Sky Islands Odyssey (East Loop) - Day 3 - Santa Rita Rolling Coaster
The cold descended on the high desert grasslands complete and thorough as the night wore on. I awoke several times shivering and needing to tighten up gaps in my quilt. And all throughout the night, an owl sat in the tree over us, hooting and jumping branch to branch. As daylight flowed in across the grassy courtyard, I jumped out of the X-mid to investigate for signs of the bird. Sure enough, I quickly located piles and piles of owl pellets; I was absolutely stoked. We packed up wearing our puffies and pushed out on our bikes under the massive entrance sign for the Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association. Janna and I both had enough snacks to easily get through the day's riding. But we both wanted a hot breakfast. A quick Google search turned up "Corner Scoop" at the main intersection ahead. What was billed as an ice cream place also had solid hot breakfast options. We pulled in, propped our bikes, and ordered some breakfast burritos and muffins. The two of us grabbed the few seats at the ordering bar and soaked in the warmth. A few locals came in for their orders of coffee and food. They asked us what we were doing and where we were heading. It was good conversation all around before we packed the muffins to-go and jumped back on our bikes…
