Short and simple goes a long way
By: Jeanette Tran Click on images to enlarge 
Another perfect ride that is short and simple, but technical if you want it to be. Like most of the rides I have gone on, it starts out in the suburban areas and gradually leads into nice casual twisties. The roads are so close to home that it makes for the perfect after work get away, or a nice short ride on the weekend before you have to get back to those bothersome chores and errands. Houses line both side of the road, but start to thin out and soon you will be surrounded with fields and cows on your right side. The scenery starts to change and no cars can be seen anywhere, it's just you and the empty road in front of you. After about six miles of driving down San Felipe you will reach a fork in the road. If you continue along San Felipe, you will find yourself at a dead end, so make sure to fork right and follow the road towards Metcalf. About 2 miles down the road, there is a nice detour worth taking. If you turn left you will be at Santa Clara County Motorcycle Park. The first time I heard about this place I was so excited because I was curious as to what a motorcycle park would have in store, but it was not what I expected at all. Actually, I am not sure what I did expect, but the fact that it turned out to be a dirt park was just as satisfying to know. (This is the same park that I had previously mentioned in my Dirty Girl Addiction article). The park is so close to home, and only cost about $6 per vehicle (meaning per truck or car required that requires a parking spot, not per bike that you plan on bringing), it is kind of hard not to resist going there every weekend. Some tracks are close enough so that you can probably actually stand by in the parking lot, or a little further in and enjoy the show of other riders out there doing jumps and practicing on the oval tracks. This park has restrooms and vending machines as well if you happen to need any of those services. At the beginning of the ride there was a nice easy climb up Silver Creek Valley Road, but it was a gradual sweeping road so there was nothing too obvious to notify you of any elevation change. However, on the way out of the park, the road will start to descend down the mountain. The road is a short stretch of a little over a mile down to the bottom, but it is not to be taken lightly. This part of the road should be taken at a careful slow pace. The road starts to transform into tight sharp turns with blind corners, not to mention the left lane has a no guard rails which makes cars have a tendency to move in closer to the inside and cross the double yellow line. Once you reach the bottom, there is a nice little park with a walking trail along a river. It is a nice little stop where I usually would pull over and wiggle my fingers and stretch your legs out to get rid of any stress or tension caused from going downhill. Great thing about this ride is that once you take a quick mental break, you can head right back up the mountain and will have yourself a whole new ride with a whole new different experience. It.s a short ride, but it.s definitely a road worth taking more than once whenever you get a chance to squeeze a little ride in.
Click here for more images and to download GPS file Published: Mar 21, 2010 Leave Comments |
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