Today was the partial reopening of Big Basin and I just happened to have the day off so of course I'm going to go to what was my favorite place to ride before the fires. I had plans to do a bigger ride but a late start and hot temps led me to cut the ride short. I spent like an hour driving up and down Big Basin Way looking for somewhere good to park and finally ended up at the Boulder Creek Golf Course. I really wanted to park at the ranger station at Little Basin Way to avoid more garbage climbing but there was no parking allowed. I wasn’t as heartbroken when I saw the state Big Basin is currently in as I thought I would be. I was actually pretty hopeful. The trails were very dusty with a thick layer of fine dust that has accumulated and hasn’t been packed down. It was almost like riding through sand. Because I was short on time I decided to skip Middle Ridge and Johansen and just do Gazos Creek, White House Canyon and Chalks, then down to Cascade Ranch and Pie Ranch for a snack before coming back. The upper part of Gazos Creek, where it opens up to the views, it used to be rutted and the rock was exposed by water erosion but it looks like they filled it back in but with a very fine dirt so it's kind of like riding through sand in that section too. Sadly the treehouse at the intersection of Gazos Creek, Johansen, and White House Canyon is no longer there. Looks like it didn’t survive the fire. I really wasn’t looking forward to the climb up to Chalks Mountain. It’s a lot more exposed now with less shade and tree cover. It was so hot and steep that I was starting to feel the onset of heatstroke when I got to the top - felt lightheaded and a little nauseous. I felt like the smart thing to do was to turn around rather than descend all the way to the coast and have to climb back up if I wasn’t feeling good. On the way back it seemed even dustier than on the way out. And the heat was reflecting off of and radiating from the gravel. And the dust was messing up my drivetrain. It sounded like my chain, chainring, and cassette were being ground down. It was also adding extra resistance too. I was very happy to be off the dusty trail. Back at HQ I figured I was there and had to do the Redwood Loop Trail (hike). There weren’t any signs though so I really wasn’t sure which trees were which. Maybe it was the heat (and the lack of foliage and shade) but Big Basin didn’t feel quite as magical as it used to. The crunchy drivetrain and near heatstroke probably didn’t help either. Looking forward to going back when it’s cooler. All I could think of on the way back was getting something to drink. I’m very glad I parked at the golf course in the end so I could get ALL the drinks.