Muse back!
July 15, 2006 / Saturday
Wilder Ranch
It was pretty hot in the Bay Area today, but we managed to find more temperate riding weather in Santa Cruz, at Wilder Ranch. We were supposed to get there at 2:30, but because of traffic didn't make it until 3:00, which would have been okay if it weren't for the fact that we were supposed to meet my coworker in the parking lot. I apologized profusely when we finally arrived, and even though I could tell he wasn't happy about having to wait, he good naturedly accepted the apology and we headed out for the trails.
The trails we took were decent: steep enough to give me a workout but not so steep that I couldn't ride up them. There was a section of single track under tree cover that I found particularly fun, despite the fact that it included an uphill section that tired me out enough that I completely failed in my attempt to hop over a little log at the end of the climb. To make it even more interesting, when I hopped and flopped I ended up on top of a hoard of big angry red ants. Fortunately they were too busy being angry about something other than me, and caused me no injuries on top of what I had just done to myself, which included light bruises on my left thigh, right shin, and right thigh, a welt just above my left knee, scrapes on the bottoms of both forearms, and a cut at the tip of my now-sore right elbow. Despite the length of the injury list, there was no severe damage. I feel pretty good, actually.
We rode on and eventually reached the other trailhead, i.e. the top. We rested a short while, and during this short while I happened to notice a fly sitting on the cut on my right elbow. I think it thought I was a cow, and was getting ready to lay eggs in my wound. Ew. And moo.
In non-fly news, I finally got to try out my new heart rate monitor. I'm still familarizing myself with it, but here are the numbers. Max heart rate: 195 bpm. Average heart rate: 170 bpm. Total distance: 10.5 miles. Total climb: 1345 feet. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to install the cadence sensor before today's ride. Next time, Gadget, next time!
After the ride we stopped for ice cream at Marianne's. So many flavors, all very tasty. I had a scoop each of the Macapuno and Mandarin Chocolate. The Macapuno was impressive; there were huge chunks of baby coconut in the ice cream. The Mandarin Chocolate was no slacker either. Super rich and flavorful. Must visit again!
July 15, 2006 08:12 PM | Mountain