Aaron Kubala was over for dinner with some friends Wednesday night (6/22) and I mentioned I was looking for some big miles for the weekend. I asked if anyone was interested. Aaron's weekend plans had just fallen through and so he was down for whatever mileage I had in mind. I threw out the 65-ish mile route from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz on Doing Miles and he said he was in. Another friend of ours (Ross Ellison) was also interested in the adventure and offered to be our ride to the start and kick the first 20 miles off with us before picking up a bike he had cached at Saratoga Gap to get him back to his car.
The three of us set off around 7am on Saturday, June 25 with high spirits and full packs. It wasn't but 10 miles into the adventure that a plan for our next was set: a clear indication that the adventure team was a good one. The heat set in quickly. Getting to the first water stop (Fire Station on Skyline Blvd) was a tough one, but we made it with enthusiasm and filled up for the next long stretch. Soon, we had to say goodbye to Ross, who picked us his bike and went home. Off Aaron and I went for more adventure, filled with route-finding (tricky), bushwhacking (moderate but enough to keep it exciting) and water rationing (always good training). We were both dry on water by the time we came across a campground that happened to have a hose that was turned on. Few times in my life has water tasted as luscious as this.
After that, we were golden. The sun started to set and the air began to cool. By the time we hit Henry Cowell, we were ready to bomb some downhills and bomb we did. Our speed might have had something to do with the fact that we were trying to make it to the Felton Safeway to refuel before it closed, but I am pretty sure we would have bombed the hills even without the deadline. They were thatgood. Safeway gave us everything we needed and more: warm burritos, pepper-jack turkey sandwiches, kettle-cooked potato chips and the friendliest lot of strangers to cheer us on. Soon we were off again through the woods, sharing tunes, crossing rivers and sidewalk napping right before we hit our finish line: the Santa Cruz pier.
This route is one not be missed and comes highly recommended by Aaron and me. If you want to take it on and want trail beta, email me at Katherine.k.fischer@gmail.com and we'll give you all the secrets to steal our FKT.