Mt. Hamilton blows on Monday

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Lick Observatory summit on a clear day. Nothing beats it in the South Bay, except Mt. Umunhum.

Nothing beats a ride up Mt. Hamilton on a weekday, although Sundays are a close second. Not much traffic.

I started from Alum Rock Avenue about 8 a.m. in time to greet the commuters living on Mt. Hamilton Road rushing to work. For the first several miles there’s a fair amount of cars, but traffic thins out after that.

I noticed county crews clearing chamise (greasewood) across from the Grant Lake parking lot in Grant Ranch County Park. Don’t quote me on the type of bush, but it looks like chamise.

In the past, wild pigs rooted around in this area.

The crews certainly wouldn’t be doing controlled burns on a day like today with high winds in play.

I enjoyed mostly tailwinds climbing to the summit where 25 mph gusts made for shaky standing at the observatory parking lot.

On the way up I did my civic duty by tossing large rocks off the road and saved a young bull snake from certain death by car wheels. The critter refused to budge as it sunned itself on the road.

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Three miles from the summit. Glorious views.

Considering the cool breeze, it took a while to wake the snake from its torpor.

In the last section before turning up the observatory road, Caltrans workers were installing a large culvert, which is always good to see. Preventative maintenance pays off.

I counted my blessings that I can still ride to the summit in this my 40th year.

My numbers pale in comparison to Jobst Brandt, who holds the record for most 100-mile loop rides around Mt. Hamilton. Starting around 1954 he must have done well over 120 rides, ending the tradition when he was in his 70s.

Mt. Hamilton Road opened in 1877 to immense fanfare as more than 5,000 valley residents flocked to the summit for a grand celebration. Here’s a view of the road in 1876, shortly before it opened. I don’t know the location but it’s probably somewhere in the last five miles before the summit.

Imagine a modern mountain bike bombing down that dirt road right after it opened. If only we had time machines.

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Mt. Hamilton Road in 1876 looking more like a mountain bike trail than a road.