These days have been so all encompassing of California. From the state capitol to Folsom, to east Folsom which is mega malls and new housing developments, the agricultural and wine lands, and then into Gold Rush era towns, and now in a ski resort. There's so much diversity here, and it's really represented when you travel west to east.
We started Day 2 in Fairfield and ended it in Folsom. Most of the day was exclusively bike paths that connected UC Davis with Sacramento, and then Sacramento to Folsom. UC Davis's bike network is pretty amazing, and it's all flat. I recognize that the amount of people on bikes back home can be limited by the geography- there are some steep hills in western Chula Vista neighborhood for getting around to places. But Davis? Most people were on townies. Davis has every bit of the college town vibe I imagined it would have. Mike and I split a $5 breakfast burrito at about 10am, and enjoyed evesdropping on the conversation of the group of young guys at the table next to us, drinking beer on a beautiful Saturday on the patio, and sharing reasons why they'd never go back to a strip club.
Old Town Sacramento was like any other old town I've been to- full of tourists, trinket shops, and overpriced food. The wooden boardwalks and the cobblestone streets were not fun for the bikes. It was pretty quick to get to the American River trail, that ran 23 miles into Folsom. If we didn't have such a long day ahead, I would have gotten out my swimsuit and swam a bit- this was Sunday, so there were plenty of people enjoying the water. It was the smart decision to pass, because all of the hotels were on the far side of the town, and we clocked in at 90 miles for the day around 7 pm- a total of 8 hours riding time.
The longest miles of day 2 were the last 5-10 miles. Once the well-signed bike path had ended, navigating the smaller roads was a challenge. We hadn't eaten lunch, all of our water was lukewarm, and brains were not as sharp as they are when they are well rested. The hotels of Folsom were near the freeway (as most towns), and I was suprised to see all of the new development being built. The mall, dinner and breakfast options, and the strip mall after strip mall reflected Generic California Growth. Fancy names of communities, multiple sign directories, each community crediting the developer, 10 Starbucks in a 10 mile radius,
Day 3 started in Folsom and ended in Volcano. This was the first day into the Sierras, mostly through foothills until Plymouth, where we stopped in for some basic groceries, and then it was truly the Sierras. The change from the overlooking the valley to the pine trees as we gained elevation made it a little easier to deal with the challenge of uphill. Now we're entering seasonal tourist regions. Places aren't open midweek. We were thankful to find a toffee shop that had a cooler of cold Cokes for sale that happened to be open (but Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday cyclists would be SOL). Lunch was clif bars, bread, gummy bears, and a danish swiped from the Fairfield hotel. We had a decision to make at 3pm: either go uphill another 10 miles to find a camp spot at Cooks Station, or go downhill for 6 miles to Volcano where they had hotel rooms. We chose down.
I knew from the map "Ram's Horn Grade Road" would be twisty. I wish I could have paid more attention to the scenery as we flew down, but all eyes on the road, and nothing else at 30mph. As the 6 miles ticked by at record speed on the odometer, I was thinking about how long it would take to get back out of this canyon. Those same 6 miles would feel like 24 miles, at least. But, when we got to Volcano, it was the right decision, because we were beat. It was a tough climbing day, and the next day would be as well. There was a fabulous restaurant- the Union, and a cool 1850s hotel that is supposed to be haunted that we stayed in. And we figured out a plan to get back to the junction from the previous day that did not involve going back up the hill.
Day 4: All climbs, all day. Our average speed was 6 mph. We completed 32 miles in 5 hours of actual riding time, and 2.5 hours of break time. We started at 3,000 ft elevation and ended at 7,900 feet of elevation, but that's not including the 800 ft decent and reclimb... twice. Not a lot of places that we actually passed through. Historical landmarks of wagon trains and settler trails. The road actually wasn't incredibly steep, because they are paved over wagon routes. But it was first gear all day... all day.
Tomorrow is downhill. Tomorrow is Nevada. Tomorrow is farther from home. Tomorrow we'll start to see even less people.
People have had a lot of things to tell us about the road in Nevada, but like all things, until you experience it yourself, you don't really know what it's like. My favorite description is "It's very Nevadan." Touching the edges of the state many times, I'm excited to really get to the heart of something new. I know California. I know both the coastal and the rural, the small town life and the big city happenings. It's amazing to think a few days ago we were in a friend's apartment in Downtown Oakland on First Friday, and the people in the Oakland coffee shop are just as friendly as the people in the Cooks Station diner.
Pics to come, meanwhile, check out the Instagram link! (You can view, you don't have to have an account)
