Hi All,

The Skive rides are becoming a regular feature of our weekly riding. The ride this week was only able to bring out Sheehan , Tony and Rob. We met at the bottom of HVR–our usual location for most of the Skive Rides. Sheehan and I had recently climbed the paved section of Stagecoach road and I ventured a bit farther in the dirt. Our plan today was to ride all the way up and make our way to the top of HVR.

Tony is in the middle of his treatments and is riding great. He hung tough all day despite the chemicals coursing through his body. We started along the bottom section of HVR and turned into the nursery just before the start of the climb. Sheehan led us through the dirt trails and over to a steep road that climbs up to the back of The Heritage and the Maderas Water Tower. We wisely skipped the gratuitous climb of the water tower and made our way over to the beginning of Stagecoach Road.

The gate was open so we stopped for a couple of photos with our new mountain lion friend and started up the climb. This road a super nice climb up about 1.7 miles before the pavement ends. It winds up parallel to HVR and heads towards the Eagles Crest neighborhood. As we neared the end of the paved road a pick-up truck stopped us to inform us we were on private roads and would have to leave. We spoke to the owner and got permission to keep climbing and exit out to HVR. It is such a great climb, too bad it will be off-limits for most rides.

After the pavement, the dirt was a bit soft and rutted in places for the next half mile climb to the top gate. We could see Camino Del Aguila just to our north. We got over the gate and hit the end of Eagles Crest Road, just like we do coming out of Camino Del Aguila. The views from the top were gorgeous so we stopped again for more photos. The road went towards HVR but we turned onto Falcon Heights and descended through a few more dirt sections and came back up onto Green Valley Truck Trail. I had ridden these roads before on some earlier explorations–fun loop back to HVR, very near the top.

We decided to descend back down HVR and hit Bandy Canyon. We pushed the pace along Bandy and back west on 78 to Old Milky Way. The climb up Summit was spirited with Tony pushing the pace. We descended down Mary Lane and stopped when we got back to Bear Valley. Tony turned right to head home while Sheehan and I looped across the Lake Hodges pedestrian bridge and back along Pomerado to his house–a fun adventure, almost 35 miles and 3,200 of climbing. Another great Skive Ride in the books.

Rob