Romero Canyon Fire Road

Mary and I did a quick trip down to Carpinteria to enjoy the ocean air and do a little riding.

The beach early morning.

I did a little research and elected to ride up Romero Canyon Fire Road to Camino Cielo then descend Gibraltar Road.

The first short section of fire road was ill suited for the gravel bike, but quickly improved here.

After some good steep climbing the views opened up. Looking southeast towards Carpinteria.

The fire road doesn't stay a road long however as it doesn't appear to be maintained. Instead the road has evolved into a single track on an old road bed.

There are rocky sections which were pretty demanding on the gravel bike but then there are also plenty of smooth sections which are positively blissful.

After a couple of hours I arrived at Camino Cielo Road at Romero Saddle. To the east it turns to dirt and to the west it's pavement and climbs along the very crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

To the northeast there's a lot of wild remote terrain.

I headed west on the pavement.

I enjoyed terrific views, very light traffic, and good pavement all the way over to Gibraltar Road.

I also enjoyed a wonderful flower display along the way!

The descent of Gibraltar was good fun. With dozens of cyclists climbing the road I had to be a little cautious though. Then I took Mountain Road east which is also a real hoot to ride.

A wonderful adventure! 

44 miles, four hours, 5,000' of climbing.