Sawtell

 

Brian, Tim, and I went back today to finish the Sawtell ride that was rained out on Saturday. Randy had an early afternoon commitment so he went up and did the climb earlier this morning. We decided to start with the loop around Mack’s Inn and Big Springs to add a little distance and to warm up for the climb. In round numbers, the Big Springs loop plus Sawtell is a ride of about 30 miles which takes about 3 hours to complete.

     Sawtell is a long steady climb on a good gravel road. It gets a lot steeper in the final two miles and finishes with some switchbacks that are a little evocative of the Crusher. The only real downside is the popularity of the route. We met one girl descending on a mountain bike. But if bicycles were scarce, motorized vehicles were numerous. We passed an uncountable number of cars, four-wheelers, and RZR-type vehicles. Word is that you want to start the ride early before everyone else is on the road.

     Brian is no stranger to the Sawtell climb, but today was my first time. It was Tim’s second time. Years ago, Tim’s scoutmaster (obviously a non-cyclist) was looking for a route for a 50 mile bike ride to earn the Cycling Merit Badge. Somehow, he determined that it would be a good idea for the Scouts to do a ride with a difficult dangerous ten mile climb in the middle. Tim finished the ride and got the Merit Badge.