darnit! Forgot to ask if the pie is free range… ah well, may have to go back. Double darnit!! Anyway, this past weekend I did the Santa Cruz Randonneurs double 200k weekend. The Saturday Skyline 200k went past the tempting signs on the inbound, and I was ready to be done – feeling like if I stopped it would be rough getting started again. Plus, not like there isn’t always room for pie, I had had an It’s-It at the control in Sky Londa, and a muffinish sorta thing in Pescadero so was sorta feeling like the sweets box was checked for the day.
Sunday’s Kings Mountain out and back went by on the outbound before the Ranch was open, but I’d be darned if I was going to ride by a third time and not stop. So on the inbound I told my riding companions I was planning to stop, they could suit themselves. Apparently pie suited, as they all stopped also.
Alas there was no a la mode, despite it being National Ice Cream day (I managed to observe later), but the pie was super tasty, as was the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt cookie I got to go. Which did actually make it to dinner time!
Actually two of us got the peach galette, which was all about the super scrumptious peachy peach. Solid crust, neither overpowering/overshadowing the fruit or being distracting in a soggy or bad way. The other two got Strawberry-Rhubarb pies, which I’d also been quite tempted by. Other pie flavors were Lemon (custardy something, urg. memory) and Blueberry. (Two separate things.) There were some other baked goods as well that all looked super tasty, but if you’re at the Pie Ranch ya gotta have pie.
Although – another question I didn’t ask – why aren’t they the Pie Farm? Besides the baked goods, there was an assortment of beautiful produce for sale. They are very involved with farmer education and the sustainable food movement. So it turns out that they don’t actually make the baked goods, the Companion Bakeshop (ooo! Companion has a shop in Santa Cruz! Man can’t live on bread alone, so bring a friend! *giggle* doh! Near to where I was staying. Although with those silly bike rides I wasn’t around during their open hours. Not sure if that makes me feel better or worse!) is the baker, using ingredients from Pie Ranch.
Pie Ranch has a nice outdoor picnic area where we sat and enjoyed our treats. Super yummy and restorative for a pie powered pedal the last miles back to Santa Cruz!
2m2t 
I wondered if you would get people to stop. It’s a fantastic destination. out in the middle of nowhere. I will probably ride out that way this weekend if I don’t do King Ridge.