Many of the rest of us decided to ride the traditional Mount Hamilton loop on the same day. We started to gather a little before 8:00. Someone needed a kitchen sink, so Lisa looked for one. We eventually got started, and soon found that Alum Rock Park was indeed closed, and no one was allowed in. We worked our way along an alternate route and began our climb of Mount Hamilton Road. There was some kind of off-road bicycle coasting contest that day in Grant Ranch Park. We kept getting passed by large trucks packed with bicyclists and their bicycles. Several of us were reminded of cattle trucks.
The weather was nearly perfect. But, since it had been cold and rainy earlier in the week, there was snow near and at the top. We were busy at the top, talking, eating, drinking, playing with a GPS and sub-notebook computer, taking pictures, and availing ourselves of the various facilities. How many vending machines do you see stocked with Power Bars?
The road on both sides of the mountain had lots of sand and gravel, but somehow it was more noticeable descending than climbing. I always forget that there are cattle guards on the backside of Mount Hamilton until I get forcibly reminded. All thoughts of sand, gravel, and cattle guards disappeared at the sight of wild flowers almost everywhere through the San Antonio Valley.
The Junction Cafe, at the intersection of Mines and Del Puerto Canyon roads, is the only place to buy food between the Lick Observatory at the top of Mount Hamilton and Livermore, a distance of about 80 kilometers. We had expected to see the Bikeaholics on the Devil Mountain ride at the junction, but none were in sight. The cafe was 15 orders behind, so most of us bought snacks and ate food that we were carrying. After we ate our lunch and watched humming birds for a while, we gave up on seeing the Devil Mountain riders soon and continued our own ride.
The wild flowers in this section of the valley were even more spectacular than earlier, sometimes they filled entire meadows. After a while, we spotted Bill Halleck riding the other way, so we stopped to talk. A little while later, we saw Craig Robertson, who was a little slower than usual because of a bout with the flu. Shortly after we re-resumed riding we saw Michael Schiff and, within seconds, Ken Holloway. Aparently neither of them had time to stop and chat. Even further down the road, we saw Tom Lawrence and Sara Beaver on their tandem.
After several on road stream crossings, we began to climb out of the valley followed by a descent to Livermore, where we had a second lunch. After Livermore, the group fragmented. We all climbed Calaveras, then some descended to the start of the ride and others went to Sierra to re-meet the Devil Mountain riders.
The Mount Hamilton loopers rode between 170 and 200 kilometers with 2300 to 2500 meters climbing. The Devil Mountain doublers did way over 300 kilometers biking and 5000 meters climbing. Here's Lisa Antonino's ride report.
This page was last updated on 1998 June 6
