Ron Franke

Excellent 24.5 mile road bike route.

For those that enjoy bike rides this loop is worth considering. Ride on paved country roads along the agricultural fields in south Santa Cruz and north Monterey counties.

Our start/finish was at the Target parking lot in Watsonville (CA). The first 18 or so miles is also the first half of the yearly Strawberry Fields fun bike race. The upper right small square notch-out is at the famous Gizdich Ranch known for their berry pies.

We’re helping two of our Triathlon friends train for the bike portion of a half Ironman they’re doing this summer in Salem OR. So, while we stopped at Gizdich we didn’t have pie. We’re all building up our strength and endurance, clocking in at an average 13.1 mph on this ride. We’re building to a comfortable 14-16 mph average which is good for our age group.

#Exercise #Fitness #Bike #RoadBike #Cycling #SantaCruz #Monterey #BikeSantaCruzCounty #BikeMontereyCounty

Mar 2 at 4:15pmWeb
Show thread14missionMar 2
@rdfranke That's some nice countryside to ride in.
Did you go past that huge old slowly-decaying farmhouse west of town?
Show threadRon FrankeMar 2

@14mission I think you’re referring to the Redman Hirahara Farmstead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redman_Hirahara_Farmstead

It is about a mile away from the route we were on essentially on the other side of an ag field.

Redman Hirahara Farmstead - Wikipedia

Show thread14missionMar 3

@rdfranke I was sad about the decay of this great old house, but now that I've read about its history, I'm mad that nothings being done, too:

"A Japanese American owned farm which was maintained by local citizens and watched over by family friend, attorney John McCarthy, during the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II and was returned to the Hirahara family after the war. The barn included a living unit prior to the war and was expanded postwar to house other returning Japanese families."

Show threadTodd NelsonMar 2

@rdfranke I'm concerned about your lack of pie. Did you make it home okay? Will you go back out to get pie? Pie!

Many years ago (20?), I rode the Tour d'Organics around there. A tour of organic farms.

Show threadRon FrankeMar 2
@footsteps Funny, thanks. Yes I made it back OK. There will be pie in my future.