The Fearless Founder's Favorite Forlorn Adventure
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Length |
76-Miles with 4,800 feet of climbing |
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Rating |
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Start/Finish |
Shandon County Park |
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Food |
Bring your Lunch |
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Description |
The title has truth to it. Larry Souza, founder of the SLOBC, gushes volumes about this ride. He believes that you will too. Mostly treeless. Very lonely route. Just about car-less. And you will be without duress. This ride provides much . Desolate panoramas. Lack of human habitation. Far blue mountains. The land will cause you to ponder. Like, what's really important in this brief life. Your soul will be satisfied! |
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Route |
From the county park, riders will go south on Truesdale, then onto Shell Creek Road. A quiet , scenic, wide valley. An easy stretch. Then a left on Highway 58 for “Ride Rating 3” terrain. (See SLOBC's Ride Ratings: like Peachy Canyon). Then you're up on the 2000-foot elevation Carrisa Plains. What a sight! The Temblor Range rears up on the horizon. The San Andreas Fault runs along its base. Left on Bitterwater Road. Much quieter here than Hwy 58. And it was pretty darned quiet. And now it is about 34 care-free, car free miles to Hwy 46. Man! What solitude you will find. This is Black Raven country. Look for them. See if you can find the San Andreas Fault. Should be on your map. Looks like a gully. It parallels the road here for miles. At about 22 miles from Hwy 58, there is a critical right turn to get to Davis Rd. You'll recognize it by spotting an odd, isolated structure on this desolate, delitescent (look it up) land. It is an abandoned general store (like, who shopped here?). Here is where you make an important right to reach Davis Road. It is a stiff, one-mile climb. But it will reward you. Davis Road is even quieter than Bitterwater Road, which was quieter than Highway 58! Davis Road meanders atop the hills with no fences or poles in sight. Watch carefully to your right. You will see the distant, San Joaquin Valley. If it isn't covered by smog. Then a three-mile descent to busy Highway 46. Apologies here for the six-miles of busy road. A rumble strip is present, but there is [February 2000] plenty of room for cyclists. A left turn at the "Shandon" sign. Then you can buy food at the market. No cafe in Shandon. But you will be so pleased. Pleased with the Founder's Favorite. |
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Route Slip |
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Map |
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