Sacramento Bike Trail (2013) & Short Solano Ramble (2013)

(Friday. November 1, 2013) Sacramento Bike Trail w/ Dr Dave, 70 miles

The Sacramento Bike trail is a real jewel.  It's just like the local bike trail minus the broken glass, and strollers/ walkers blocking the middle (there is a path on the side for them.)  It also has lots of shade trees.   Although I am often accused of calling a hilly ride flat, the Sacramento Bike Trail is virtually flat with some very easy rollers--only one main street crossing at Nimbus Dam which involves riding up over a bridge and steep ramps.  Dr. Dave saw so may of his recumbent friends I got tired of asking Dave "do you know that guy?"



No--this isn't Mines Road--the highest point (ramp/ bridge overcrossing) is only 150 meters high.  Really flat ride--really.

A long time ago on the Sacramento bike trail--I needed my youngest to push me along (Film camera)

Tomorrow is a long Club ride so I took my old GT with brevet bag and rack, and vowed to keep the bike in the small chain ring all ride.   I kept my word.  

Early in the day on the Sacramento Bike Trail heading East from State University.  Some senile old idiot forgot his camera (Dr. Dave-I Phone)

Cool in the morning so arm/knee warmers and vest were in order--which all got put in the brevet bag later.   I like starting this ride at the State College--plenty of parking for a nominal fee ($6) though you have to dodge the students as you cross the Golden Gate Pedestrian Bridge.    The College/ Golden Gate Pedestrian Bridge is about 10 miles from the (west) Old Town Sacramento end.  We headed east towards Folsom and Folsom Lake, which is about 25 miles away.   The first section from the College to Nimbus Dam is the nicest section of the bike trail--with the American River running close by.   In the summer scores of people inner tubing down the river.  Today no one is in the river which is  an added benefit--though the Sacramento Bike Trail crosses only a few major streets it does cross a few parking lots that are crowded during the summer--today they were empty and no cars  were evident.

Being Friday* the bike crowd was older--seems like a lot of retirees.   A few young tri guys shot by--though you can't really go balls out as the trail is narrow and very curvy in some places.   An occasional coed jogger came by on the side dirt path.   Dave and I said we need to take Mike and Ward up here in the summertime when its much hotter and the coed joggers are wearing much less.    (*I've never ridden the Sacramento Bike trail on the weekend, something tells me it may become a real zoo)

We leave the bike trail to go to downtown/ old town Folsom.  Dave likes the sign on the bridge. (Dr. D-I Phone)

I'm in Old Town Folsom--best thing here is new style bike shoppe (Dr. D-I Phone)

When we got to Folsom  we took a detour off the trail and into Old Town Folsom which has a nice bike shop.  Nice bike shop is one that has good road bikes and lots of cycling accessories.   Dave and I passed on the local High School bulldog cycling jersey which seems to be permanently on sale  but it is very tempting. 

I think its unfair that this tea bagger compares Prius Drivers to socialists.  It is unfair.  To the socialists. (Dr D-I Phone)

When we were going through downtown we passed a huge pick-em-up truck with a huge bumper sticker that filled its rear window.  It was longer than most pointless emails at work.   It was clear that the guy didn't like Liberals--Socialist--Prius Drivers.    I thought Dave should pull out a red sharpie and correct the bumper stickers grammar and usage starting with 'run on sentence.'  People--keep your bumper sticker short, funny and to the point.  Oh year (and this does apply especially to Prius Driving Communists)--don't plaster every inch of your car with bumper stickers.

A little hilly as we pass Folsom Prison.  I forgot my camera so we took a few photos with Dave's I-Phone.  Dave picked up a goathead pulling off the trail and after a quick wheel change it was onto Folsom Lake which usually has a crowded beach in the summertime.  Wonder how different it would be on this autumn day.  The water will probably be empty but look great.

Dr. Dave makes gang signs so he'll be invited into Folsom Prison--Folsom Dam is in the distance. (Dr. Dave-I Phone)

HOLY SHIT VERY DIFFERENT.  Deserted.   Which wasn't the story.  There was almost NO WATER. It looked like a scene out of those apocalypse movies when the Statue of Liberty is on solid ground.  There were a few lifeguard chairs nearby, then water about a 1/2 mile away.  Just a dry lake bed in front of us.   Two coeds came out of nowhere horseback riding across the dry lake bed.  Surreal.   

 

Folsom Lake--Where the F did the water go?? (Dr. Dave I-Phone)

After we ate peanut butter/ pumpkin butter sandwiches it was time to decide what to do.  One option is to take to the road and go from Folsom to Auburn, a route marked with many significant rollers.   As tomorrow is the Club ride we decided to head back--but we planned to ride across a new bridge and take the streets back to Folsom, where we'd pick up the bike trail.  Alas a ditsy sheriff was at the intersection where she informed us the road was closed due to blasting, but couldn't quite figure out if the blasting was on the  way we wanted to go or the way we came in from.   After going back and forth she finally decided we couldn't go across the bridge--so it was back from the way we came.

On the way back Dave talked about his early research in Sam Shepard playwright and actor.  I am not much of a drama fan but Sam Shepard had a relationship with the rock goddess Patti Smith so I was interested, and it was like listening to an author podcast but I could ask questions whenever.

REAL cobblestones in Old Town Sacramento (Dr. Dave I-Phone)

 

 


Dr. Dave and I with the Giants of Old Town (taken by that stupid Apple product)

At Nimbus Dam we had to go under the busy main street bridge and then climb up to the bridge.   They have reworked the climb so you can go straight up an 18% grade, which I did, or take a nice circular ramp that add lots of distance but takes out much of the grade.   (Vote here if I should give Dr. Dave an asterisk)   Otherwise the ride back was fairly flat, in fact slightly downhill, but with a slight headwind.

Past the College Dave and I decided to go to Old Town Sacramento.   Here the trail picks up a few homeless and inner city locals on beater bikes and the bathroom restrooms (about every 5 miles on the trail) have a "lived in look."  aka o·dif·er·ous.  We circle Discovery Park, then one more ramp where the path gets a little chewed up and plop--we are in Old Town Sacramento.  Old Town is right next to downtown but isolated by a surrounding freeway and made to look like a Western Town.

Never mind any earlier portion of the trail that is "not the best"  The old town streets are paved with Belgium Cobblestones and Dave and I lived out our Paris Roubaix fantasy for one block--or until the soft ice cream store.  (My daughter later texted that this is HER FAVORITE place--which she remembers us hitting often 10 years ago.)

Yea!-Sacramento Sweets-Old Town soft serve open (My Star Trek Phone)

 

Boo-Kaveri Madras is supposedly the best veggie restaurant in Sacramento closed in the late afternoon (My Star Trek Phone)

After ice cream back over the cobblestones-though this time faster.  Yes--its true the faster you go the smoother the ride; when we took them gingerly coming in it seemed like we were bumping into each one.   Back through Discovery Park and our last 10 miles back to the college.     Dave and I were bs'ing when a tall young coed sped by--we still kept in the small ring and cranked up to 22 where we drafted behind her while she eventually slowed to 20.  Then, right before the college turnoff a well enhanced jogger wearing summer wear passed us the other way.  Heck, we need to get Ward back into action so we can provide action photos.

After the ride Dave and I skirted around the Sacramento Strip malls to an Indian Place rated the #1 veggie restaurant in Sacramento by a weekly rag, with a plan to pick up some Mysore Masala Dosa.  In my minds eye it would be in a bustling section of something resembles downtown with lots of students around.  Wrong.  It was in a dumpy strip mall with a big CLOSED sign.  It was 4:00 and they close from 3:30-5:00. FFFFFFFF!

(Saturday November 2) Solano Ramble, Diablo Cyclist Club ride, 60 miles

This ride is a real treat--one of the rare club rides which is relatively flat.   Found out Bill and Christine would have played hooky and joined Dr. Dave and I yesterday.  We got to have a big midweek ride on the Sacto Bike trail in the Spring.

Leaving Solano Community College (PC)

 

OK to draft behind Brian's recumbent as he sits up straight and I can make faces in his side mirrors (PC)

Dr. Dave and I not too worse for wear from our 80 mile joint yesterday--and ailment or slowness was blamed on riding the cobblestones the day before.  As at the end of the riding season and with no Ward to egg us on (one of us usually decide to take the hardest route possible) we skipped the Cantalow Hilly Loop.   At one point a guy from Davis joined us and picked up the pace--he said we should sprint at the end but after we set up our fellow club members with the infamous "2001" strategy, the guy turn away right before the sprint point.

Part of the gang at Lake Solano Park.   Don gets to lay down as he did this ride on a fixed gear.  Why is woman in back mooning us? (PC)

 

Don & Brian thinking of buying a horse to finish the ride (PC)

We spent a long time bsing at Solano Park with its small pond--which had more water than Folsom Lake from the day before.  Dr. Dave kept taking out the County Line sprints.   Only climb, Cardiac, is a pain in the ass going east to west (longer and headwind)--I got sawed off at the beginning, but half way up I started clicking and crested with Dr. Dave. 

Christine zooming up Cardiac (PC)

 


Unfortunately a little cooler than yesterday where leaving on t-shirt and knee warmers was a good option.  Also area is still depressed and no stores are open--the big rest area out of what used to be a restaurant is now falling apart.

Got another new song stuck in my head.  Well its new--to me.  Its another good band I missed that Pandora put on my personalized radio station.   Somehow the beat was in synch with my pedal stroke when I felt good.  Getting older but "no time to cry."

Coach Andy showing off his new exercise stretching device (PC)

 

Some people are NEVER serious when we are learning training techniques and Dr. Dave thought that a photoshoppe was in order (Dr. D)

Jack took off to do Pope Valley Bonus Miles--but now at the end of the season I wasn't tempted at all.   Nice fast return where Dave, Bill, Christine and I got off the front until Bill decided to hit a huge chunk of something on the road causing a blowout but also a regrouping where we had a big Club paceline to the end.

Near the end of the ride during flat tire change (Christine)