I still miss that area...I grew up in Redwood City and San Carlos, and was just beginning to ride semi-seriously when I moved to Southern Cal in the '70s. I live in Reno now, with 7000-foot passes all around, but there's a lot of good riding between SF and Santa Cruz.
What really surprises me when I go back is the temperatures. As a California guy, I grew up thinking 55 degrees was pretty cold. It WARMED UP to 50 here today, and I was out in a T-shirt thinking it was spring.