So, maybe some might enjoy some pics of my 'local' spot/ride. It's mostly not gravel, except for a few short sections of flat, lumpy single track and 2 sections of 'frontage' along 2 local drainage creeks. Nice is that I only have about 60 yds to the end of my street, to access my 'yard'... Where my kids learned to 'ride' and what I enjoy throughout the year, either riding or walking. It's Ellwood Mesa, Campus Point (UCSB is very close and offers some offroad riding alleys...) and More Mesa/Hope Ranch.
Ellwood Mesa - Fun, but more MTB-Lite than 'gravel road'... and very Scratchy !!! LOL! Chamise... Stiff and harsh - Chumash used it for arrow shafts...
Between erosion ditching everywhere and 5 inch deep 'post holes' from the heavy horse traffic on the single tracks, there is almost nothing which one could call a flat path... LOL!
Fun for mtb, but even more fun on a gravel bike ! With the Santa Barbara Channel and Pacific at our feet. View East to Coal Oil Point and Campus Point.
When I'm feelin lazy, I take the mtb around, but when I want some skills challenge, the gravel bike is the call.
Some of my favorite spots really hone the skills. Like the 'Hobbit Hole' (my name for it)
The Hobbit Hole - only when you're on your game... gotta make that right turn, coming out... LOL!
so far, so good... one can loop for miles through the Mesa and find so many fun places to go slooow or steeep !
The Hobbit Hole - the Fun way out ! Right Turn, Dood !
We're now at the Height of the 'Brown' Season - we only have Green and Brown,, and Brown is mostly 8 months long... Big thing is for it not to become the RED season, as it has in many places in California and the West, France and quite a few other places. Everyone in the area is very carefully to not create that danger; and yet fires seem to happen every year. Now, worse than ever.
Frontage Rd on Atascadero Creek - yes we do have a dirt road... LOL!
We do have 2 drainage creeks which run thru both Mesa areas, which have some short dirt frontage - a good place to cut loose with some speed, when the single track has worn me out.
About 2 miles worth - this section has a MUP paralleling about 30 yds to the 'right' - so 'road' or 'gravel', it's our choice...
Then it's fun to again hit the single track...
Bunch of great 'Whoops' flowing thru dry drainage. Steep, long drop to build some speed and then some lite 'air' even I can do...
Our 'Woods' are mostly dense Eucalyptus groves, which had been wintering grounds for hundreds of thousands of Monarch Butterflies. Migrating thousands of miles from Central America and the Colorado areas... Sadly, that population has be badly decimated due to migration corridors being completely lost to development.
Hoping we can help create a 'native' population...
Ellwood Eucalyptus and Monarch Grove - no riding through the main Monarch Grove area, walking and admiring only - there's still plenty woods for us to enjoy without endangering our natural friends and neighbors
We all prolly have special places, like Ellwood, which we look forward to enjoy, learn from and breath the air of 'The Real World'. It's up to each of us to do the right/best/most important things to help our natural world remain, recover and thrive. Our Lives depend on this !
Ride On
Yuri