Saturday, Nov 18 – Mt George/Atlas Peak road ride

[SadieKate]

Come explore more of the remote roads of Napa. We’ll start in Fairfield, ride up Wooden and Gordon Valley roads, over Mt George to Napa and then up Atlas Peak. This is part of the spring Davis 200k brevet route.

Distance and climb: 60 miles (out 30 and back 30) and about 4,900 ft.
Start: Safeway parking lot in Fairfield at Waterman/I-80/Hilborn
Route Map: http://www.routeslip.com/map.php?map=6712
Eats: Corner store/gas station at 20/40 mile points as we go through Napa both ways
Time: Let’s talk. How about 10 am? Earlier? What?

Oh yeah, rain cancels.

[Veronica]

We'll be there. We may turn around early, but we'll be there.

V.

[Trekhawk]

Would love to come on this one (see you are turning me into a hill groupie after all) even though I will probably swear at you on the way up them.

Not sure if DH will be working though (should know by middle of next week). Count me as a hopeful maybe.

[SadieKate]

Does the 10 am start sound OK?

[Veronica]

Fine with us.

V.

[jobob]

excellent

[aka_kim]

Okey dokey.

[Veronica]

This was a nice ride. Thanks for the conversation beans SK! They were fun and yummy. I was bummed we had to turn back early, but the Christmas card is nearly done and we got a roast and a pasta sauce cooked up for the week.

Thom kept "attacking" me on the way back. I'd be riding along, pulling and he'd suddenly fly ahead. Of course I had to respond. It was his way of turning it into an interval workout. Eventually I set the pace high enough that he couldn't jump off the front. Sudden sprints aren't really my strong suit. Then just before we got back to the parking lot, he did it again. It was actually quite fun.

I had a good hot buttered rum flavored latte at the coffee shop there and a cheese danish.

V.

[SadieKate]

We really need to get you up Atlas Peak one day. The geology is very unexpected. Lots and lots of volcanic rock outcroppings. Huge area with a large concentrations of stone walls (you know the century-old 3 ft high types). Great fall colors. Long views across several ridges. Very different from the normal scenery in the Napa area.

I was both bummed and elated at the top though. The first time I rode this route, Bill had been off his bike for a couple weeks and it was hot (day after the KX dble), so I rode up ahead of him. I finally decided that the maps were wrong, the road was longer than I expected and I didn't wanted Bill to worry about me. So, I turned around at 30.1 miles. Yesterday, we made it to the dead end - only 4/10s of a friggin' mile farther! Glad that I made it so far the first time on a hot day, but bummed that I missed the end by such a teeny amount.

This time the total climbing registered 5,105 ft.

[jobob]

Lee & I, on the other hand, turned around about halfway up Atlas Peak. There is only so much a couple of loaded bobs can do without a tow, after all.

I was worried about how long it would take us to climb back over Mt. George so, rather than risk riding home in the dark, we went on ahead and did our snails-pace plod back up Mt. George and waited for the rest at the top. We didn't have to wait very long. Very pleasant ride with the gang back into Fairfield.

So the Bobs totals worked out to about 51 miles and total climbing was a bit under 4000 ft.

[aka_kim]

Atlas Peak was beautiful, and well-worth doing. Mt. George on the otherhand, I hope never to do again.

Last night I was looking at bike club cue sheets, etc. that include Atlas Peak on the route. One started in Napa, did Atlas Peak, stopped for lunch (yeah!) and then did Mt. Veeder. Oh, here are their pictures. 59 miles and 4800'.

[jobob]

That sounds promising especially the lunch part.

Good sleuthing, Kim.

Altho L.B. & I didn't get up close and personal with the pig poo truck, we'd just as soon avoid Mt. George in the future as well. Especially the return direction, oy.