After I completed my Mt Umunhum ride, I turned my sights on another prominent feature on the horizon in San Jose – the Lick Observatory at Mt Hamilton. For my first exploratory attempt I followed the recommendation to use Mt Hamilton Rd but I found that route to be too narrow and with too many cars. Also its a few miles out of the way from most of San Jose, which led me to focus on Quimby Rd instead. Quimby Rd is a steep climb with average of 8% grade and several +14% sections but sometimes it takes this kind of drama to keep me interested in a route. Eventually I worked up enough courage to try for the summit and it was a beautiful ride.