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Sure enough, by the time we’re ready to leave the Starbucks, there is a whole gaggle (is that the right term for a group of motorcyclists?) of riders ready to follow me south. CC, Maureen, Bill, Chris, Morris, Morris’ friend Joseph, Debra K, Lorraine and her friend Jim, Pamela, Nancy M and her friend Zanne, and Kirsten from Monterey. There’s an incident in which Morris’ extra pair of underwear (sometimes used as a cleaning cloth in some circles) is seen flying through the air over the group and landing at CC's feet just as she comes out the door of Starbucks... the look on her face is priceless as she simply quips, "Alrighty then..." And then it’s time to go. Tyler, who can’t ride this time due to her daughter Shannon being ill, but has joined us for coffee, waves goodbye as we ride off (she will meet us at the lunch stop). We do the freeway thing, zipping along 101 to 237 to 85, then getting off at Stevens Creek Blvd to take a little jaunt through the Cupertino hills. Foothill Expressway takes us past the Stevens Creek Reservoir, turning into Stevens Creek Canyon Road in the process. The curves are fun on this bright Sunday morning; the road is dry, and there’s not too much traffic. We branch off onto Mt. Eden Rd and continue the curves through beautiful hillside homes and horse paddocks. Right onto Pierce Road, and soon we’ve hooked up with Highway 9. The curves and sweepers continue to put a smile on my face, and slower traffic actually pulls over to let us pass! Up over Four Corners, where the spirited riders (Pamela, Morris, Kirsten, and Joseph) jump ahead of us to tackle the next section at a faster clip. And on the rest of us go, down the other side of the hills. We branch off onto 236, and the pace slows down, as we wind our way among the giant redwoods. Thankfully, the road is much drier than when CC and I pre-rode it the day before, and much of the debris is gone, so we can keep a decent pace as we head into Big Basin. At the ranger station, we stop for a bathroom break and meet up with the spirited riders. It’s chilly in the woods, and it’s not too soon for me when we gear up again (aaahhhh, turn the heated liner up!) and head down the rest of 236 to Boulder Creek. From there it’s down 9 behind traffic for a while, until we get to Felton and Rocky Café, the lunch stop for the day. Waiting at the café are Tyler, her daughter Shannon and Shannon’s friend Lexi. Also waiting at the café is another Debra (all the way from Modesto!) and her sister, who wanted to meet us even though Debra couldn’t come on her bike today. We’re 18 strong at the café! They have a small kitchen, and it takes a while for all of us to get our food. But it’s worth the wait, and before long everyone is sated and ready for the rest of the afternoon. The ride into Santa Cruz is nice and sunny, and as we head down West Cliff Drive along the ocean towards Natural Bridges State Park, it’s clear that all of Santa Cruz is on the coast today. Surfers, dog walkers, tourists, bicyclists, motorcyclists, everyone is out there enjoying the sunshine and the balmy weather. We ride past the beautiful beachfront homes and take in the scene. Arriving at the park, we head around to the back entrance, where we are able to park along the street for free. Yay, no need to pay $6! It’s a short walk to the Monarch butterfly observation trail. Sure enough, some of the butterflies can be seen hanging from branches like bunches of grapes. Others flutter around in the sunshine that peeks through the eucalyptus trees. Kirsten pulls out her drawing pad and sketches the scene (beautifully). One small butterfly made the mistake of taking a breather on the platform and was accosted by the Butterfly Paparazzi – tourists with cameras - almost right on top of the little guy! Eventually, after checking out the beach and the Natural Bridge, we head back to the bikes, knowing that we still have a fair amount of distance to cover to get back, and it will be twilight before too long. Morris, Kirsten, Nancy, and Zanne head off for different routes, as does Tyler with her two charges. The rest of us head back through Santa Cruz to Hwy 1 south, where Joseph peels off for home. We head down 1 and get off onto Soquel/San Jose Road. The magic of the beautiful day continues, as we ride the sweepers and curves up to Summit Rd. On Summit Rd, Pamela and I get a nasty little surprise in the form of a near-miss. A bobcat runs across the road directly in front of my bike, encounters a fence on the other side of the road, and decides to dart back out into the road behind me, directly in front of Pamela’s front tire. She brakes hard and just clips its tail. The cat runs off into the bushes, and Pamela and I both breathe a big sigh of relief. That was a close one! It was a beautiful animal, but one we’d rather NOT see so close up! From Summit it’s on to Old Santa Cruz Highway, and before we know it we’re at the junction with 17. We all stop for a round of goodbye hugs, and everyone disburses to their various homeward destinations. A gorgeous day, a fun ride, a great group of people. What more can I say? Quote of the day:
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Sunday
morning. They predicted fog, but as I roll my bike out of the garage,
the sun is shining already. 15 minutes later, I pull up at the Starbucks
at Mercado, figuring I’ll be the first one there, since I’m
10 minutes early. No such luck! Maureen is already there, and she says
she’s been there for 10 minutes already. Wow, something tells me
the turnout for this ride is going to be good.