I'd never been attracted to this ride ... which seemed to involve a long climb up Highway 33 ... followed by a descent along the same route.
Highway 33 sounded like a major road ... so I didn't fancy my chances mixing it with mega-trucks speeding along the highway.
The other disincentive was the weather ... Ojai is invariably 10-20°F hotter than Ventura on the coast ... and it was likely to be even hotter on the climb inland to Rose Valley.
However I put aside my misgivings and decided to give it a go.
The route starts easily enough ... following the bike path back from Ojai to the Highway 33/150 Junction ... and then running through Meiners Oaks.
At the 9 kilometre point this changes ... the road kicks up and maintains a relatively steady 5% grade for the next 17 kilometres or so.
The scenery changes as well ... becoming much more rocky.
The highway passes over a number of rocky canyons ... and through a rocky gorge.
Luckily the nearby peaks were covered in cloud ... which helped to keep the temperatures down to a reasonable level.
A few kilometres further on the road squeezes through a gorge and passes the site of the Wheeler Hot Springs.
Sadly these have now closed down and the gates, and sign, are becoming submerged in undergrowth.
A little further on I was surprised to see signs warning of a tunnel ahead.
Yes ... it was a tunnel ... and I couldn't see through ... was it very long ... or did it bend?
Unfortunately I wasn't expecting a dark tunnel ... and so had no lights.
I waited for a gap in the traffic and then rode through as smartly as I could.
The tunnel had a dog-leg in the middle but it wasn't as long as I feared ... and I emerged blinking in the sunlight.
Soon after I entered Wheeler Gorge ... and two more tunnels appeared. Fortunately I could see straight through both of them.
Between these two closely spaced tunnels the creek crossed the road ... or rather the road crosses the creek. The creek flows in an elaborate S-shaped loop around the two bluffs that the tunnels carve through.
After the tunnels the gorge widens and I passed Wheeler Gorge Campground and Fire Station.
After the Fire Station the road entered an enormous S bend. The road turns left through 180° and climbs past the 2,000' contour before turning right through 180° again.
Having climbed through the second bend you can look back down on where you have been.
The road now contours on up the side of the mountain ... with Matilija Creek far below ... and Nordhoff Ridge dominating the skyline to the south.
The early morning mist and cloud had long cleared and the temperature was climbing rapidly ... which was more than you could say for me.
Low cloud from the Pacific was being blown over the coastal mountains and evaporating as it met the warmer air in the inland valley.
The road continues to climb north-eastward ... steadily climbing at the same 5% rate ... cutting through some small ridges ... and reaching the 3,000' contour.
Soon after passing the 3,000' sign the road enters another large S-bend.
Unlike the bend after the Wheeler Gorge which is mostly in the bottom of the valley ... this one is high on the sides of the mountain slope ... and affords spectacular views back down Highway 33.
The first bend crosses Matilija Creek and the second climbs round a large bluff to reach a ridge.
From the ridge you can look down on the two loops of road ... and you can see the Highway disappearing into the distance back towards Ojai.
Not long after I reached the turn-off into Rose Valley.
The road descends gently into the Valley and leads to a couple of lakes and a waterfall.
I decided to skip the waterfall this time and turned to begin the return trip.
Ahead was 17 kilometres of descent at an almost uniform grade of 5%. Not surprisingly I descended at about four times the speed I'd gone up.
Descending at 40-50 kilometres an hour provided a welcome cooling breeze after the heat of the climb ... unfortunately it was over almost too quickly
When I stopped in Ojai I realised just how hot it had become. Fortunately I discovered an ice cream shop in Ojai's arcade ... I didn't need any encouragement to try one.
Kirby James
