This past weekend I was able to coax a couple of buddies out for a quick s24o camping trip up in the mountains behind Ojai. Not an easy feat for most of us to pull off as life gets too busy, but a few emails, a month of lead time and I had two out of 6 invites along for the ride, thanks Mike and Mike. We headed out Saturday afternoon towards the Murietta Camp near the end of Matilija Creek Rd.
Weather down on the coast was foggy all day, and I was looking forward to getting some time in the sun. About 6 miles in we could see the end of the clouds, and then it was clear all the way to camp.
Up around Lake Casitas and through Miner's Oaks we stopped in at the Farmer and the Cook to pick up some last-minute energy snacks (peanut butter cookies) and then it was out of town an up HWY 33 into the Santa Ynez mountains
The turn off for Matilija Canyon Rd comes up quickly. Mostly uphill to get past
the most useless damn in the region, and then down into the canyon. This is some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever been through.
Just over 5 miles of empty rolling hills heading back to some dirt and creek crossings. The sun would be giving us light until 7:30 or 8, so we were taking our time getting to the trail head
I theory we were almost there. The campground should be less than a mile up and easy to spot. Twenty minutes of single track, and a creek crossing and it was becoming painfully evident that Plan A was not going to be as easy as we thought
The trail was well marked, and a heck of a lot of fun, but the campsite was a bit elusive. Plan B was to head back towards Matilija camp, and or the first workable flat spot before it got too dark. Two miles back the other direction, one dry riverbed, 3 creek crossings and a whole lot of hike a bike and we found our home for the night
Tired, hungry and needing a rinse in the creek the camera went away until morning. While the Matilija camp sees a fair amount of traffic, it was fairly quiet this summer Saturday, there were a couple of other camps to the south, but by no means crowded. The night was clear with bright stars and no moon. Sleep came easy. Fog had rolled into the valleys by morning, bringing some chill with it.
Dinner Had made it evident that I had left my spoon at home. There is a good bit of humor to be found in that in consideration of all the camera gear and other stuff I had dragged along. It was not that big of a deal, by morning I had thought of a work around for my oatmeal. Have I mentioned how much I like my
Soma tire levers?
The sun was starting to break through, it was time to break camp and enjoy the ride out. A mix of single track, and hike a bike, with creek crossings, plenty of poison oak, and did I mention poison oak?
The time in the sun was short lived and we were flirting with the edge of the fog the rest of the way back towards home and the ocean.
After a look back we crested out of the valley and back out on the HWY 33, tempting us to head north for a bit.
At least it was tempting me. The rest of the afternoon committed for all three of us though, it was back to town. Trips further North will have to wait for another time.
The trip was a success, even had a little adventure thrown in. Total time away was under 19 hours with about 60 miles of riding. All of this is just to the North of the comforts of home. Everybody wants to do it again. Time to start planning the next round.
Yesterday I had the whole day to myself, so I decided what any logical cyclist would do, load the bags and head up into the mountains for a day. This ride was a test ride for two purposes: determining range and water needs for some wilderness overnight trips and a possible trip all the way north to Atascadero some day. Water can be scarce in the back valleys, so I packed almost two gallons. I know it is overkill, but I thought I could be out as long as 8 hours without fresh water, so I loaded up enough for the whole trip and a little extra. The planned route was an out and back through Ojai and then up the Hwy 33 towards Pine Mountain Rd:
It was planned to be a long day of climbing with some very nice descents coming home. The weather was a bit gloomy, the blue sky peaking through at times, and there was a threat of rain, all the makings for an adventure.
The clouds gave way to beautiful skies as I pushed closer to Ojai, The pass into the mountains is through the gap between the two telephone poles to the left.
This all was still just the warm up for the real climbing to come. As you leave town the grade pitches up another couple of percent for a few miles.
The temperature was still pretty mild taking a bit of the sting out of the climb. A few mile more and I was making my way through the tunnels at Wheeler Gorge.
This is where the Roadeo was really starting to shine. Even with 20 or so lbs of stuff loaded up I was making one of my best times with less apparent effort. My lowes gears on this bike are 30x28. After the tunnels it is miles of switchbacks and rapid gains in altitude. About 2/3 of the way up it was time for a break to soak up the views.
Another push and I was at the top. The ride home was looking to be really fun at this point.
The next eight miles or so were a nice break as I dropped into Rose Valley and worked up through the rolling climb towards Pine Mountain Rd. Things were looking good. I was feeling strong, drinking a bottle an hour, the bike was holding up. Then it started. I thought I was picking gears poorly through the rolling hills, often spinning a bit before it would catch, kind of like when you are in too low of a gear for your speed after a bit of coasting. I knew in my heart what it was and I did not want to beleave it. At about 40 miles in and just past the 4000 foot elevation sign the freewheel exceeded all expectations, doubled it's efforts and blessed me with freewheeling action in both directions. This was going to be a longer day than I expected. I sat down, drank a can of coconut water and reflected on a plan of attack. Thinking it may just be sticky prawls I used what I had, gave the wheel a spin and shot some water into the freewheel. Oil would have been better, but was 40 miles back home in the garage. It was about 25 miles back to even get cell phone coverage. The plan resolved to a combination of coasting down hill, walking and kicking along like a scooter through the flats. Moving as quickly as I could I wanted to get home before the weather turned worse.
Don't I look happy?
The wind had picked up and I was heading home straight into it. This was the start of the unplanned experiment in low rolling resistance and low-speed stability. For some of the rolling hills I could even keep up enough speed to make it up and over some approaching inclines. Then there was this:
Two miles and 400 feet of slow altitude gain back to the pass. The view was incredible, and you notice all sorts of things you would miss moving at biking speeds. Plenty of time for that alone with your thoughtfulness. After almost 30 minutes the first and only person the whole day to stop and see if I was OK asked if I needed a lift. I asked how far to the pass? He replied about 200 yards. I thanked him for stoping, but declined the ride since this is part of what I had worked so hard for.
The weather had turned a bit since earlier, and I was really hoping it was dry the whole way down. The reward was worth it, fast and clean with fresh pavement and only a couple of cars the whole way down. I do not think I would have pedaled much on this leg any way. I only had to walk a short mile or so near the bottom and then a mile or so through Ojai. Almost 30 miles with no forward drive, save for gravity, and I was still making great time. The last 10 miles would be along the bike path from Ojai to Ventura. The path is reputed to be downhill the whole way, and I was about to find out. By this point I was determined to make it home on my own power. With slow motion manic zeal I pressed onward. There were stretches that I could pick up some real speed, and then the others. Imagine being out on your normal ride and passing a guy in full aero tuck coasting along what you previously thought was flat at the blazing speed of 5 mph. As long as I was still passing the walkers I kept coasting. The miles were still clicking off at surprising speed. Every time I thought for sure that it would flatten out I was able to keep rolling along. Granted it took some serious concentration, the tightest tuck I could manage and at times I was powered by will alone. The best part was the silence. Again the slower speed allowing for time to take in the views that might otherwise not be savored.
Eight hours and twenty minutes after leaving home I rolled back into the garage. A shockingly respectable time for 80 miles, 4000 ft max above sea level and a soap box derby return home. A thought experiment in low rolling resistance made real by need. All said it was a great day. The bike performed great, excepting the freewheel. Knowing that I can coast along 0.5% grades for miles with my Jack Browns is amazing. The weather was spectacular in a dramatic sort of way.
Today I put on the old Suntour freewheel I had in reserve, tomorrow I talk with the people who sold me a more "modern" version.
I was able to take the whole morning for myself yesteray and ride a long mixed terrain loop. I headed out along the Ventura River trail to Sulphur Mountain Road. The whole loop is about 50 miles long, about 1/4 of that is dirt. Lots of climbing and lots of incredible descents. Here is a quick map of the ride:
Almost 50 miles and 4000 feet of climbing.
The weather was incredible, temperature in the 60's the whole time, clear and sunny with just a little coastal haze. The first 8 miles along the paved river trail is a nice way to get the legs warmed up for the climbing to come. Crossing the Hwy 33 onto Sulphur Mtn Rd, it is another 10 miles or so of perfect dirt ranch road.
The grass is already starting to turn brown for the summer, but there is plenty of color left in the trees and wild flowers.
There is no traffic on the road save for the occasional rancher and some cows. THis day was no exception. I saw plenty of birds, cows, squirels, rabbits and a couple of snakes, but only 3 other people. With a couple of level sections and a short drop here and there it is primarily straight up for the whole 8 miles. The road twists and turns affording views of the coast.
On days without our coastal haze, and seasonal fog you can get clear views of the ocean and Chanel Islands. Looking out the other direction is the Ojai valley and the coastal ranges beyond.
After mile 10 things get a little steeper and hotter, usually by this point I am wishing I had left the house a bit earlier to beat the heat. This time I was caught by Jim on his bike and we were able to chat as we spun our way up. It really helped pass the time and the last bit of dirt a gravel passed in no time. Jim turned back to ride down the dirt, I pressed on to the east for a different ride. The road turns to single lane paved fo ra couple of more miles with some welcome tree cover in the afternoon heat.
Then, after 12 miles of climbing I reached my real goal for the day. Five minutes of perfect twisty back road descending. This is my favorite gravity ride in the entire region.
The tires were covered in dust by the time I had reached the top. After the ride down they were cleaned back to black more than half way out to the edges. With the best fun past, I continued east on the Hwy 150 towards Santa Paula. There was a bit of climbing to the summit. Then Downhill all the way in to Santa Paula. This was a refreshing leg of the ride after all of the climbing. Also, I had only ridden this leg westbound in the past. Going down these 6 or so miles was a little more pleasant than the usual slog up.
As I neared Santa Paula I could feel the Spring winds starting to come up and realised the folly of my route planning. All year-long our predominant winds are out of the west off of the ocean. In the spring and fall though it can come up into the 20 mph or greater rang and really change the ride. The next 18 miles were straight into the wind. My legs were fried 5 miles in. The wind was a steady 15 mph with gusts well above 30 mph as I worked my way along the foothills back towards home.
The only consolation was the miles of fresh, silky smooth, black top. This stretch of road is primarily agricultural and has been beat to a pulp over the years. The new pavement was a pleasant surprise, but could not make up for the wind. My legs were starting to cramp and I new I should have packed a backup electrolyte powder. I pushed on knowing I was almost home. The ride back into town was perfect. The wind was still there, but coming straight off the ocean it was 10 degrees cooler.
A little sun burned and a lot tired it was a great way to take a break, get outside and get ready for the next big push. I need to make the time to do this more often.
Yesterday morning's schedule left me with the opportunity to do what I wanted for five hours or more. I decided it was time to put on some decent miles and headed out on what turned out to be a perfect day for one of my favorite loops.
This ride takes you through some beautiful views of the farms, canyons, lakes and with no fog today the channel islands were spectacular. The route heads east out of Ventura out to Santa Paula, up the Hwy 150 through Ojai and back down to the coast at Rincon. From there it back along the coast to home.
The ride is just over 100km (70 miles) and 4250 feet of climbing. I was able to get it done in five hours and ten minutes, pretty respectable considering it has been months since I did anything over 20 miles. The weather was spectacular, warmer than I expected, no clouds and there was only strong winds on the leg out to Santa Paula. Spring has definitely sprung, the flowers: lupine, mustard, poppy and all the others, are starting to pop.
This is a popular route with the local cyclists and clubs. Today I seemed to be the only one going counter-clockwise as I crossed paths with plenty of other's going the other way. Clockwise lets you slowly work your way up to the Summit and 10 miles down to Santa Paula, I would rather slog up the climb so I can enjoy the twisty drop from upper to lower Ojai.
After the twisty drop it is small towns and rollers to the coast, with a couple of steep pitches through Casitas Pass and then down through the valley to the beach. Everything went better than you could hope for. No mechanical issues, great weather and plenty of time made for a perfect ride. The Roadeo with Jack Browns made me wonder if I will ever ride a skinny tire again.
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Weather down on the coast was foggy all day, and I was looking forward to getting some time in the sun. About 6 miles in we could see the end of the clouds, and then it was clear all the way to camp.
Up around Lake Casitas and through Miner's Oaks we stopped in at the Farmer and the Cook to pick up some last-minute energy snacks (peanut butter cookies) and then it was out of town an up HWY 33 into the Santa Ynez mountains
The turn off for Matilija Canyon Rd comes up quickly. Mostly uphill to get past the most useless damn in the region, and then down into the canyon. This is some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever been through.
Just over 5 miles of empty rolling hills heading back to some dirt and creek crossings. The sun would be giving us light until 7:30 or 8, so we were taking our time getting to the trail head
I theory we were almost there. The campground should be less than a mile up and easy to spot. Twenty minutes of single track, and a creek crossing and it was becoming painfully evident that Plan A was not going to be as easy as we thought
The trail was well marked, and a heck of a lot of fun, but the campsite was a bit elusive. Plan B was to head back towards Matilija camp, and or the first workable flat spot before it got too dark. Two miles back the other direction, one dry riverbed, 3 creek crossings and a whole lot of hike a bike and we found our home for the night
Tired, hungry and needing a rinse in the creek the camera went away until morning. While the Matilija camp sees a fair amount of traffic, it was fairly quiet this summer Saturday, there were a couple of other camps to the south, but by no means crowded. The night was clear with bright stars and no moon. Sleep came easy. Fog had rolled into the valleys by morning, bringing some chill with it.
Dinner Had made it evident that I had left my spoon at home. There is a good bit of humor to be found in that in consideration of all the camera gear and other stuff I had dragged along. It was not that big of a deal, by morning I had thought of a work around for my oatmeal. Have I mentioned how much I like my Soma tire levers?
The sun was starting to break through, it was time to break camp and enjoy the ride out. A mix of single track, and hike a bike, with creek crossings, plenty of poison oak, and did I mention poison oak?
The time in the sun was short lived and we were flirting with the edge of the fog the rest of the way back towards home and the ocean.
After a look back we crested out of the valley and back out on the HWY 33, tempting us to head north for a bit.
At least it was tempting me. The rest of the afternoon committed for all three of us though, it was back to town. Trips further North will have to wait for another time.
The trip was a success, even had a little adventure thrown in. Total time away was under 19 hours with about 60 miles of riding. All of this is just to the North of the comforts of home. Everybody wants to do it again. Time to start planning the next round.
