I had a couple of free hours yesterday. The Big Chill of 2013 was over and the thermometer showed a mild 65F. I rode out to Calaveras because I’ve ridden Palomares dozens of times now. A few miles in, I saw a left turn to “Welch Creek Rd”, with “Dead End” sign.
Welch Creek is a nice 3-4 stretch of road that ends in some houses or ranches. The road is extremely narrow – about as wide a single freeway lane. The road is twisty with dozens of blind turns. There is no shoulder and the side of the road ends with a steep drop into the canyon. Not a good road to ride at night, or for that matter, at dusk.
The views at the end of the climb (the road is mostly a climb going away from Calaveras) are impressive. The main view is the back of Mission Peak and in between the various mountains, one gets a glance of Fremont, the Bay and the rest of Silicon Valley.
I wonder if the residents there are off the grid. I saw a couple of huge solar panels. Cell phone coverage was surprisingly good.
Sujit Kirpekar 