Hollister
– Four-year-old Joe Bryan sat in his father’s lap on the Yamaha
YZ 250 F motocross bike at Hollister Hills State Vehicular
Recreation Area on the crowded Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Hollister – Four-year-old Joe Bryan sat in his father’s lap on the Yamaha YZ 250 F motocross bike at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area on the crowded Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“Can we go?” Joe asked his father, Nick Bryan.
“No, you’re not big enough,” Bryan said.
Joe Bryan, referring to the MX track at Hollister Hills, watched his step-brother, 11-year-old Jason Murphy, clear six feet of air off the jumps around the track.
The 3,200-acre state park draws about 300,000 visitors annually, Chief Ranger Jeff Gaffney said. The abundance of three-day weekends during the winter months and the moisture in the soil create the optimal conditions for enthusiasts to get out and ride, Gaffney said.
“This time of year, for both the 4-wheel-drive enthusiasts and the motocross and ATVs, there’s a lot more moisture in the soil,” Gaffney said. “It’s having that amazing feeling of traction. It’s hard to describe.”
Beginning in October, the peak season begins. Thanksgiving weekend marked one of the busiest weekends of the season.
“The week of Thanksgiving we had so much visitation we had to shut the park down for a few hours,” Gaffney said.
One way riders and drivers deal with the busy season is to ride or drive during off-peak hours, Gaffney said. Off-roaders begin to show up as early as 6am.
“One of the big ways they are dealing with it is they are coming out on a Monday and staying through Friday, taking that week off,” Gaffney said.
For the nine million people living in the Bay Area, Hollister Hills is the largest and closest off-road park. The park is a good family spot, Gaffney said.
“We even have single moms coming out. This is the way they are bonding with their kids,” Gaffney said.
The Bryans began riding motocross two years ago. Bryan said his family, from Santa Cruz, usually camps through the weekend at the park.
“It’s our backyard ride,” Bryan said. “It’s as close as it gets. We’ve met a bunch of friends out here. We’re always making new friends.”
Murphy and his friend Nick Durden, 12, of Prunedale, sat and discussed their riding skills and the thrill of motocross.
“It can be scary, but Nick told me sometimes you can’t really look at that part,” Durden said. “You just have to say, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and just go.”
There is an element of danger to riding.
Park records indicate that around 500 crashes occur every year that require staff to respond. Of those, around 300 need basic treatment and help getting back to the main roads, while another 200 require advanced life support services, such as ambulances or helicopters, to rush them to hospitals or trauma centers. Over the course of a two-day weekend during the peak season, staff may have to deal with as many as 20 accidents.
“A lot of our accidents are the 18- to 25-year-olds,” Gaffney said. “They are the group out testing themselves.”
Despite crowds and accidents, for Gaffney, there is no other place he’d rather be.
“I love this place,” Gaffney said. “It’s awesome. I’m lucky to be here.”
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
