From Tom Lawrence                 Feb 16, 98 01:04:09 pm -0800 (PST)
Subject: bikeaholics play in the mud: the sequel

Friday, Tom, Sarah, Bill and Thomas set out to the coast. Craig was
supposed to cover our route in the opposite direction later in the day
and meet us on the road. We went up Page Mill, down West Alpine, and
over Haskin's Hill to Pescadero. Loma Mar was an utter mess. I think
they have the worst damage I have seen anywhere. The road looked like
it was only just being reopened as we rode through. There is no power
and it looks like some houses slid judging from the debris in the
woods above the road. There was an inch of very wet mud on the road
and we got extremely dirty. Pescadero is nicely cleaned up, there was
a front-loader getting the last of the mud off the road as we rode
through. We saw sandbags and plastic at improbably high elevations
above the roadway on a few buildings. The rest area behind the
supermarket/deli was completely washed away (so I'm told). Next we
traversed Stage Rd, which was in remarkably good condition considering
how vulnerable it looks. There was nothing of note in San Gregorio or
along Highway 1. Next we headed up Tunitas Cr.  which was passable but
had numerous small slumps covering portions of the roadway. We turned
off on Lobitos Creek Cutoff, which was fine, and then turned right
onto Lobitos Creek Rd. This was the worst road damage we
witnessed. After picking our way through mud and rocks for a while we
finally came to an utterly impassible area just after the steep uphill
begins. The ground was still actively sliding and we didn't hang
around for long.  We then continued to HMB via the Purisima loop which
was in fine shape. We then headed up Rt 92 which is always a very
unpleasant affair, and back down 92 east which was exhilarating as
long as you weren't on the back of a tandem, in which case it was
nerve wracking, or so I'm told :) We then took the quickest route home
since it was getting dark. Craig headed over Kings/Tunitas which was
passable, but due to the Lobitos closure, we never met up with him.

Sunday, the phone rang at 8:30, and Bill informed me that I had to be
in Woodside by 10 to meet up with some TNT guys who were heading over
to the coast. Supposedly we weren't supposed to let on that we had
already done the ride two days prior. After what had to be the world's
fastest get ready and one the bike thrash, TandemTomSarah made it to
Woodside by 9:53. Bill, Craig and a slew of TNT guys I don't know were
in attendance. We immediately headed over to King's Mountain via
Miramontes/Manuella, and then did the Greer rd. loop through Huddart
park on the way up the hill. We observed no damage to speak of in this
portion of the ride. At Skyline, we debated which descent to take to
the coast since there were other cyclists present reporting that 84
was closed by yet another slide. We reluctantly decided to descend
Tunitas. The road was slide free, but there was an immense amount of
debris and some mud on the road. Once down to the flat part, we
continued out to the coast, slowing occasionally for some patches of
mud. We then continued south on the coast to the Pigeon Point
lighthouse. Then, in a stunning example of what NOT to do on a
bicycle, we all headed up the Cloverdale Rd. loop back to Pescadero.
The road was marked closed, but it might have been more appropriate if
it were marked gone. Undaunted, we forged ahead through slide after
slide. We carried the bikes a great deal. In some areas we had to get
the bikes through fallen trees that were blocking the roadways. Craig
got his crank and chain good and stuck in the branches at one point.
Sarah and I took off our shoes and carried the tandem through knee
deep mud. In some areas the road was under 2 or 3 feet of new earth.
The asphalt was only visible where streams cutting across the road had
dug a channel. The final obstacle was the worst. A slide had cut a
channel perhaps 20 feet wide through the woods and deposited all of
the trees it had picked up onto the roadway in a tangled mess about 15
feet high. Luckily there was a moderately feasable way through, and
after some considerable lifting, grunting and possibly some swearing
we got across. At this point Bill and the TNT boys were long gone.
Craig and I had spent about 45 minutes cleaning the mud out of his
Speedplay cleats, a project which involved complete disassemby.
However by sheer luck just as we were getting to Pescadero Rd. we all
met up again. The rest of the trip was comparatively tame, despite
witnessing once again the immense destruction in Loma Mar. We
continued over West Alpine, down Page Mill and home.

Tom