Uhhhhh, yeah, this was pretty okay I guess.
HAHA no this ride was a stunner! Up Gibraltar, across El Camino Cielo, and down Painted Cave for a gorgeous loop. Unforgettable views, an epic climb to give you a real sense of accomplishment, and hey why not throw in some roadside viewing of mysterious Chumash cave paintings on your cruise back down to town? I got stung by a bee in the neck on the dreamy descent down San Marcos Rd, but I don't think even that wiped the grin off my face for more than a few seconds.
I love that Santa Barbara just kind of quietly has an epic Mount Diablo-sized climb tucked away back there. I only passed three other cyclists on the climb, and almost no car traffic at all. Just me and the mountain, exactly as it should be. I'm also curious to try the clockwise version of this some day, tackling the steep narrow climb of Painted Cave road.
I would definitely recommend doing this ride early to avoid the heat of the day, if only because water could be a real issue on a hot day. I read that there is a water spigot by the roadside somewhere on Painted Cave, but I never saw it (I had half a bottle left and was on my way down, so I wasn't looking too hard.) Otherwise, no water sources once you've left town.
I got out for a shorter bonus ride yesterday morning too, and just made an easy loop by going east along the coast, north through Montecito, and back west along Mountain Drive. A great little ride in its own right! After the big ride Sunday, my legs were not too disappointed to only do like 1200 feet of low grade climbing in the beautiful foothills.
Love ya, Santa Barbara, I'll be back!