Mountain Charlie Road is a narrow single lane road that winds from Scotts Valley, CA to the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
I took Mountain Charlie for my bike commute this morning. I was surprised to see it on Google Streetview.
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Charles Henry ‘Mountain Charlie’ McKiernan hacked Mountain Charlie Road as a wagon trail through the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1858. McKiernan’s Toll Road because a public road when Santa Cruz County paid McKiernan $600 for the right of way in 1878.
Wow, that does look like a nice road to ride on. Is it heavily used by bikers or cars?
It’s heavily used by residents walking their dogs. I think I saw maybe 5 cars on the road during the hour I was on this road this morning, which is more than the usual zero to one car I usually see.
…how many miles z’bout ???…
Total miles this morning was 32 miles. Mountain Charlie is five(-ish) of that or so.
…sounds like about five-ish miles of cool & lovely cycling…
…& if you’re getting in 32-ish miles of cycling several days or more a week on your commute, i’ll bet you’re in great cycling shape, amigo…
Looks like a great road to ride my scooter.
Yep, it’s a wonderful road.
I don’t do 32 miles nearly often enough 🙂