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Martin "Herms" Herman--as a few of us joked
this is a photo of Herms
racing after a fly ball in the
outfield. Big and strong and fast he hadto be the most "unquick" person we knew. As we were always playing ball he was teased a lot but always kept calm and was always good natured. Unfortunately I saw him again only a couple of times in the
last 36 years and though we had good long conversations
on the phone,
and always promised to talk more often, the calls
remained infrequent.
Suddenly taken away by cancer--RIP to a good guy.
I usually take off the week before a big event and my idea of a tapering ride is the Sacramento Bike trail. I did it solo a month ago when the temperature touched 92, now the retiree group wasn't going to do it with temperatures touching 100, so it was solo again. Probably best that I was solo as unsociable due to my childhood friends sudden terminal illness, and our failure to get together more often in recent years. As I had just done the 75 mile Sacramento Bike trail (includes the few mile add on to Old Town,) I figured I would make this ride more interesting and when I got to Folsom take the aptly named Folsom-Auburn road to ________________. (This is to see if you are paying attention.)
Metrics and description of the great Sacramento bike trail can be found in my blog from a month ago click here.
Two minute video of the Sacramento Bike trail and the disappearing Folsom Lake. Nothing special--
no commentary added. At 1:52 is my favorite shaded little rest spot on the trail where I want my ashes eventually spread--and here is where I got the news about Herms.
Same start at Sac State, still took the steel GT bike w a rack (and flatland gearing) so could load it up with food. Kept in the small ring on the trail so could spin a lot. As the 25 added miles would be the slow miles of the course (slightly uphill with some long rollers to Auburn) and the temperature would be hotter than last months ride:
-Didn't detour to the Folsom Historic District
-Didn't sit out at Folsom Lake for picnic (just took quick photo)
-Didn't come back via the Folsom Dam and Folsom Prison
-Didn't add on Old Town Sacramento (so no soft serve ice cream)
Making this trip unique:
-Took video camera with idea of making a Sacramento Bike Trail movie, but because of the heat trail was almost deserted on afternoon ride back. Nice and shaded in the morning, not so much in the afternoon.
-The ride out to Auburn is on a well paved road with a nice shoulder and quickly goes from strip mall to rustic development to gleaming subdivisions on steroids, with lots of traffic at both ends. Nothing special. Also kinda slow as slightly uphill with some significant uphill rollers. Just when I started thinking that it was a mistake to do this section another cyclist came by and we bs'd about rides we've done--both agreeing that the Sierra Century was the greatest. When they turned off only a few miles remain to Auburn.
-Shifter cable was "stuck" in the shifter coming back from Auburn, which is slightly downhill, so couldn't get out of the x27. So I was either spinning like madly in the 53x27 or gave up and just coasted. Good bike shop next to Folsom Lake got bike to shift when they got it off the floor and with very light tension on the pedals--but they had no idea how they did it. Half way back on the bike trail there is an 18% option which I took and again bike wouldn't come out of the x27. Luckily I did what they did at the bike shop and cable/ shifter unfroze. I was sick of fn spinning.
-Folsom Lake has even less water in it than last month--I think they gave out on the concept of swimming--moving the lifeguard chairs back 900' from where the water now starts.
-Old town Auburn looks a lot like old town Folsom. Best thing there was getting ice for the drinks.
 
-Finally, in the how strange department. I am not religious (more like anti religious) and when my wife asks me what they should do with me if I go first, I tell her have me cremated and sprinkle my ashes on the American River along the Sacramento Bike trail. The spot to do so is a little picnic area close to the college. The first time I every did the Sacramento Bike trail 16? years ago for 40? miles on a hybrid bike I got to this little rest spot--chained up my bike, and slept on one of the tables for an hour or more. Now, every time I pass it or get water I fondly remember "my favorite rest/ sleeping" spot. So today I pull in to get water, glance at my phone (as I had sent Dr. Dave a text showing him the water level at Folsom Lake); I did get a text but it was from one of my old friends back home who wrote "Herms Slipping." What a weird place to get that text.
Photos (1) Bike shoppe display (2) No water in Folsom Lake (3 & 4) HS & Courthouse in Auburn
(5) Selfie on the Bike trail
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