There was in fact a recalcitrant rattlesnake on our ride, and I had *plenty* of time and opportunity to take a picture of it, but was so focused on convincing it to get off the trail that I completely forgot to take a picture of it!
The police are not legitimate agents of safety in our communities. They should not be arbiters of who lives and dies. Let’s start there. ~ Kelly Hayes
Nature. Privilege. Earth Day. Murder. Justice?
My mind flips. My heart flops. It is crucial to stay informed, to stay involved, to be an agent of change. It is also crucial to experience joy. Daunte Wright. George Floyd. They are on my mind. And yet, and yet, off we go on a bikepacking trip. This is how I let go of the news and heartbreak. The frustration. I ride my bike. I sleep outside. I watch the coyote hunt.
Last Thursday after work Jesse and I loaded up the bus with packed bikes on the new bike rack Jesse managed to get installed – a multi-month project.
“We shouldn’t live in a society where falling asleep in a drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant, hanging air fresheners on your rearview mirror, or even passing a fake $20 bill is met with deadly force. This should be the easiest part of police reform.” Kimberly Atkins in the Boston Globe 2021
I wanted to ride the northern portion of my friend Erin’s Tour De Los Padres Route (you can read about it here), some of which I hadn’t been on since my 2014 attempt of the route, and some portions that were new since that inaugural version, but I also wanted a three day route that Jesse and I could do together so I found some previously unexplored by me (and everyone I asked) sections of road and trail and turned the northern portion of the TDLP into a 150 mile loop. Our early start found us pedaling through Lockwood Valley on a crisp, cool morning slowly making our way toward Mt. Piños. Our first gas station stop that morning for coffee and a snack quickly revealed that we weren’t in Santa Barbara anymore, as masks were clearly considered optional; the apparent proprietor was opting out. Look, if masks worked particularly well on their own to protect the wearer I would be all for “you do you”, but that’s not how it works. A mask is so much better at containing ones own germs than preventing me from being exposed to your germs, so out basic decency, wear the damn mask – you live in a society.
Up Mt. Piños and I’m feeling rough this day, my low back wasn’t exactly hurting, but it was not appreciating the effort and I would feel physically shaky and unstable off the bike; however, once we got to the fun single track down off the mountain all was well again! By late afternoon we rolled into our last resupply and water point for the day. We grabbed snacks, 6 liters of water, a coconut water, and a beer for camp. We rolled for another 45 minutes or so and found a sweet flat spot in the forest where we enjoyed the last rays of the sun over the ridge and some stretching before dinner and a blissful sleep.
It was a wonderfully NOT cold night! Up and at ’em for a downhill coast, some paved miles and into New Cuyama at my favorite time of day when bike packing – just in time for second breakfast! We enjoyed the most expensive meal we’ve had since the start of the pandemic (or maybe ever? We never go out to eat.), but the fancy hotel was the only place open and coffee and eggs were calling! Loading up on the last snacks to get us through the trip (oops, I packed 2 less packets of oatmeal than I should have!) and slamming some Gatorade got us prepared for the upcoming midday climb in the hot-ish sun. We were finally exploring brand new to me trail that I’ve been curious about for years! We made quick work of the paved climb up to Aliso Camp which quickly became a bumpy double track climb. Honestly in the heat of the day I was rather dreading this climb to the ridge far above and thought it would involve *many* stops in the shade and a “we’ll get there eventually” attitude, but glancing down at my GPS I realized we already almost to Hog Pen Springs and we hadn’t stopped once – challenge on! It became my mission to make it all the way to the spring without stopping. We made it and enjoyed the shade and topped off our water supply with one liter of the stagnant (but really not that bad) water. Now things got serious, steep narrow single track with one switchback after another lead to the top from here. Time for hike-a-bike mode! I really don’t mind pushing my bike that much, which is probably why I have successfully completed so many challenging routes. I DO mind when the very sharp pegs on my pedal slams into my shin over and over again; I’ve now got the scabs to back up the curses. Anyway, eventually the top and the relief of reasonable pedaling was upon us.
It is getting a bit late in the wild flower season, especially since we have not had much rain; however, up high flowers still abound!
We arrived at our next (and final) water source, Painted Rock (Montgomery Springs) with lots of daylight left and since the next day consisted mostly of unvetted trail and no known water sources we wanted to make it as short as possible so after filling up with about 8 liters of water between us, and chugging as much as we could to leave this water source fully hydrated, we carried on until the sun got a bit lower in the sky.
We went to Santa Barbara Potrero Camp (just a picnic table in a field at the best of times) and found that someone had dragged the picnic table part way up the “road” and left it sitting there with broken legs on one side – I don’t know if they dragged it up there because it was broken or if it broke in the process, but Jesse had a moment of engineering brilliance and we dropped the broken low side into the hill on the side of the track and had a nice level and functioning table for making dinner. It did not occur to me at the time to take a picture, bummer. While getting ready to make dinner, Jesse noticed a coyote two ridges away and we watched as it dropped into a small valley in our direction, hopeful that it would reappear on the ridge closer to us. It did! And the coyote was clearly on the prowl for dinner, fortunately Jesse and I were both looking as the coyote leapt into the air and dove nose first into a gopher or squirrel hole in one breathtakingly fluid motion. The coyote continued to paw frantically at the hole while its tail swung in big agitated circles, clearly it did not get the critter on the first try. It kept trying to get at it for several minutes, finally admitting defeat. Throughout the rest of the evening we watched the coyote roam the hills, disappearing and reappearing for as long as we could see that far in the waning light.
I had a second great night of sleep and we woke up to a chilly morning and enjoyed coffee in bed.
By 7:30am we were descending Buckhorn Road with Wilderness on each side of us, soon reaching the intersection of Santa Barbara Canyon to our left and Dry Canyon to our right. We were surprised to hear running water in the nearby stream! It’s too bad that site isn’t listed on the maps/forums we use to determine water location, we would have been able to carry less from Painted Rock and drink more liberally in camp! As it was, we believed we had enough and did not stop to filter; instead starting up Dry Canyon with the goal of summiting Cuyama Peak. The final road to the summit was steep going, but mostly ridable.
From here we were heading down, down, down. After back tracking 2.2 miles off the mountain top we were at the start of the Tinta OHV motor trail. Motorbike trails are often churned up, loose, and full of moving rocks (baby heads); however, this trail turned out to be a real treat! The super loose sections were few and far between and the angle of descent was a wonderful fast cruise, without being a brake burner. I really enjoyed it! I don’t have great eyes, but I can spot a snake on the trail from 20 yards! I was cruising along in front of Jesse, well aware that we were in rattlesnake territory at a time of day they love to sunbath on the trail, and sure enough up ahead I see the tell tale “stick” across the trail (or as some of my friends call them a “nope rope”) and come to a screeching halt. We gently tried to convince the snake to slither on, but it had a sunbathing schedule to keep and was not interested in moving. Gentle tossing of sticks and pebbles at its tail did not make it move, pushing my front tire up closer to it did not convince it to move, nor even rattle — it just kept sticking it tongue out at us. Jesse went as far to gently lift its midsection a bit with long stick and nothing. This was one recalcitrant rattlesnake and the bushes were two thick to go around with our bikes. Eventually I pushed my front tire close enough to it enough times that it pulled back into the bushes. I *much* prefer when they go forward across the trail and you see/hear them keep on going, but nope, now this annoyed snake was just barely off the side of the trail. Well it’s time to go, I backed up to get some speed and flew past the spot as fast as I could! I warned Jesse he might want to wait and give me some space in case it decided to strike. We made it through with no further action from the snake, phew!
We cruised down the rest of Tinta trail and were back at the bus before we knew it! You can check out the loop here. Thanks to the super cold nights the beer in the cooler was still cold! Snack time!
It was an absolutely enjoyable and fulfilling three days. Also, a much needed break from the news and emotionally trying to power through the continuing dehumanization of People of Color in this country. In the days following our trip we anxiously awaited a verdict in the Chauvin trail and like many, breathed a very small sigh of relief when he was found guilty. However, we are all too aware that this was ONE conviction out of hundreds of cases and not the systemic change that is needed. Within minutes of the the verdict being announced I learned that police had yet again taken the life of a young Black person: Ma’Khia Bryant, a child. A child who had called the police for help. And yet, folks want to parse the details of what happened, was she posing a threat, etc… I don’t even engage with this because the data is so overwhelming that this is a systemic real problem (go find yourself videos of police regularly disarming white mass murderers, even when they are still actively armed and dangerous, without killing them). The details of each individual case are nearly irrelevant as the police kill Black and Brown people over and over again. My heart breaks. I’m sorry Ma’Khai. I will keep fighting for better.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
— Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
yet again so interesting, enlightening and wonderful. Would I have had this experience in my younger years. So happy for you two and the joy you are sharing.
Keep finding adventure wherever you can!