Escaping the heat

We had a camping trip booked for this weekend, but triple-digit temperatures persuaded us that sleeping in a tent was not the best idea. Had we booked a site in the redwoods we would have been cool enough - but Uvas Canyon is an warmer site near Morgan Hill. So instead we loaded up the bikes and headed off to Wilder Ranch.

This was Finlay's first real ride on his bike and he did very well. We did the Old Landing Cove Trail, which is short although the trail is rough in places. It does have the most magnificent views along the cliff tops.

The trail ends at Old Landing Cove* where we hunted for sea glass and watched the waves break on the rocks. It was over 90 degrees when we drove through Santa Cruz, but there was a fresh sea breeze which kept temperatures very comfortable for riding the cliff-top trail.

Adam insists that Wilder Ranch is his favourite bike ride - and I tend to agree with him.

* The trail actually continues the other side of the cove for a short distance, but requires carrying the bikes down the cliff and back up on the other side of the beach. I have done this once, but I think that the effort is just not rewarded by the extended trail.