This run has a little of everything - long fast sweepers, tight, torturous, steep downhill twisties, long highway stretches and some smooth quick curves. Be aware that Gazos Creek Rd actually dead-ends off Cloverdale, so just stick with Cloverdale out to Highway One. There is no longer a gas station at Davenport, so gas up at the small station that will be to your right about a half-mile down - unless your bike is less thirsty than mine! I wound up going into Santa Cruz for gas and briefly thought about picking up Highway Nine from there instead of going back to Bonny Doon Road. I'm glad I did not, because Bonny Doon is a blast. Well paved, good camber, and a gradual inclination up the mountain. The transition to Pine Flat is natural but looks wrong - just let the front wheel guide you. The sharp right from Empire Grade to 236 came up by surprise thought, and for the first quarter mile I was sure I was on the wrong road but could not find a quick place to turn around. I pretty much just used gravity going down this pockmarked and steep road, letting second and third do most of the braking. Towards the bottom the surface improved and I could drive the corners instead of ride around them again. But the corners got snarky: the apexes became more triangular, and a couple of decreasing-radius curves popped up in unexpected places. It was slow through Big Basin, which was understandable. It was also long and tedious, but that made the sight of Nine so much more enjoyable. Once you reach the stop sign and realize yu have a chance to crank it up again, the wrist-torture you just endured seems all worth it.
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