Wednesday 11/11 Dirtmoon ocean way - San Bruno bart @6:16

8 views
Skip to first unread message

ammon

unread,
Nov 9, 2009, 5:06:17 PM11/9/09
to SF2G
Millbrae line bart leaves 16th @5:54 to arrive in San Bruno @6:16. The
theme of this ride is to mimic Half Moon Bay-way but hit as much dirt
as possible and not ride along Highway 1. No-drop ride of course, but
expect style II on the flats, and redlining the climbs. Short notice I
know, but work and weather timings demand it. There will be a repeat
of this ride later in the month.

Equipment:
- Cross bikes recommended. Route is also ridable on a road bike with +
+25c tires and a skilled driver. I'll be on my cross bike to make the
dirt more fun.
- Gears. Lower the better for Purisima Creek Trail or you will curse
my name.
- Layers of clothing

Route:
- Sneath Ln to top of Sweeney Ridge

- red line in this map: http://bit.ly/4whT2k
--- descend Baquiano trail to Fassler Ave. In the past I recommended
against doing this, but I found a switchback that makes it doable on a
road bike (barely).
--- short dirt segment through a water tower area to Peralla Rd
--- Pedro Mountain Road (planet of the apes)
--- southern segment into eastern Montara and then side streets to
Moss beach (this is the one exploratory part that I've never tried
before)

- light blue line way to Higgins Purisima Rd (restrooms are an option
here)

- Purisima Creek Trail to Skyline near Tunitas. This fireroad is not
technical, other than the fact that it's steep and dirt.

- descend Kings and onward

Anyone foolish enough to join me?
ammon

xton

unread,
Nov 9, 2009, 5:12:04 PM11/9/09
to skidp...@gmail.com, SF2G
I'll make it +1 to this one then!

Mark P Sullivan

unread,
Nov 9, 2009, 7:35:18 PM11/9/09
to thisisc...@gmail.com, skidp...@gmail.com, SF2G
+0.9 (assuming I'm not sleep-deprived nor too sore (with an extra day
for soreness to develop) from tonight's capoeira class)

--mark

Mark P Sullivan

unread,
Nov 10, 2009, 8:21:08 PM11/10/09
to thisisc...@gmail.com, skidp...@gmail.com, SF2G
Make that a +0: I have to stay north tomorrow. I'd love to do the
dirty route the next time, though.

what smiley would that turn into? . . . --mark

xton

unread,
Nov 11, 2009, 6:09:25 PM11/11/09
to Mark P Sullivan, skidp...@gmail.com, SF2G
Notes for anyone foolish enough to attempt the future:

1. Do not bring your laptop. Even you, Michael Gaiman. The major climb is very very steep. It's steeper than the hard part of tunitas and lasts for most of the climb. I had mine on today and was nearly reduced to tears by the top.
2. Bring more food than you think you need. Both Ammon and I bonked by the end. I had the good fortune to have been saving one last bar at the bottom of my bag when it happened to me 30 minutes from the finish and Ammon had the good sense to bonk just a mile from Apple. I think I ate around 5 Gus, 2 bars, and drank 3 liters of water. On a hot day you'll need much more.

But it was a beautiful and fun ride! Big thanks to Ammon for hosting this. Highly recommend to anyone with masochistic tendencies.

~Xton

Scott Crosby

unread,
Nov 11, 2009, 6:14:29 PM11/11/09
to thisisc...@gmail.com, Mark P Sullivan, skidp...@gmail.com, SF2G
we're going to need to see some photo documentation of this alleged bike ride.

-sc

ammon skidmore

unread,
Nov 11, 2009, 7:01:40 PM11/11/09
to Scott Crosby, thisisc...@gmail.com, Mark P Sullivan, SF2G
map & pics:
http://www.trailguru.com/wiki/index.php/Track:A756

The ride was a big success -- perfect weather, trail conditions, and route sleuthing via satellite/street view. So perfect that I feel xton didn't get the proper introduction to planet of the apes as there was no fog at all! That section requires mist so think you can barely see your handlebars like the time Tom and I last rode it.

As xton was the only one who showed up for this, the ride turned into an xton documentary project / sufferfest.

Notables:
- history lesson on top of Sweeney Ridge:

- xton surveys the bay from Sweeney Ridge:

- descending Sweeney Ridge on Baquiano trail to Fassler Ave. The packed down easy grade of the switchback makes this a nice descent:

- Planet of the Apes:

- Pedro Mountain road extension through Montara uncovered where  jack-o-lanterns go to die:

- Beautiful coastal dirt south of Moss Beach around the airport:

- trail leaving El Granada:

- dirt horse trail paralleling the paved trail through Half Moon Bay where xton was insistent that we ride through a deep muddy swamp until I persuaded him that getting super muddy is only fun while racing (not pictured). In retrospect, we could have showered off the swampiness at tourist facilities further south.

- Higgins Purisima Rd, which steeply climbs 600 ft and then throws that gain away by descending 200 feet or so into Purisima Creek Open Space

- Purisima Creek Trail. Sure, it's beautiful at first as it gently rises amongst the giant redwoods. Then it kicks you with 1,100 feet of climbing over 2 miles.
exhausted @ the top:

- Afterwards we hit dirt through Arastradero Regional Preserve (where I took a wrong turn and we didn't save much time -- should have headed to the lake) and then a nice little fireroad that connects Purissima Rd (that dreaded name again, and Los Altos Hills spells it with 2 s's cause they're fancy) with Okeefe Ln.

- I definitely pushed it by only eating 2 bars and drinking 3 water bottles the entire time, thinking that my massive bowl of grape nuts beforehand would carry me through. Made the cafe food that much more exciting afterwards.

When this ride is done again, Purisima Creek Trail should be optional, with the more saner option of Tunitas Creek a valid choice.

ammon

Ted Ketai

unread,
Nov 11, 2009, 9:19:03 PM11/11/09
to skidp...@gmail.com, Scott Crosby, thisisc...@gmail.com, Mark P Sullivan, SF2G
Wow, that climb is just as steep as the Downieville Classic Climb, which I walked a significant portion of with a triple-crank mountain bike. Also steeper than the Napa Valley Dirt Classic climb, which I walked most of with a 1 to 1 ratio. Sounds horrible (and wonderful).

Brian Wickman

unread,
Nov 11, 2009, 9:22:21 PM11/11/09
to skidp...@gmail.com, SF2G
I want to get a cross bike just so I can do this.

That is all.

On Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 4:01 PM, ammon skidmore <skidp...@gmail.com> wrote:
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages