Henry Coe Ride Report I logged on a few weeks ago and asked the listserv about experiences of Henry W. Coe Park. Got some great reports that fueled my excitement.
It’s the biggest state run park in Northern California, 87,000 acres of open space. Certain parts are closed to cyclists though it is recognized as some of the best mountain biking in the greater bay area. Almost everyone I spoke to warned of the almost vertical climbs and descents. Even riders who I thought were in the same club suggested full suspension. My buddy Todd and I had planned an early morning departure last Monday but delayed until about 6pm to avoid riding in the rain. We departed from Berkeley and arrived in Briones about an hour after dark. We rode a fire road out from the park entrance about a mile and pushed up an extremely steep and muddy hill. This short ascent proved to be one of the most challenging moments of the trip. Todd spent the night a bit cold, and we were both soaked from the tall grasses we’d be tromping through. In the morning we were considering heading back home so he could pick up his thicker sleeping bag when alas I remembered stories of the VBL. Todd and I rode out to Walnut Creek to the headquarters. We both picked up some “Vapor Barrier Liners” and we agreed our dollars could not have been better spent. We went from wearing our down jackets inside our bags and shivering through the night to ditching the jackets and feeling more than cozy. Pretty incredible results for such a packable and inexpensive item. Grant and Mark gave us directions from Walnut Creek out to Livermore where Todd grew up. They seemed a bit doubtful about our ambitious journey but gave us some uplifting encouragement. We made it out for sandwiches and tea with Todd’s parents and then a good 10 miles into Mines Rd. before sunset. We found a lovely campsite on an unknowingly generous landowners’ space. It felt incredibly remote for being just 10 miles out of Livermore. The next day we continued along Mines Rd. until a welcomed stop at the Junction Café. It’s located at the junction of Mines Rd. and Hwy 138 and is of a different world. Giant Boar heads over the bar with mangled tusks, not a single guy without a camouflage baseball cap. Wonderful people, we felt warmly welcomed, humored perhaps. Had too much to eat and drink for our adventurous spirits and enjoyed some good games of horseshoe outside the restaurant. We departed from Mines Rd. soon after unto some private land for a mile or so and then into the beauty of Henry Coe. We spent 1 night and 2 full days in the park. Riding and pushing, pushing and riding. I’d say our time was about 50/50 between the 2. We crossed a dozen or so rivers and felt lost in the isolated beauty. >From the park we rode down through Gilroy and into Downtown San Jose where we caught bus 181 to Fremont Bart and then homeward bound. It was an incredible 4 days. Refreshed and enlivened, Adam Pictures and some short videos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39219...@n06/sets/72157623893960464/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
