Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007: Henry Coe State Park Mountain-Bike Camping / Day 9: China Hole to Park Headquarters, followed by the ride home to downtown San José 22
After a pleasant climb out of the canyon from China Hole, I'm almost back at Park Headquarters to mark the end of my trip when firefighters begin arriving to fight a brush fire that has broken out in a remote area on the northeast edge of the Park.
Departing Park visitors like me aren't allowed to leave the Park for an hour or so because the narrow, winding access road is closed to allow fire crews to bring in their equipment.
Eventually, I begin the ride down Dunne Avenue to Morgan Hill, followed by the 22-mile ride up Monterey Road to home in downtown San José.
- China Hole campsite this morning.
I managed to sleep in a bit this beautiful Labour Day morning. The enclosing hills here prevent the sun from getting down into the canyon too early and baking the tent. But the sun is shining on the tent now. It was almost, but not quite, cool overnight. I carry out my usual camping breakfast routine of making instant miso soup, coffee, eating handfuls of dry granola, then dried apricots and tamari almonds. - The tent, as seen from the China Hole Trail rising up the northwest side of the canyon.
It's hard to get a good photo of this area because the canyon is narrow and there is so much foliage. - Stepping out onto a rock that rises above water level in the China Hole pool.
In the spring and early summer, when there's more water than this, it's said that this is a nice swimming hole. - Close-up of the pool at China Hole.
There's an algal film along the gravel at the bottom of the pool, but the water itself looks fairly clean and clear. I wouldn't take a dip in this water, but if I had a functional water filter, I wouldn't hesitate to filter and drink this water. Last year, I filtered some water from much smaller residual pools of Coyote Creek near Arnold Horse camp and found the water to be of surprisingly good quality. There's another, similarly sized, pool of water a little further up the canyon here. - OK, I'm leaving China Hole. Crap, this is my last day in Coe Park and now I'm leaving and going back home.
Fortunately, it will take me all day to get home by bike, so the experience isn't over yet. Gee, if I had a car, I could get home more quickly. Bleh. First, I have to get to Park Headquarters, from where the real ride home begins. Park Headquarters is about 5.5 miles away from here and up at 2640 feet (I'm at 1150 feet right now), so I have some climbing to do. I'm in no hurry (to go back to work tomorrow?), so this should be enjoyable. There's a beautiful grove of big manzanitas on the way up the hill, and lots of great views to take in. - China Hole Trail rises quickly out of the canyon.
I'm just a couple of switchbacks up and I already have a great view up The Narrows. - I've just turned around and am looking back down into the canyon.
The China Hole campsite is down at the bottom somewhere. - China Hole Trail winds across a meadow on its way up.
With no drop-off on either side of the trail, I'm able to get back on the bike and ride this section. - A little higher up China Hole Trail, the trail rides along a steep slope. More great views!
I'm back to walking the 10-ton bike here; it would be too easy to fall down the hill! I climb up the hill to take this photo overlooking the bike on the trail below and The Narrows beyond. Of course, I'm getting a bunch of tarweed burrs stuck in my socks here off-trail! - A switchback as China Hole Trail climbs through an area of thick chamise chapparal.
One nice thing about impenetrable chamise thickets on steep slopes is that there's no danger of slipping off the edge of the trail and down the hill. - Beyond the carpet of chamise, manzanitas start appearing along China Hole Trail.
It's not quite as hot as it was the past few days, but I'm working up a bit of an uphill sweat and the shade here feels good. - China Hole Trail levels out a bit and is easier riding for a while.
This stand of manzanitas looks quite young, with their still-slender, lighter-coloured trunks. - China Hole Trail enters into a tunnel of manzanitas.
It looks like not much of the bright sunlight makes it in there. - Inside the manzanita tunnel, there's more sunlight than I was expecting.
The dappled lighting here adds even more texture to the already dense composition. - Still inside the manzanita tunnel.
The 10-ton bike likes it in here too. - Exiting the manzanita tunnel.
On the way out of the manzanita tunnel, there are fewer trees, but they are larger and ganglier. - China Hole Trail ends when it reaches Manzanita Point Road.
No more manzanitas to photograph. But the trip isn't over just yet. Park Headquarters is still another two miles away and 400 feet uphill, up Manzanita Point Road. - Rising up Manzanita Point Road toward Park Headquarters. A small low-flying airplane passes overhead.
Because it's at the end of my trips, I always forget that a few of the short hills on this road are actually rather steep. I don't ever recall seeing a low-flying aircraft crossing this area like I'm seeing now. - Coming up one of the last hills on Manzanita Point Road on the way back to Park Headquarters.
While paused here, I hear a crackling sound. I look around, and see the huge limb of an old oak tree across the meadow snapping and crashing to the ground, with no one around to witness it. Another small airplane flies overhead. Perhaps there's some kind of military activity going on out in the Central Valley on the other side of the park? - I reach a flat area on Manzanita Point Road and see smoke not far away; looks like a brush fire in Henry Coe State Park.
Now I know what those airplanes were doing: carrying water to douse the flames. I wonder if the area around Frog Lake is on fire, where I camped my first night out in this park six or seven years ago. Just before I get back to the Visitor Centre, I come around a bend and find the first fire engine to arrive is heading straight toward me on narrow Manzanita Point Road. I hear sirens not too far away, but this truck has its siren off, so I am startled when it suddenly appears. I quickly move off the road into the brush and up against the embankment as far as possible, which leaves just enough room for the fire engine to pass. At the Visitor Centre, I chat extensively with a couple of Park Volunteers and Park visitors. We have plenty of time because us last few visitors are not allowed to leave the park for an hour or so while fire crews bring more equipment and firefighters up the narrow, winding road to the Park. - The Henry Coe brush fire has grown a lot since my last photo four hours ago.
Riding down the mountain on Dunne Avenue from Henry Coe wilderness to Morgan Hill suburbia was pleasant as always, but there were a few fire trucks to watch out for coming up the hill. I'm stopped right now along Monterey Road down below, just outside of Morgan Hill on the way back to San José. I have another 20 miles or so before I reach home in downtown San José. - Cotton-candy smoke from the Henry Coe brush fire at sunset in central San José.
I stop on Monterey Road near Tully Road in south-central San José for a last glimpse of the Henry Coe brush fire before my trip officially ends. About four miles later, it's getting dark, I'm home, I'm tired, I'm happy and I'm noticing how much bigger my house is than my tent; even the bedroom feels big. I don't think I've ever went so long (nine days) without a hot shower. Besides photos, another souvenir I'll carry for a while is sore ribs (I try not to cough deeply or sneeze) and a couple of big bruises from my crash on Orestimba Creek Road a few days ago. I feel satisfied that I've really accomplished something on this trip, but I'm not quite sure what that is. I know the trip was successful because I find myself thinking of places that I didn't get to explore, giving me reasons to go back already. The Henry Coe State Park brush fire will continue to burn for over a week, and it will transform more than half of the park, including several areas where I just travelled and camped. It will be interesting to see the new growth in the area once the wet winter weather sets in. Until next time...