Snow ride in Saratoga Gap
So when I went checking out the snow in the Santa Cruz mountains yesterday I had my bike with me – hoping a good snow ride would be in the realm of possibilities; decided to try Saratoga Gap because it’s a trail that holds up pretty well in wet conditions (it traverses more or less parallel to the ridge and features a sandy, rocky soil with lots of leafs or leaf debris).
It turned out to be even better than I anticipated: the snow in the forest, the sun breaking through the clouds and fog, snow flakes and moisture dripping from the trees: pure magic and bliss! And the Gap is of course a real fun singletrack as it is – the wet roots and slippery rocks made it even more interesting this time.
At the trailhead near Highway 9, hordes of kids (and parents) were out, playing around throwing snow balls and such. No motorcycles this time and no hotdog guy either. It was cold but not too bad: just below freezing, hardly any wind, the sun warming things up (well I guess that’s pretty bad for folks who never get out of the Bay Area).
Long Ridge, on the other side of Skyline turned out to be a mudfest (but had great views), so I cut that part short, and for good measure, rode the Gap again.
More pics are posted here...
Tags: mountain biking, Saratoga Gap, snow
