I rode up Mt Hamilton today, and then descended down to San Antonio Valley and the “Junction Cafe.” The ride up Mt. Hamilton is always fun, as the road is never too steep and the traffic was modest, since it was a weekday.
When I was descending the backside of Mt. Hamilton, a deer bounded down the highside to my right and nearly crashed into me. He was pretty nimble and managed to veer to his right and followed me down the road for a bit before veering back up the hill.
San Antonio Valley was nice, and with all the rain this winter, the wildflowers were out in full force, with verdant fields full of poppies and lupines. There were a few cyclists on the road heading in the opposite direction, but otherwise the road was deserted.
The Junction cafe is right out in the middle of nowhere, at least 31 miles to Livermore, 25 miles to I-5, and 38 miles to San Jose. It’s a good place to hang out, and the bar had some local yahoos in there, some of whom made some smart comments about my cycling attire. I didn’t pay them too much attention, and got some water and was soon on my way back to San Jose.
The backside of Mt. Hamilton is about 4 miles of steep climbing, right in the middle of hell. The day was pretty warm, so I had to keep dousing myself in water to stay cool. I was down to nothing in my bottles at the top, but I was able to refill and enjoy the long 19 mile descent back to my car. The final stats for the day were 82 miles, and 8900 feet of climbing. Not bad for weekday!
Pictures of the ride are here.