A day for another Skeggs » HMB extravaganza, this time I wanted to get away from the usual trails and mix up the route a little.
First thing was
a brand new trail which just opened, the Molder Trail. It’s really nothing, just a tenth of a mile between Sierra Morena Trail and Skyline 35. It’s part of a connector to the Ridge Trail in Cal Water land (where bikes are not allowed). Here’s how it looks from Skyline:
The other end at the Sierra Morena Trail:
Though, if you enjoy riding switchbacks, there are 3 nice ones within that tenth mile.
This sad photo of a sad looking gate which I always refer to as gate CMØ4.5:
Usually MidPen puts up their own standard issue gate but they have never done so here. This is the top of the Steam Donkey Trail which is slated for closure, sometime in the future I’ll have a photo of a barrier here. Basically, this not-so-great photo is the “before” picture.
I rode down Steam Donkey without dawdling which got me to 79th out of 303—and off the last page of times—and now took The Path Less Traveled to the Leaf Trails on the west side of the Preserve: Timberview Trail » Lawrence Creek Trail » Virginia Mill Trail. It’s dark, lush forest down here:
That’s the Timberview Trail / Lawrence Creek Trail / Gordon Mill Trail intersection, and the bridge on the Lawrence Creek Trail.
Over to the Purisima Redwoods Open Space Preserve where I was below the fog layer…What It Was Like Out There™:
Time has taken a toll on this old Douglas Fir:
For something different, I looped up (the very busy) Whittemore Gulch / North Ridge trails, and descended Harkins Ridge Trail (back into the fog):
I exited the western gate (PCØ5) and instead of turning right onto Higgins Canyon Road as I usually do, I went left onto Purisima Creek Road which brought me to the site of former town of Purisima (@ Verde Road):
About a half mile from the coast, all that is left is a
cemetery. This is not easily accessed. I looked for a way but it is very, very overgrown with lots of bramble and Poison Oak in the mix.
A nice Flickr photo-set of the cemeteryWikipedia for Purissima/PurisimaWell on to the coast then…
I took Highway 1 to the beautiful and popular south entrance of
the 2 year old Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail:
Map sign of the Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail
photo Half Moon Bay Review
Rode out to the south vista point, What It Was Like Out There™
Now I head north to Half Moon Bay. At the Purisima Creek crossing we see a contrast in style. On the right the farmer makes a road straight up the steep fall-line. The modern trail builder’s approach is on the left, gradual grades with switchbacks:
I thought this nearby sign says a lot about the future of government built trails:
At Cowell Ranch Beach it was time to do a little exploring. First time through this bit of coastline, I rode Highway 1 but today I found that the social trails along the bluff connected to the paved pathways of the Ritz-Carlton hotel/golf course:
From here there is a pathway to Rodondo Beach which I already knew about. The Rodondo Beach purple flowers were in bloom:
That photo is time stamped 3:10pm. I begin my return trip. The battery in my camera was now about dead but normally I put away the camera at this point in the day and just focus on the journey back to the car. At the Half Moon Bay fire station, I impulsively take Main Street towards downtown. Curious, I guess. Maybe I’ll find a Coke® machine. Wouldn’t that be sweet? Sigh, no luck…ended up getting a bit of water from the sink at the James Johnston House picnic area (the drinking fountain wasn’t working). From there, it was a ~12 mile ride uphill to the car at Skeggs Point. Arrival 6:41pm.
• Postscript, the following day on a fun little ride in the Santa Cruz woods, I fell and broke my clavicle. I’ll be off the bike for the next 6 weeks. :-(
Start Skeggs Point » CMØ1 » Fir Trail » Sierra Morena Trail » out & back Molder Trail » Sierra Morena Trail » CMØ3 » Skyline 35 » CMØ4.5 » Steam Donkey Trail » Gordon Mill Trail » Crossover Trail » Crosscut Trail » Timberview Trail » Lawrence Creek Trail » Virginia Mill Trail » South Leaf » Methuselah Trail » North Leaf » El Corte de Madera Creek Trail » CMØ7 » Star Hill Road » Tunitas Creek Road » PCØ4 » Grabtown Gulch Trail » Purisima Creek Trail » Whittemore Gulch Trail » North Ridge Trail » Harkins Ridge Trail » PCØ5 » Purisima Creek Road » Verde Road » Highway 1 » Cowell-Purisima Trail » Cowell Ranch Beach » Coastal trails along the bluff; north to Wavecrest Area » Wavecrest Road » Highway 1 » Half Moon Bay » out & back Main Street » Higgins Canyon Road » PCØ5 » Purisima Creek Trail » Borden Hatch Mill Trail » Grabtown Gulch Trail » PCØ4 » Tunitas Creek Road » Star Hill Road » CMØ7 » El Corte de Madera Creek Trail » Resolution Trail » Fir Trail » CMØ1 » Skeggs Point. 50.20 / 7:34 / 10:45 / 7,552'
Link to
Google Street MapKings Mountain:
Half Moon Bay:
