Redwood Gulch. And another warning sign I ignored: From the stop sign you could see that the dead end section of Stevens Canyon dead ended much earlier than normal. So I went up Redwood Gulch, but on one of the last uphill stretches before you reach the inhabited section close to Highway 9 there was an obstacle: A mud slide that blocked 90% of the road. I could have gotten by hadn’t there been two trees that were too low to get the bike underneath. That was the final sign to turn around and call it a ride! I didn’t take Pierce to Highway 9. I wasn’t eager to find out what other roads had gotten impassable in the Santa Cruz mountains. Instead I headed back to Alberto’s place, mooched some hot tea and we did some planning for Dave’s upcoming Baja trip he won’t be able to make.
When I got home, my wife (she’s always so much smarter than I am) asked the same question you’re going to ask yourself: Why didn’t I take the first sign of being the only rider at breakfast? Alas I couldn’t explain to her that it was for the adventure and that it was all good fun.
Note: This is the first time trying to embed a video without going through a video sharing service. Let me know if you are having any issues.