"I cycled into San Juan Bautista from Prunedale, the town just north of Salinas. The San Juan Grade road was wonderful for a prologue to the main climb. With few cars I was able to mentally relax and a moderate gradient provided a good warmup for Fremont itself. On the western, coastal side of the foothills, fog cloaked the landscape and it was eerie looking through the mist to cows grazing on golden hillsides. Immediately after crossing the divide into San Benito County, skies cleared, the road quality decreased, and I descended rapidly (if jerkily) into San Juan Bautista. That's where the long, secluded climb of Fremont Peak began. The first section was relatively mellow--though the sun was shining, the shaded road kept me cool as I made my way up the moderate gradient in the first few miles, past small farms, barking dogs, and the occasional car. After several miles of a comfortably hard effort, the road titled upwards towards Fremont Peak State Park, with sections reaching 12% and the road opening up to sweeping views of the central valley and the warm sun. The effort was no longer comfortable and simply hard. The narrow, twisting road does not relent, and without the ab..." — jameslkennedy • Jul 13, 2013