PINNACLES BIKE & HIKE TOUR - April 1 - 3, 2005

On Friday, April 1^st ten riders headed out from the town of Coalinga to begin the ride along lovely Los Gatos Creek, climbing to Condon Pass and then down along a quiet, most beautiful area. There were ranches, fields covered with wildflowers, horses and cows, forested sections, and hardly any traffic. Once onto highway 25 we saw meadows and rolling hills covered with purple lupine, blue dicks, yellow goldfields, and cerise-colored owls clover. The golden California poppies and many other flowers were out too. What a treat!

On Saturday we left our camp and cycled the few miles to Pinnacles National Monument where we did a half-day hike on the High Peaks trail, which led us up into the pinnacles. After climbing through a steep, narrow section complete with handrails, we enjoyed some spectacular views. After lunch we rode an easy thirty-eight miles to King City where we camped in the grassy fields of San Lorenzo County Park.

Completing the loop on Sunday, we were treated to more wildflowers, overwhelmingly green rolling hills with grazing cattle and oak trees, a scenic but steady climb over the coastal mountains, then down through beautiful, bucolic Priest's Valley, and back to Coalinga. Sometimes the cows just stared at us as we silently rode by and other times they ran alongside as though we were their escape route to freedom. At other times they appeared as small ornaments in the distance, not moving at all.

Aside from some flat tire problems on day one and day three, our tour was the best. The weather was cool and comfortable for the most part, and aside from the expected high winds on the descent into King City, we had no serious headwinds.

If you missed this excellent tour, be sure to join us next year. All you need are three days, low gears, and lots of enthusiasm. The scenery is unsurpassed and you even get to lock up your bike for a while to do a nifty hike in a beautiful park. Participants this year were David Urciuoli, Bob Lloyd, Jerry Tate, Philip Conmy, Shahla Hashemi, Larry Moore, Dick Kniepkamp, Kathy Shapiro, Mike Wolfe, and Ellie Antonio.