South to Southside Park

On 12 February I wrote I met my friend at four barrel and on the BART platform I tried texting her riding partner. We boarded the Dublin train and she said she was not on it.  At Lake Merritt I let my friend go ahead to the train station I got tickets. Our historian friend said he would pay me back.

We got the last car on the train and took the downstairs compartment. The web designer got on at Richmond and we hung out till Davis. I got pictures of the yellow bridge at flood stage.  At the station I told my friend I would see her later and rode with the cyclists to Fremont Park for the Sacramento Tweed Ride.  I interacted with Chico people and noted that some in my party had found their friends.  The web designer’s buddy was wearing a diaper outfit.

An organizer had a pump and I used it. I talked to a delivery company owner. He told me about renting cargo bikes. I talked to the photographer and took a photo of the organizers providing directions. We rode away a bit late and headed north to view mirrors. I grabbed a bunch of photos and when we passed the liquor store I bought a bottle of Prosecco. There was a couple and an extra guy that bought stuff with me.

When I left they followed me. I asked people on the street about where the ride had gone and they pointed. The couple and I found the ride at a cul-de-sac. On the way to K St. I knocked a well dressed man off his bike and helped a tandem get ahead.

We headed to R Street and when we got to the freeway we crossed on the old railroad crossing. I talked to a guy about his Extracycle kit. He told me the ins and outs of cargo bikes. He had gone to Eastbay Bike Party.  There was also a guy with a “retro direct bike” – the son of the guy with the tall bike.

We paraded down Capital Mall and took pictures. We saw a group of gun activists. We turned around at the Capital Dome and headed south to Southside Park then. I was first to get there. I saw my friend and sat at a table.  One of my sacramento friends had brought cookies. I drank bubbly. The lady with the tandem I wanted to be loud so we went to the historian's table. I had tea with some Sacramentoans.

I returned to my friend’s table and ate the sandwich she had brought me. Some dapper dressers were eating cheese. We started breaking down the picnic site and the organizers spoke. We got to know the bike firm owner and discussed cargo bikes. The Modestoans clarified  their bike ride and I ate a bunch of chocolates. One of the organizers stayed behind when the riders left for the end of the ride.

We pulled down the picnic table covers and my friend and her talked about costumes a bit. After the organizer left we hung out in the grass on the picnic mat and I was alone for a breath.  That was when my old college buddy came by. We connected and that was great. It was his son’s first bike ride and his other son didn't remember us. When we said bye we only had a short moment before the train came.

We raced to the train station and I got tickets and then we missed the train anyway.  Our companions, returning from the bar at the end of the ride  eventually found us on the train. I started writing and made a trip to the café. When I was done writing we were nearly at Richmond.

This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.