California's best kept SECRET bicycle tour: The Santa Lucia
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.พ. 2024
- Is this one of the best kept secret bicycle touring routes through California? With miles of car free riding along backroads this route takes you through historic sites like the Ventana Wilderness, Big Sur, and the Hacienda. It's a tough mixed surface route with tons of climbing designed for the true cycling adventure seeker. Enjoy!
I like Cools river crossing technique. Like a boss.
Even with a strong current she was able to pull it off.
You guys are such a great couple. It's incredible how many things you share, like the love for cycling, p butter and jelly sandwiches, and so much more 👌
Great video - thanks for making and sharing it. Ridden this route a few times, usually in the opposite direction for a two day loop starting and ending in Carmel Valley. Always a great adventure! Usually rode with Jobst Brandt, so 28mm tyres 😊The rooms at the Hacienda are very cool (remind me of the hotel at Death Valley Junction). Nice to relive old adventures - thank you for that!
For folks who haven’t ridden here, the video is great, but there is sooo much more cool scenery and riding that’s been edited out. You have to ride this to see it and believe it!😊
What a time that must have been! There's a lot to be explored through this area. I've often wondered where Jobst was riding. Listening to Tom Ritchey recounting his explorations in various interviews, it always sounded like very remote and very challenging places. The Northern California coastal ranges are just that, very challenging! On 28mm tires you all were setting the bar for under-biking. Thanks for a sharing a little insight!
Thanks to you both for the scenery you cycle through especially as I will not be ale to sample it in person, please keep exploring it is much appreciated.
Used to be stationed out at FHL back in the early 90’s. Beautiful area
We used to cliff dive in Arroyo Seco back in the '80s. Went there hunting and fishing too. We saw soldiers there lots! We used to drive trucks thru on that same road.
Its a pretty wild and rugged area. Did you guys go out there?
Last we went we hiked into the gorge, (2008?) the road was closed.
That was an epic ride!
As of now (March 2024), Nacimiento-Ferguson road is listed as closed from the west boundary of Fort Hunter Liggett to Hwy 1 at the coast, due to storm damage that occurred in 2021.
The story I’ve heard about the origins of the Hacienda is that it was Hearst’s hunting lodge. Hearst apparently owned most of the land that is now Fort Hunter Liggett, and sold it to the US Army before WW II. Public hunting is still allowed on parts of the fort lands and I’ve known people who’ve hunted there for elk or wild hogs.
Awesome ride-along (as always). Another way to get into the bosom of the Lucias: Right out of King City, (due west) is Pine Canyon Rd. If you take it all the way to where it peters out past the final residences / private properties, it will connect to a myriad of trails behind Fort Hunter Ligett and onto Mission / Milpitas /Indians / Del Venturi roads. Unfortunately Nacimiento Rd to the coast is now closed due to serious slides. But there's a better way thru the back country behind FHL (via San Miguelito Loop / Gabilan roads ) all the way to end of South Coast Ridge above Hearst Castle. Climbing outta FHL this way is epic. (Stunningly gorgeous canyon rising from the Nacimiento River along Salmon Creek). Riding from King City to Hearst / San Simeon in a LONG day this way is doable. (Or bring gear and camp with the lions!). From bay area, best option is to use public transit for accessing this wonderland: Caltrain from SFO to Gilroy followed by a local bus to King City, (then Amtrak back from SLO). Your video is motivating to get back into the majestic Los Padres Forest!
Incredible intel on the road out of King City. I saw it on the map but wasn’t sure if it was passable. That could be a nice connection from HWY 25 for a really nice route from the Bay Area. Thanks again!
Yes I remember when riding through there that the Highway 25 gravel connector would truly make for a savage A to B (Airline Highway to SLO Coast - phew...only ultra endurance junkies on Ms Cools' levels need apply! ). Lia (wifey) even mentioned your original Arroyo Seco adventure vid from that year, (when Therese intro'd you to that epic gravel route in the shadow of Pinnacles Monument). That ranks as our alltime fave moment from entirety of your amazing series (the two of you sitting in wonder atop the gravel before descending into the Salinas valley = EPIC 👌)
@@BoogieBrew The Gloria road moment! We made it just in time for the sunset. Great memory.
Glorious Gloria...please keep manufacturing memories together. Utter inspiration for us mortals who love watching your moments on wheels....the 2 of u are so very guilty of living (stay accused of such crimes👌).
I admire your willingness to go somewhere that remote without a confirmed res. I think I would've spent the day worrying. haha. Beautiful stretch of CA. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.
You made it back there!
I need to do this ride now. Always thought about it but never did.
We used to drive thru the Arroyo Seco Road with trucks all thru the '80s all the way to Hunter Liggett. Last time I did it was 1988, the fall after we were married.
We went out there mainly for cliff diving in Arroyo Seco, but also off grid camping, hunting and fishing.
It was a popular area for feral pig hunting, probably why its popular with mtn lions!
The area gets seriously hot in the summer. Bring a water filter! Ive never seen Arroyo Seco completely dry up in 40 years, even in the heat of summer.
My favorite epic ride food is PBJ, Nutella and bacon sandwiches. About 600 calories each!
Great ride!! I've driven the Naci Ferguson rd..it is dang sketchy down to the ocean!! But, I never thought of the Indian rd. I have to try it now!! Make a loop from the top trailhead to the base and then back up. I hate being near cars.
Thanks for showing this. Right in my back yard and I never knew it.
Those wilderness corridors in my area are nominally called “cherry stems” and not thru routes. I have one rando style box bag and a Surly Petite Portuer front bag. I love them for everyday riding. And two bikes that have the right trail to manage high front loads. Well done and plentiful information that could apply to planning unfamiliar bike packing routes.
This is absolutely incredible, thank you so much for sharing. I mapped out this same route based on internet research. It's nice to have someone actually ride it and provide very helpful information. I hope to ride these roads someday.
Thank you!
PB&J always always great and calorie dense great choice
What not to like adventure, cycling, and Ms Cools. I look forward to part 2.
5 out of 5 on the Cools meter! Vive la vida, vive libre, sigue tu pasión, no te llevará a mal. Keep the smiles coming Ms. Cools
A few years ago I stayed at the lodge & recall difficulty of reservations. Worth the hassle but eases your way thru security. I tried Indians from there but gave up after a couple of hours as the road kept getting worse. Some friends reported camping at a base facility but said it was of a hassle to find and hard to get info from the military. Great video. Glad you finally found lodging.
Last time I rode on Indians, had to be almost 10 years ago, it was seriously overgrown and nearly impassable. I can't believe it is still ridable! My friends and I used to start on Pine Canyon, climp up to and through Hunter-Ligget, up and over Indians, and down to Arroyo Seco and back to the start on Pine Canyon. We called it "The Big Ride" 😂
The Pine Canyon route sounds really fun. I may have to go try that soon. Thank you!
absolutely fantastic guys. That Hacienda is something else...
I'm curious...did you see any other bike tourists during this trip? I'm guessing no. You two are so brave. Basically living my dream! Thanks for sharing.
No, we didn’t see anyone else out there. There was one set of fresh MTB tracks, but that’s all.
I was watching your route and looking at riding up from SLO - the Forest Service shows Nascimiento Ferguson Road as closed? Is that the case? That goes all the way from Fort Hunter Ligget to the Highway 1 paved? Thank you guys so much for route exploring- adventure is something we all need more of!
The famous Eight Sandwich Ride!
Look forward to part 2. Thank you.
Thanks! This gives me ideas on routes for sure. Naciemento-ferguson rd.......Ive heard of it but never ridden it.
CA has so many hidden nooks and crannies most never get to. Im still finding new dirt routes off of hiway 36 between red bluff and the coast. Deerlick springs is the latest, between 3 and 36 and really gets out into wilderness.
Bell Springs road above Garberville is another recent one Ive tried, comes out 10 miles north of Laytonville, really cool rd.
There are so many between chico and the coast its hard to hit even most of them
It's ENDLESS. You could spend a lifetime just in the Mendo Natl Forest alone, (let alone Six Rivers / Klamath, etc), and never discover every possibility. You're an adventure STUD to even go out there and discover what you've ridden to begin with....
Enjoyed your posting, would be great if you had a link to the route
thank you so much
This is the very definition of true adventure! Expect to improvise and encounter obstacles. Don't know if I would have done it, forewarned of mountain lions. How does Ms Cools feel about it?
Ms. Cools is leaner and faster so she wasn't ever concerned. I was the one who was worried!
Where i come from we call that toast!
Actually we call it toastbrot!
Somethings are best kept secret
Rode a section of Indians a few years ago. So many ticks!
We had a similar experience this time too. We had to stop several times to pick ticks off. It must be that time of year.
Were you guys able to lug enough water? Big Sur gets really cooking up there, I don't think theres many resupply points beyond the village
The weather this time of year is nearly ideal (between rain storms of course). We each brought two full bottles from Carmel Valley Village and that made us almost all the way. We stopped and filtered one full bottle on Indians road to share. It's still very wet up there with lots of springs flowing. In normal times there is a campground and day use area at the start of Indians Rd at Arroyo Seco, but it's closed due to land slides. The spigots are probably still on though. We didn't stop to check.
How much water did you take along? Looks like a long, dry, tough day. Thanks for sharing the route, definitely gotta try it out sometime. I've been camping out there before, but had no clue about Indians rd.
We brought two bottles each and a water filter. We filtered one full bottle and that was enough to get us all the way. The weather wasn't too hot this time. There is a campground at Arroyo Seco with water (it's currently closed due to slides leading into the day use area - but the spigots are probably still on).
Thanks for the map section! I usually watch your videos going back and forth with a map trying to find the place names mentioned, or see if you posted on Strava. I love to see the route, even if I might never ride it.
BTW, you mentioned mountain lions; do you ever worry about them? I typically don't, but I started worrying about them on Willow Creek Rd (off Coleman Valley.) In SoCal they often give away bells at the trailhead to scare away the big cats.
I do worry about Mountain Lions and pay attention to my surroundings. It's not an irrational fear, but the risk of an attack is so low it's better to pay attention to everything. I need to pay attention to the rocks that might send me over the bars. I do look for prints and scat while I'm moving through the wilderness. I always find that interesting. There is so much wildlife using the trails it seems.
I know of only three attacks on humans riding bicycles. I try and remind myself to relax as much as I can so I can enjoy the outdoors. Fear is our survival mechanism, but if we think about it, we're dealing with creatures that have spent millions of years adapting to the environment avoiding humans. That is amazing. I've never gone outside without encountering another human and when I do I always get yelled at for doing something wrong.
Humans, the most dangerous animal of all!
Are you the chainsawcyclists? Despite of all obstacles a real beautyful ride. The nurtitionchoice is really nice and always good to have something to bite on long rides. Liebe Grüße und viel Spaß
A bicycle chain can double a saw if you know how to file it correctly. 😁
@@Henrywildeberry In this case the time for bell-bottoms is definitely over.
As someone who rides recumbents, gates that let uprights through can often be a barrier for me. You mentioned Indians Rd. was gated off and I was wondering if you noticed whether it had enough room for a trike to get through?
There are several gates along this route. Many have the standard pedestrian walk around, but still a tight squeeze. The dirt section of road has several large rock slides and creek crossings that you would also have to scale over. Not having ridden a trike myself I can't say for sure how easy this would be. It could be a good adventure to give it a try with a fall back plan if you can't get through. Good luck!
@@Henrywildeberry Thanks! Details like that definitely help.
🙏
Any snow in SF?
Mt. Hamilton down in San Jose and Mt. Diablo over in the East Bay can sometimes see a little snow.