Well, not exactly the Andes, but it sure felt like it.
As advertised, the new fall zodiac in Tuolumne County (not South America) turned out to be a climber's delight. The total mileage was 182 miles with 19, 435' of climbing. A few riders had even more, some less.
A mountain goat ride is defined as 100' of elevation gain for every mile ridden. It's a benchmark for what cyclists classify as a real serious climb.
Every ride over the four days met or exceeded the definition of a mountain goat ride.
Twenty-one riders and three non-riding spouses attended the September
event based in the historic Gold Rush town and state park of
Columbia in the central Sierra foothills.
The riders were blessed with mild, mid-80's weather following a week of temperatures hovering near 100 degrees.
Tuolumne County and adjacent Calaveras and Mariposa Counties are interlaced with backcountry roads that offer cyclists a tempting array of challenging options.
Once you leave the gridlock traffic of the "Bermuda Triangle" – Sonora, Jamestown and Columbia – the roads are quiet and traffic-free through rolling, oak-studded horse and cattle country.
Info-Dave was in hog heaven as he Barn-Stormed his way
through the countryside, adding to his extensive collection of old wood
barn photographs. The hills are dotted with rustic old ranch houses,
barns, and miner's shacks, some dating back to the mid-1800s.
The wooden and stone buildings and remains of historic Gold Rush towns added an interesting backdrop to the cyclists as the roads rolled, climbed and descended into the gullies, valleys and canyons.
Co-ride leaders Geno Masuda and John Hockenbury put together nine ride options ranging from 39 to 88 miles from which to select over the four-day period.
Planned as good zodiac leaders should, most of the daily rides
took the cyclists by good eateries, coffeehouses and apple pie farms.
The riders left a trail of pie crumbs and no apple dumpling or turnover
was left uneaten in the wake of the Horde from the Big Valley.
The designated "ride of the week" was a killer ride out to Cherry Lake from Tuolumne City in the high alpine mountains northwest of Yosemite.
The short ride was a 62-mile out-and-back on Cottonwood Road with over 7300' of vertical.
The long ride of 88 miles, dubbed The Monster, continued on from Cherry Lake to Hwy 120 to Groveland and descended and climbed out of the Tuolumne River canyon twice. It was a beast of a ride with 13,000' to 15,000' of climbing.
Dick Nussbaum was the
sole rider brave enough to tackle and complete the beastly 88-mile
loop. He received a field promotion to the rank of "2-star"
from his former title Colonel Bagbaum for his impressive achievement. It took
him eight hours to complete the ride. 
All the other so-called tough riders had better sense and whimpered back from Cherry Lake on the short option.
A big thanks to Barbara Nussbaum – aka Mrs. Sagbaum – for providing critical sag support on the ride. She was a welcome sight at the turnaround point and on the big climbs on the long return trip.
The co-ride leaders with the able assistance of Sandy Yarrow, Jeannie Ennis, and Patti Masuda hosted a spaghetti feed at the Marble Quarry RV Campground.
The zodiackers spent a festive evening on the outdoor
deck eating and drinking heavily, and re-telling fables of the day's
conquest. 
Ken Potter, who got in some painting time between rides, displayed some of his beautiful watercolor scenes of Columbia. Thanks, Ken, for adding a dose of culture to the evening.
Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the new zodiac in the foothills of the central Sierra. For many, this area was an exploration into new territory.
For those of you who missed this trip, enjoy the accompanying pictures. You are spared the agony of the big climbs but missed out on the joys of eating some of the best apple dumplings and pies to be found anywhere.