Northern California - Today's high and low

High - conquered Mix Canyon to the gate

Low - attacked and almost pulled off the bike by a loose dog. Then try and get animal control to even answer the phone.:notamused:Hello, this dog bit me!:mad:

Lower - Now I have to go to the doctor for this little scrape?:notamused:

Mix!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c399/WillworkforWag/topofMix.jpg

Wow! 2,200' of climbing in 4 miles. That's a heck of a hill. Congrats.

Sorry for the dog bite though.

Wow! 2,200' of climbing in 4 miles. That's a heck of a hill. Congrats.



Chris Horner hold the record for the climb, but he did it from Foothill. Much faster and several miles farther than me.

Do they know where the dog is? I'd hate to have to go through the shots.

You're a monster, Scottie! That's crazy!

Congrats on mastering the toughest hill in the area.

Double wow! I just googled 'mix canyon' to see where this monster is located. Here is what I found:

Mix

We've all seen the Vaca Mountains to the west of Davis. If you've particularly good eyesight (or binoculars), you'll see a collection of antennas near the top of the highest of these mountains. Reputedly one of the steepest paved roads in the continental United States, Mix Canyon Road climbs to these antennas. The low point is at 358 feet, the "summit" is 2717 feet for an approximate average grade of 9% for the whole climb. The five mile climb gets progressively steeper, topping out at a 23% grade (between mile markers 4.3 and 4.4) near the top. Some have likened the climb to the famed Alpe d'Huez of the Tour de France (which is twice the distance but "only" reaches a 14% grade). Mix Canyon Road begins at Pleasants Valley Road just south of Cantelow and a bit north of Vacaville. Much of the climb is half forested along a boulder-strewn stream. The first 3.5 miles is relatively easy (relatively!). Unless you've a red polka-dotted jersey somewhere in your closet, you may want to take these miles easy. The first landmark thereafter is known as "two houses". After that you'll climb to a guardrail and a vista where you'll finally see the radio antennas. Once you see these antennas, know that you're almost at the top, so keep going! As the grade of the road eases off, there is a fork in the road. The left is gated and the right a graded gravel road, continue right several hundred yards to gain the high point of the road. From here on a clear day you can see from the Sierra high country to the east, and to the west; Mt. Tam and the north and south towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. Believe it or not, this is not a very fun downhill ride. The road is too steep and twisted to coast for very far without braking. Stopping at the guard rail for the view and a moment to cool your rims is recommended. Traffic is scant here, but drivers are usually using the whole width of the road. The road is seldom wider than twelve feet, is a bit rough in places and the lower miles are often damp. All of these factors coupled with LSD (that's limited sight distance) make for a very heads up descent. If you start out from Davis, you'll have ridden about 60 miles once you get back. By the way, this is a way, way beyond-category climb. Weighted bragging rights: one minute ascent time per year of age. Good Luck!

The fork in the road:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c399/WillworkforWag/100_0579.jpg

The guardrail. Easy to see why you might stop to cool your rims:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c399/WillworkforWag/100_0585.jpg

Mix is brutal. Congrats for making it up! At what point was the dog at? I went to the top (past the gate) and there's a house up there. A dog chased me after I passed that house. It scared me because I had no idea it was chasing me until it was nipping at my ankles. I was so mad that I got off my bike and chased after it. He kept his distance after that. I threw a couple rocks his way for good measure too. I was soooo pissed.

Great pics by the way.

FYI, if you go left at the fork you get to the ridge, from which the views are amazing, and local hang glider pilots launch their wings. Cgallagh and friends have launched numerous times

Hope you don't need a rabies shot.

Scott, was it the dog was supposed to be on the long chain? I really don't like loose biting dogs, especially on a climb where you can't out sprint them.

Scott, was it the dog was supposed to be on the long chain? I really don't like loose biting dogs, especially on a climb where you can't out sprint them.

No, the dog at 3.5 miles hasn't been there the last two times I've gone up. This dog wasn't on Mix Canyon. This dog was at 7278 Pleasants Valley Road, or one of the other houses that shares that driveway. For those that ride Pleasants Valley regularly, the house that has the boat for sale and flies the Marine flag. I thought it was a very large boxer mix but Animal Control says it's a pitbull. The owner has been contacted. I couldn't outsprint it because it jumped out 20 feet in front of me. When the voice didn't work I beat it on the head and muzzle until it released my shoe so I could get away. I only had a scrape on my leg so the Dr. says no shots. YAY!

That's good news Scott. I hope something is done about that dog.

Shhhh!......I think I hear Ramon heading up there right now...He's run out of big hills in his neighborhood!!!

BTW Are we going to see a "Man Bites Dogs" headline? I smell revenge!