BIG SUR: ARROYO SECO MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE

Filed in archive Biking on December 23, 2006

Deep in the heart of Big Sur is a fascinating road that transects the California State Park called Nacimiento Road. This paved wonder rises up higher and higher each switchback turn is a dizzying climb in altitude.




Those who do not trust their driver should not ride up this road - there are no guard rails - and the valley drops are marvelous for viewing, but probably not so marvelous while plummeting thousands of feet off the sheer cliffs.

Our goal was to make it all the way through the Ft. Hunter Ligget Military Base. On the other side of this base there is access to arroyo seco, a sector of Big Sur State Park that has a renowned spring filled with some of California's freshest water.

From there we would grab our mountain bikes and charge through the fire roads with the aid of the world's most efficient mode of transportation. Bicycles allow the human to be quite a bit faster, and all the more appealing to mountain lions and bears who hunt in the area. As soon as we hit the trail we started to notice regularly-spaced droppings from the large carnivores.

More to come . . .

ER Harris