Apologies for the late posting of the run description and registration. The last round of strong "atmospheric river" storms a few short weeks ago washed out a key section of our original route around the backside of Lexington Reservoir, so the route for this run had to be completely revised.
The new route has a few potholes, but not too many. The mountain springs are all running thanks to our very wet winter, so the roads can be wet and slippery in many spots even on clear, sunny days.
Santa Cruz Mountains backroad
Your Host(s) for the Event
Duane Caldwell
Route
https://goo.gl/maps/tzFM6eHPSpNntgCU8
Register via MotorSport Registry
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/santa-cruz-mountains-run-norcal-minis-485040
Meet-up Time / Departure Time
9:30 am / 10 am
Meet-up Location
Princeton Plaza Mall parking lot along Kooser Road between Michaels & Walgreens
1436 Kooser Road
San Jose, CA 95118
Run Details
We'll start our day by meeting in South San Jose at the Princeton Plaza Mall parking lot (1436 Kooser Road, San Jose, CA 95118) along Kooser Road between Michaels and Walgreens. There is a Starbucks, McDonald's, a small bakery, and an Electrify America charging station all located here in the mall. There are also gas stations between the Hwy. 85/Almaden Expressway offramp and the mall at the intersection of Almaden Expressway and Blossom Hill Road.
The concept for this new run route is a tour through the backroads of the Santa Cruz Mountains, spotlighting the mountain lifestyles instead of following roads heavily traveled by those on their way to the Boardwalk. We will be up close and personal with the scenery and homes of those who live in the mountains. Many of the homes we will pass started as vacation cabins for the wealthy residents of San Francisco back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The small mountain towns we will pass through started in the early 1800s to support the logging and mining industries. The coast redwoods we will see along the way are the tallest living things on the planet and were known to produce enough lumber to build as many as 20 homes from a single tree. Only the famed giant sequoias are more massive than these redwoods.
We will meet in the Princeton Plaza Mall parking lot along Kooser Road between Walgreens and Michaels. Please fill up your gas tanks (or charge your SE batteries) before you arrive. You can stop in to use the restrooms at the Starbucks or McDonald's located in the mall near the Kooser Road and Blossom Hill Road intersection.
Princeton Plaza Mall Meetup Location
After the driver's meeting, we'll head south out of the mall parking lot on Meridian Avenue. We'll turn right onto Coleman Avenue following along the Santa Clara Valley Water District's groundwater recharge ponds named after the historic Almaden Vineyards winery, the oldest commercial winery in California (est. 1852). The winery closed many years ago and the vineyards became tract homes, but the name and the history live on.
A short distance down Coleman, we will turn right at the stop light onto Camden Avenue and immediately transition to the far left lane to make a left at the very first, very close stop light onto Hicks Road. Be prepared to turn and change lanes quickly. Our group leaders will help lead us through only when there is no cross traffic coming down Camden.
Quick Left onto Hicks Road from Camden Ave.
This is where the roads really get fun for MINI drivers. Be prepared for tight and twisty roads as Hicks Road snakes along beside the wooded Guadalupe Creek. We'll turn right at Shannon Road, and start heading up into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains heading towards Los Gatos. We'll make a left turn onto Kennedy Road, watching for oncoming traffic, of course, and start climbing even faster up and over the first set of hills. As we reach the bottom of these hills, we will need to slow down a bit to pass through a quiet neighborhood in the exclusive town of Los Gatos. Please obey the speed limits, stop signs, and watch out for bicyclists and pedestrians. We'll make a left at the stop light onto Los Gatos Boulevard, then a right at the stop light onto Saratoga-Los Gatos Boulevard (one end of Hwy. 9) passing over Hwy. 17 and taking the cloverleaf onto southbound Hwy. 17.
Kennedy Road downhill to Los Gatos
We'll enjoy the Hwy. 17 cruise up into the mountains towards Lexington Reservoir and exit at the Bear Creek offramp. We'll drive past Bear Creek Road back towards Los Gatos on the frontage road, Montevina Road, and turn left onto Black Road. Once again, we will head up into the mountains on tight, twisty, and narrow roads, so keep your eyes open for bicyclists and oncoming traffic. Please stay in your lane and don't blast around those blind hairpin turns if you can't see the roadway through the hillside and the trees. The roads we will travel are popular with driving, motorcycling, and bicycling enthusiasts, and there are many homes along the way.
As we head up Black Road, you'll notice we'll start passing many Christmas tree farms. These farms qualify for government agriculture subsidies, so many homeowners with acreage plant Christmas trees to help pay the bills. We will also pass a few vineyards and wineries. The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is an official viticultural area with a long history of winemaking that is growing in popularity and international acclaim.
Gist Road
We will turn left onto Gist Road. Be prepared for lots of tight, steep hairpins as we climb up the mountain through oaks, redwoods, and mountain homesteads. At the top of the ridgeline, we will make a sharp left turn onto Hwy. 35, taking the southern loop and turning right onto the coast side of Bear Creek Road. This side of Bear Creek road will take us past the David Bruce and Byington wineries on our way to connecting with Hwy. 9 at Boulder Creek. We will pass through one traffic control restriction around a partial road washout, so keep your eyes open for oncoming traffic and listen to your radios for guidance from your group leader.
In Boulder Creek, we will take our rest break at Johnnie's Super Market. Stretch your legs and use the restrooms at one of the nearby businesses. There is a gas station across the street from Johnnie's. We will continue south on Hwy. 9 out of Boulder Creek towards Ben Lomond, but we will turn right and uphill at Alba Road just before we reach Ben Lomond. Alba is a very fun run up through the trees to the next ridgeline. Passengers will have some spectacular views as we travel through some of the burned-out portions of the forest near the top. Drivers should ignore those views and concentrate on the road ahead, as the road gets very entertaining through this section.
Johnnie's Super Market Mural, Boulder Creek
When we reach the top, we will turn left onto Empire Grade Road for a relaxing and scenic cruise downhill to our final destination at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum parking lot. The Arboretum is a series of gardens filled with exotic and some native plants. The grounds and the garden store/nursery are a pleasure to wander through, and you can picnic here if you choose. The Arboretum requests a small donation in one of several donation kiosks if you choose to stay. If you'd rather enjoy a coastal lunch, it is a short drive from UCSC to Santa Cruz.
Lunch Suggestions in Santa Cruz:
Lupulo Craft Beer House
233 Cathcart St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Mission St. BBQ
1618 Mission St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95023
Seabright Deli
415 Seabright Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
West End Tap & Kitchen
344D Ingalls St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Additional Run Details
Please bring your radio, fully charged, turned on, and tuned to Channel 7, Subchannel 21 CTCSS before you arrive at the start. If you don’t have a radio, ask for a loaner at the driver’s meeting. For radio recommendations, please see https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/728353274556164/.
Be sure to turn the “VOX” voice-activated setting OFF, or we will hear the wind from your AC, your conversations, and any noise in your car broadcasting to everyone.
We will call out cyclists and oncoming traffic on the radios.
Make a pit stop before the drivers' briefing. We will have a long drive ahead, typically with some rest and gas stops planned in, but please have that gas tank on FULL to start our day.
There are stretches where local wildlife may be seen on each side of the road. At some point, these animals may decide to cross the road, so please watch out for deer, wild turkeys, etc. trying to get from one side to the other right in front of your car.
We ask that you turn on low-beam headlights - not Auto - to make us more visible to other vehicles either ahead or behind us, including your fellow MINI drivers!
Headlight Switch: Full Manual On