The ride starts at an old Quarry adjacent to Highway 92, about 1/2
mile up from the reservoir. This is a by-invitation-only
event, requiring approved ride leaders to monitor both the front &
back of the group.
This
particular event was put together by Berry Stevens, a good customer
and avid off-roader.
It doesn't take long
(maybe 30 seconds?) before you discover one of the main features of
this ride... lots of climbing! Nothing technical, unless you
count grades that are so steep you have trouble keeping your wheel
on the ground.
Scenes like this are typical of the Watershed area. To say
that it's peaceful is a cliche, but a truthful cliche.
The only other way to get a view of Pillarcitos Lake (in the
background) is from the air. There's a whole 'nother world out
there, as they say, right in our own backyard.
This is about 4 miles into our 20-mile out & back ride.
Toward the northern end of the ride you look to the west and down
(way down!) into Pacifica. You really don't realize how narrow
the SF Peninsula is until you get to a place like this, where you
can see the ocean on one side, and the SF bay on the other.
Making the
final relatively-minor climb (although it may not seem like it at
the time) to the furthest-northern point on the ride, with the group
admiring the view of the SF Airport, Mt. Hamilton & Mt. Tamalpais.
It was a nearly perfect day for the ride, with temps somewhere in
the mid-60s througout.
The way
back is quite a bit easier, as you've done maybe 70% of the climbing
on the way out. And yes, there are some very fast (and very
gravelly) descents. We were told to watch out for some of the
tighter curves, as they might put you into the weeds. I wasn't
worried about landing in weeds; I was a bit more concerned about the
trees!
As much as
these photos make the ride look idyllic & easy, you have to keep in
mind that I can't take photos on the rougher stuff. We started
around 9am and finished by 11:30, which is apparently rather fast;
more commonly, it takes about four hours. As was noted by the
ride leaders, we had a good group with no whiners and no
mechanicals!
This is another view
you just don't get anywhere else- the backside of Crystal Springs
Dam. It's really quite breathtaking. It's also
extraordinarily quiet out here.
Our final
regroup before the descent to the parking lot, where everyone is
admiring the view of the lake & dam.
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