February 20, 2023
Gates Pass, Take 2
I want to make another run at Gates Pass today, Barry does not. He is completely enthralled by his new mountain bike and takes off in the morning to go ride the trails with Hank. Who is this guy? I'm happy he's into it. He doesn't need the road miles nearly as much as I do so it's all good.
Our loop ride over Gate's Pass a couple weeks ago started off with four miles on Bopp Road, the part we liked least, and continued on Kinney and Ajo Way which have good shoulders but a lot of traffic. This time I'll skip all that and drive to start from the Irvington lot on the Santa Cruz River Loop path. I'm hoping to do the out-and-back ride through the pass in both directions.
As I pedal the first eight miles north up the Loop I'm thinking how zen it would be to finish the ride by returning this way.
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After turning off the Loop to Silverbell Tree, traffic is light. The clouds are keeping things cool and non-squinty, nice for rubbernecking as I pass by fancy homes and fun yard art for the next 3 miles.
At Ironwood Hill Drive the traffic picks up in bunches here and there. Gates Pass Road has some blind curves and there isn't room for cars to pass safely in my lane so I'm out in the left tire track to discourage drivers from straddling the centerline as they go by. Most drivers are patient, but a couple of guys in pickup trucks express their displeasure - one vocally, the other on his horn. A couple times I pull over to let some cars pass and then enjoy a stretch of blissful solitude. At the top I pull into the lot for the view and a short break.
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At this point I'm still not sure about the idea of riding the pass in both directions. I consider the option as I ride down from the pass towards Kinney Road. The scene is not encouraging. The descent westward from the pass is steeper, the road looks narrower and the blind curves longer than the hill on the east side. I imagine riding back east over the pass again to return, grinding up 10% grades on my recumbent and sharing the road with more cranky drivers in a hurry to pass me. It's not appealing.
Ultimately I pick another way back to the start, continuing south on Kinney and then east on Irvington Road, which isn't as busy as Ajo Way. Ajo has a wider shoulder but is noisier. I like Irvington.
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This loop turned out better than the first run at Gates Pass, but I still want to try an out-and-back route. Next time I'll forget about climbing west back up the steep side and just turn back from the top of the hill. Maybe Barry will be up for that one. Or maybe he'll still be out somewhere on the single-track.
Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 330 miles (531 km)
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1 year ago