Bob had been wanting to try Glen Canyon Rd. to see if it was a better way back up from Santa Cruz and it was! We weren't sure how busy it was going to be and there weren't many cars on it. That's good since the road has zero shoulders. We also took a much quieter and more pleasant way through Santa Cruz that I hadn't done before. Mtn. Charlie was much nicer to climb today as well and I liked that once we were at the top, it was downhill from there vs. Eureka Canyon you still have a lot of rollers and climbing to do before you get to descend. I still remember the first time I climbed Mtn. Charlie and how much I hated it. I guess I'm both more fit and have better climbing gears than back then. I only discovered after the ride that we had done almost this same ride in 2013, the only other time we've done Glen Canyon. We cut through Santa Cruz along the water - the more traditional way which is harder to do now that a main bridge/road is closed for construction. Overall, I really like this route that we did.