Sleazy MC Tours: Santa Cruz Ride Report Mar 2010

Day one: It's the first day of spring. We got the morning started with seven riders on four bikes meeting at Ron & Patty’s house for scones and coffee.

There was Jeff & Cathy Grewing (Fair Oaks), Ed & Suzanne Winters (O'vale), and Jerry Kennedy (Auburn). Then it was off to Elk Grove to the original staging point to pick up Al & Jackie Sanders (Elk Grove) on their bike

We would eventually hook-up with Josh Caine (Qualala), in Scotts Valley, riding from Willets

Taking our first break in Livermore, we stopped for a snack and fuel

Choleo (Security Dog) & Pepper (Service Dog)

Leaving Livermore across I-580 to the south we rode Higway 84 through the Sunol Regional Wilderness

and along the Calaveras Reservoir

This trail was a great surprise

The roads while very twisted were in good condition, and the scenery beautiful

This stretch was a bit of a workout and called for a short rest

but highly recommended

We rode the freeways from Sunol

on into Scotts Valley and was greeted by Josh Caine on his new to him Nomad

We got settled into our rooms and Patty broke out her wine stash for all to taste in the parking lot of the Best Western Motel we all stayed in

Finding that Ed & Suzanne Winters lived in Santa Cruz previously they were quickly appointed and agreed to be our sleazy tour guides to check out some of the sights of Santa Cruz, and we were on our way in the afternoon

Now, only they could have pulled off as great a tour as they did with this one. We first visited a rocky beach inhabited by pelicans, Sea Gulls, seals, along with humans frolicking along the shore line and burying their young in the sand

Then we rode south seeing beautiful shore-lined homes, surfers, a water rescue team in action

and bikini clad youngsters that appeared in excellent health!

Bless America – the children are alright

We arrived at the main pier in SC, known as “the wharf”, across from the Boardwalk

and rode our bikes out to the end of the pier

Lined with Fishing Expeditions

Open-air fish markets

Restaurants, and finally a beer selling joint

Remarkably, the beer here was only $2.00, which is cheap for a tourist spot. Wine was $3.00, but equaled two normal glasses of it anywhere else

From here we continued south into Capitola

stopping at Margaretavlle for dinner

When they brought our orders out, there was so much food we needed a wide-angle lenses to capture it all in a frame

After the meal, it was time to go. We all paid our share of the dinner bill and found ourselves quite a bit short. Fortunately Cathy - our newly volunteered accountant found a loophole and got us out of there for something just over $300.00. After eating we rode about ten-miles back to the motel

Josh offered his room as party central, and we gathered there for some more drinks. By now, it seems like we roared with laughter from the beginning of the day on into the night, and it continued until we got a complaint from folks staying in the motel that were actually there to sleep. Being on our good behavior and having reasonable judgment still, we retired to our individual rooms sometime after 10:00pm, well at least before 11:00pm anyway. If the first day was to be any indication of what was coming, we all knew we were in for a special occasion of fine camaraderie and riding

Day two we got it together and head back into Santa Cruz to catch Empire Grade north. This is a fine winding fun road, that was not overly crowded and in excellent condition. Rolling up past the University of Santa Cruz, the scenery was again spectacular

We rode through Redwood tree-shrouded twisties at a leisurely pace when all of sudden LaBoneya, the GPS shouted, “turn right”! So we did and ended up on an unplanned road called China Grade. This is a road known as a goat trail. Taking the definition of a goat road from Pashnit.com, I quote:

“Goat Trail: Ever hiked on a firebreak road? And you've got a goat trail. These are seldom used secondary "roads", typically less than a full two lanes - sometimes less than a single lane wide. Pavement is rough and/or broken - often with frequent and significant voids. Often rocks, dirt, and debris on the road. A typical goat trail will have no dividing lines. Often a single lane, add a splash of pavement, which is almost always rough, sometimes the pavement ending before road does. Tight turns, dips, some have stream crossings, poor safety markings or none. Usually pretty far from anything else so bring enough food, fuel and a first aid kit”.This is China Grade, a 4 rated goat road on the Goat Scale. If you have a tendency to seek out goat trails in general, you'll enjoy this ride which is paved, and connects Hwy 236 from the north to the south.

Continuing to describe this road from Pashnit, it goes on to say, “On wet days (this is a rain forest after all), there can be pine needles and general organic junk strewn about the road. Traffic is rather nil, although there are numerous houses stuck back in the hills here, tucked quietly about shadowed under redwood trees. A canopy of greenery hangs high above China Grade, and as the name implies, there's a relative drop to the valley below Hwy 236. This road won't win any awards, won't attract the big bikes or the sportbike, but it may attract you who seek out goaty rides like this. This is a quiet, twisty, and easy place to get away, and feel as though the several million souls just over the hill are a thousand miles away. Just you and the redwoods back in here”.

Fortunately, and I’m proud to say everyone on this run were very good riders, and we all made it to the top without a mishap. We parked up on highway 236 to discuss the exhilaration we had all just experienced and how everyone actually enjoyed that goat trail. It seems like this may remain an exiting memory for all to hang onto for awhile.

A view high above Palo Alto

Working our way along Skyline Blvd., with the vast valleys of Palo Alto below we eventually came upon Alice’s Restaurant.

Originally a general store in the early 1900’s, it became a restaurant in the ‘60’s named after the owner and the famous album by Arlo Guthrie. This is a major biker and tourist destination. We met and had a fun conversation with the owner whom recognized the two little dogs with us as service dogs and allowed them in the restaurant. We had a very good lunch here with top service. Jerry ordered a cheeseburger without pickles, and we almost broke into chorus singing “he don’t want a pickle”, but stopped short of completing the song. Maybe you had to be there to appreciate that