Four of us biked a loop from Menlo Park to Pescadero, mostly on low-traffic back roads, through redwood and eucalyptus groves. The 63 miles and 7000’ of elevation gain (most of it in two major hills) made it a bit of a challenge as well.
Quick route reminder stapled around the handlebars:
Rolling hills, fields, solar-powered houses:
Taking a break in Pescadero to eat lunch outside, including excellent artichoke bread from Arcangeli Grocery:
Highway 1 (which has good shoulders in this section):
Some riding highlights included Old La Honda (3 miles of uphill at a remarkably consistent grade, making it easy to keep a pace), the Tunitas Creek climb (about 9 miles of uphill, 6 of them with a significant grade, through dark, nearly car-free redwood forests thick with ferns), and the rolling hills and downhills of Pescadero Creek Road (my new favorite set of rolling hills in the Bay Area– a burst of energy through them let me mainly stay in my top gear and keep a 20-25mph pace for 10 miles).
We saw startled deer, horses, classic cars, the ocean, and remarkably little fog.
This ride’s made it onto the “favorite routes list”.