I just descended 1000 feet in 1.7 miles down the steep Poverty Flat Road to the bottom of the canyon.

At the bottom of Poverty Flat Road is this dry-at-this-time-of-year crossing of Coyote Creek. I had a minor crash coming down Poverty Flat Road last year on a slippery (from powdered clay) switchback, and I was careful not to repeat that again this year!

There are five campsites down here at Poverty Flat, and I've camped here a few times. On a hot weekday like today, there's nobody around anywhere, which suits me fine.

Poverty Flat is only a third of a mile long (flat areas in Coe Park tend to be very short) and I ride across it to begin the climb out the other side of the canyon.

I stop briefly at the modern concrete outhouse for a potty break (it's extremely hot inside) and then stand outside for a minutes in the shade of the outhouse, hiding from the sun.