Henry Coe State Park Mountain-Bike Camping 2007
An eight-night mountain-bike camping trip in Henry Coe State Park, August 26-September 3, 2007, starting from, and ending at, home in downtown San José. I enter and exit the park via Park Headquarters at the end of Dunne Avenue outside Morgan Hill. The loop route within Henry Coe State Park from Park Headquarters has stops at Mississippi Lake, Jackrabbit Lake, Pacheco Camp and China Hole.
It will turn out that I don't see anybody for five days in the middle of the trip.
Quite unintentionally, this trip has a theme song: Testament by VNV Nation, from a recently purchased CD that I played often during the weeks before the trip. Its chorus line and catchy tune, cycling over and over in my head during the trip, somehow seemed fitting:
We conquer paradise just to burn it to the ground
We build a future to honour pasts we've left behind
We bring destruction, we bring war without an end
And then we hope that tomorrow never comes
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Date: August 26, 2007, 12h00
Size: 9 items
(225 items total)
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Album: Day 1: Downtown San José to Henry Coe State Park
Ride from downtown San Jose to Morgan Hill on Monterey Road, then up into the hills on Dunne Avenue from Morgan Hill to Henry Coe State Park Headquarters at 2640 feet. 34.7 bicycle miles.
Date: August 26, 2007, 12h00
Size: 13 items
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Album: Day 2: Sierra View camp to Mississippi Lake
The 12-mile trip from Sierra View to Mississippi Lake is tough due to the Willow Ridge Trail, which is steep enough to require that the 10-ton bike be dragged up most of the hill, a few feet at a time.
Date: August 27, 2007, 10h05
Size: 24 items
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Album: Day 3: A short day hike from Mississippi Lake to Bear Spring
I originally planned to head out to Jackrabbit Lake today, but I think an extra day here at Mississippi Lake to rest a bit and enjoy the area is a better idea.
Date: August 28, 2007, 10h12
Size: 20 items
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Album: Day 4: Mississippi Lake to Jackrabbit Lake
Today's hot and beautiful 13.8-mile ride is largely downhill or level (with numerous short uphills along the way): from Mississippi Lake at 2200 feet, down to 1080 feet on Orestimba Creek Road, then up to about 1300 feet at Jackrabbit Lake.
Date: August 29, 2007, 10h20
Size: 30 items
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Album: Day 5: A short day hike from Jackrabbit Lake to Paradise Lake and back.
Another great day of solitude, but very hot again, so I take it easy. I settle on a short (six-mile round trip) walk to Paradise Lake and back. I'm having problems with my water filter.
Date: August 30, 2007, 10h49
Size: 27 items
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Album: Day 6: Jackrabbit Lake to Pacheco Camp
Another day of solitude. A very enjoyable 11-mile ride from the Orestimba Creek valley up over Mississippi Ridge, then over Pacheco Ridge, which doesn't take as long as I expect.
Date: August 31, 2007, 07h58
Size: 23 items
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Album: Day 7: A short day hike from Pacheco Camp up Pacheco Creek, then returning via Pacheco Ridge; about six miles round-trip.
There are a lot of interesting possibilities for a day hike or mountain bike ride from centrally located Pacheco Camp, especially since this is my first visit to this corner of the Park.
Date: September 01, 2007, 13h03
Size: 26 items
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Album: Day 8: Ride from Pacheco Camp to China Hole
I've never explored the part of the Park on today's route, so I'm looking forward to it. My route is simple enough: just stay on Coit Road (which becomes Mahoney Meadows Road) and then head down China Hole Trail to the bottom.
Date: September 02, 2007, 09h49
Size: 31 items
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Album: Day 9: China Hole to Park Headquarters, followed by the ride home to downtown San José
After a pleasant climb out of the canyon from China Hole, I'm almost back at Park Headquarters to mark the end of my trip when firefighters begin arriving to fight a brush fire that has broken out in a remote area on the northeast edge of the Park.
Date: September 03, 2007, 10h31
Size: 22 items
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