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Bill Bikes My bicycling expeditions and jaunts |
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Willow Creek, June 2019
Open Space and Old Road: A Photographic Log
4 June, 19 miles
I've been looking for a chance to bike this route through Willow Creek Open Space Preserve near the coast. I've hiked parts of the trails before. I know there are some steep uphills which will require pushing, and they are sensitive to weather conditions. Always too wet in winter, which would have me slipping, sliding, and cursing. Often too hot in summer, which would have me panting, sweating, and cursing. But today seemed like a good bet, even with uphill pushing and cursing pretty much guaranteed.Before I headed toward the coast today, I checked in with Jeff. Due to an unfortunate series of medical issues, surgeries, and accidents, he's been out of action for awhile, and won't be able to ride again for another six weeks. (It's worth noting that Jeff wanted to trim some branches high in a tree in his yard, but his wife ordered him not to climb the tree, so he waited until she was out shopping, then—naturally—he fell out of the tree and violently rearranged some of his internal anatomy.) Anyway, Jeff reminded me that when he first bicycled Willow Creek Road on the western boundary of what is now Willow Creek Open Space, the road was still a county-maintained paved route from Coleman Valley Road to Bridgehaven at the mouth of the Russian River. Of course, he's an old guy, so that was 48 years ago when he was a spry 20-year-old and had not yet fallen from the tree his wife ordered him to stay out of.
Nowadays most of Willow Creek Road, having long since fallen into disrepair, is closed to motorized vehicles but open to hiking and biking. That provided me with the perfect opportunity to pedal (or push) from Freezeout Road (barely above sea level) up Islands in the Sky trail (actually an old ranch road) to the summit of the Open Space Preserve (at about 1000 feet), then down Lower Old Barn trail (another old ranch road) to Willow Creek Road, then up and down Willow Creek Road—including Bridgehaven on the Russian River (at sea level)—before going back over the summit and returning to Freezeout Road.
I made it okay, but this would have been much easier 48 years go when, like Jeff, I was 20 and spry.
From the north side of Willow Creek Open Space Preserve, heading up Islands in the Sky trail.
From this side, most of the way up is in the shade of big trees.
Almost at the summit, and just about to leave the forest behind.
In the meadow near the top of the mountain, with the Pacific Ocean coming into view.
Looking toward the summit.
From the summit, the view west across Willow Creek valley and Red Hill toward the Pacific Ocean.
The Ogre rests at the big rock near the summit after being pushed much of the way up the steep part of the trail from Freezeout Road.
At approximately 1000 feet above the trailhead on the north side, Old Grumble-Face dances on rubbery legs while spotlighted by beams of sunshine.
The view makes this a great place for a peanut butter and honey sandwich and a gallon of strong black tea.
Fortified by peanut butter and tea, now it's time for me to head down the south side of the mountain toward Willow Creek Road.
Claude Monet was here.
At this point, Lower Old Barn trail (another old ranch road) drops steeply downward.
It's a fast, bumpy descent on rough double track overgrown with thorny thistles, and I know it will be slow pushing on the way back.
Looking back up the trail toward the summit.
Most of the way down on this side is open meadow.
After descending Lower Old Barn trail, I T'd into Willow Creek Road at the Open Space boundary. At that point the road is closed to motorized traffic.
I turned right, and within about a quarter of a mile I came to a gate and emerged on that part of the road still open to cars. From there, it's a very rough four miles over shattered pavement, muddy potholes, and loose gravel to Highway 1.
Here the open road crosses Willow Creek.
The other side of the bridge over Willow Creek, which is just about ready to empty into the Russian River.
We're definitely in the western part of Sonoma County now. Many of the residents moved here from San Francisco in the late 60s and early 70s.
I expected to see a few of these. I was surprised to see a couple of big, modern, fancy homes right where Willow Creek Road was closed.
I also saw deer, a bobcat, a rattlesnake, lots of butterflies, a dead skunk in the middle of the road, and a buzzard feeding on the skunk.
Four miles from the current deadend of Willow Creek Road, I reached Highway 1 and the Russian River. The river flows into the Pacific just beyond that hill on the left.
Thousands of bicyclists cruising down the coast have crossed the Russian River on this bridge.
View from the Russian House Restaurant at Bridgehaven on Highway 1 on the south side of the Russian River bridge.
I don't think they actually serve borscht, cabbage, beef Stroganoff, or blintzes. Maybe vodka.
In any event, I didn't stop for a blintz and a Bloody Mary. I turned around and went back the way I'd come.
On the way back from Bridgehaven, I returned to the deadend of Willow Creek Road.
I came out this way on the closed part of the road after blitzing down Lower Old Barn trail.
Now I'll head up the closed part of Willow Creek Road for awhile.
Pedaling up the closed part of Willow Creek Road, I passed the trailhead for Lower Old Barn trail and continued toward Coleman Valley Road.
This is the road Jeff pedaled 48 years ago when it was a paved county road. Now, except for the four miles nearest to the coast, it's closed to motorized vehicles. The surface is mostly dirt, but in some places you can see the battered old pavement under a layer of duff.
Scenes like this make it abundantly clear. The county no longer maintains Willow Creek Road.
This feels like the middle of nowhere—and, for Sonoma County, it is—but I encountered two other bicyclists on this part of the old road.
After riding a few miles toward Coleman Valley (which, although it might seem counter-intuitive, is uphill), I made a U-turn.
After bombing back down Willow Creek Road, I reached the Lower Old Barn trailhead where I originally came down from the summit of the Open Space Preserve. That descent from the summit took about ten minutes. Getting back up Lower Old Barn trail to the summit required over an hour, with about 90 percent of the distance covered while dragging the Ogre. As predicted, much panting, sweating, and cursing.
But then it was a blitzkrieg from the summit down Islands in the Sky trail to Freezeout Road and the waiting Forester.
Summary
Date: 4 June 2019
Time: 11:30 - 4:00
Weather: 70-75° F (cooler at the mouth of the river), sunny
Route: Freezeout Road - Willow Creek Open Space - Willow Creek Road - Bridgehaven
Distance: 19 miles
Bike: Ogre
Riders: Solo
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.
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