Tuesday, September 18, 2018

The Jedediah Trail

On July 31 I wrote that after I left the laundromat I went looking for School Road which I knew had a direct route to the hotel. I stopped at Target on the way. I bought power bars, snacks and a few other things. The customers were more helpful than the employees. School Road was easy and I decided to stay away from Bidwell so took the Johnny Cash Trail. Some lady said “you’re welcome” to me on the road to the trail and I interpreted that as the lady lived nearby and hated cyclists.

When I got to the hotel quiet time was halfway over. We split the harmony and I took it easy while my friend got a coffee on Sutter. I met her there a little later and we got ice cream. We went to the pool as my sisters were returning from the aquatic center. My younger sister came down but my older sister and her husband were getting ready to go home to Reno - they were leaving late.

After their departure my younger sister and I went to our own rooms with our parties to get ready to meet back at the pizza place. The dinner was good but we only ate two of the three pizzas. However, I grabbed the leftovers on the way to the ice cream shop. I took a bite of someone’s ice cream there and then the cart got pushed noisily to the hotel. We called it quits for the night a short while later.

On Monday, July 30 I had intended on quietly leaving the room without my friend but she had gotten up by 6:30. We were too early for the nearby café so we went to the Sutter Grill again. We ordered a small amount of food and then returned to the room to begin checking out. My sister texted and I noisily locked the bikes up outside before we traded places and I got ready to go.

At this point my younger sister was ready to go. She was heading to Reno for an extra day before having to return to work in SF. when I got downstairs they told me they would be back after a quick trip to the chocolate shop. I was done packing when she returned and they said goodbye.

This was when our idylic ride to Sacramento began. We had checked that our bags were strapped in correctly and then rode under Auburn Road. Then we rode along the River Path. The ride through the Mississippi Bar area was new and different. My friend was really enjoying herself. I remember stopping to catch my breath and saw a kayak float by. The piles of rocks made from hydraulic mining were really striking.

We crossed a little bridge and headed towards another one nearby. We were on our way to the Nimbus dam on Lake Natomas. The freeway was much closer there. I had spent a lot of time looking at the route and had determined that the dam was our first option for getting on the light rail. However, we were very much enjoying the ride. So, we continued onward.

I took a picture of Nimbus in the background and then we passed under the Hazel Bridge and we considered stopping for a swim. I wanted to accommodate her so I started looking. We passed the hatchery and there were a lot of parking lots that I remember seeing. People had a lot of access to drive. I noted that it was the islands/bars in the river that prompted us to imagine going for a swim.

We settled in at a Lower Sunrise for a picnic. There was a Ranger there. He gave us a frisbee. He said that the county was placing rangers at regular intervals along the trail. I got some water from him and quietly washed up. It was really nice. I took a breather. Later we rode through marvelous oaks and passed picnic tables on the sandy riverside. We stopped at Rossmoor Bar to adjust our trailer and at Riverbend to have water, which was a really nice park. We crossed the bridge into William Pond recreation area and my friend was really impressed with the beauty of the place. We could see the various meanders as we rolled along.

When we passed the water treatment plant we begin to see a levy on her right when my friend looked similar to a rail right of way. That was when I felt like we were entering the city. However, we were only in Arden Arcade at that point. The defining features from then until Sac State were the river on the left and the levy on the right. We saw the park rangers in SUVs rolling by.

At this point I was thinking about the train because we were near our second potential LRV escape point. My friend wanted to roll all the way to the station at this point so when we went under and passed guy West Ridge we started rolling like the end of the ride was near.

I started checking my watch when we passed mile markers to determine how long the last 7 miles would take. However I was also trying to find a shorter route. We settled on the Sacramento Northern Bikeway. We had no trouble climbing to the top of the bridge. When we got to the other side I led us to an neighborhood isolated by local rail infrastructure.

I got us into the city street grid by taking us under the tracks on a sidewalk and we stopped to rest at Muir Park. A short while later we rode to G Street and saw some bike camping people on our way into the station. They complicated the train for us because there was only one bike car and it was crowded.

My friend quietly went upstairs and I hung the bikes and broke the trailer down. We had traveled through Davis by the time I had finished. When I finally got to our table we sat talking. The light was slanting in through the window so we quietly treated seats. We also walked around the train to quiet our nerves and I had a couple of beers.

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.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

The Fat Rabbit

On July 29 I wrote that we ended up going to a pub – The Fat Rabbit – where everyone ordered separately. I gathered as many people as possible and started heading over. I ended up there with just a couple of people and everyone else showed up later. The meal was great. I split a slider and a salad. The pub was chaos and there was noise everywhere. I was really happy at how nice everyone was being. We all walked back together. I was worried I was going to have take a nap due to my earlier bike ride.

We went to my little sister’s room and she gave everyone a piece of cake because Where’s Waldo had given her a gift certificate to a bakery. The room was noisy and I was not doing well. We went to our room – my sister and I had adjoining rooms – so it was easy to have my niece wind things down for us. The idea was for most of us to have a night on the town and she would be in charge back at the hotel. One room could be quiet and the other less so.

We went to a local pizzeria and met my brother-in-law’s sister and then headed to the Folsom Hotel then – the place had no rooms just a bar but it also had a stage for music. We all stood out back and got to know each other until it was time for the band. Having wrecked myself with a vigorous bike ride in the heat, I thought that sitting was fine but everyone else wanted to dance. I sat at the bar.

When they were done with the first set everyone returned to the back porch for a drink and I managed to convince my friend to walk back with me. I was very happy to fall asleep.

We woke at 6:30 and I remember there was a loud noise. At 7:30 a few of use quietly walked over to Sutter Grill. The meal was a bit noisy but OK. Later, everyone went to the pool and I went looking for a laundromat. I got a cup of coffee sat down and started writing.

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.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Our Trip to Folsom

On July 28 I wrote that the day before we slowly rose and worked on trying to get out of the apartment. My brain was all over and it was hard to focus. By 815 I was up. My friend had generated a pile. I had taken the bikes out and we consulted our list and the house was done at 10. I took the bags and equipment down and we quietly departed at 10:30 but had to stop twice for the trailer’s back wheel. We only made the ferry to Oakland because the boat was late. Once we boarded I knew we were on time for our trip to Folsom.

We got off the boat and stopped at bicycle coffee. I quietly waited in line and filled our tires. Then we headed off to the station. The train had been waiting for us and after we boarded and we were rolling away I quietly took several action “live“ photos. The ride to Sacramento was very successful and particularly noisy. Not many people spoke to us. When we asked, the conductor gave us too many transfer tickets and I noted that we were delayed at the Carquinez Strait.

At Davis we got ready and at Sacramento station we had an easy time. The trailer came off the train separate. I walked the bikes together. My friend waited for the Goldline, which we missed but we did catch the next one. The ride was OK and they needed to turn the train off a couple of times. The air-conditioners went silent. It was quiet time.

At Folsom we walked to the hotel and got unpacked. After that we made our way to the restaurant. The waitress sold me too many whiskeys. My older brother and sister showed up. We had already eaten but the they hadn’t so went to eat. My friend and I wound the room down and I went to see everyone else a short bit later.

When I headed back to the hotel an hour later, I learned that my niece was going to watch our room. So, my friend and I returned to the restaurant but my brother and sister’s families weren’t there there. However, my brother in-law-ran over and the three of us went to Sutter Bar. My sister showed a bit later. There were four of us because my older brother wasn’t able to come. Later we went to the place across the street.

The next morning there was a meal which arrived at 6:30 but we had already awoken to noise. Later we went for a walk and hung out with my sister until 10. My brother had to walk his poochy and in the meantime my brother-in-law found some extra bikes. While my friend and I walked on the quiet bike path along the American River my brother-in-law and nephew returned with them.

My brothers and I rode to Beals Point Campground then. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law had to go to the hotel to meet his dad. So, my brother and I rode through the back of a local junior high school and some subdivisions to the Granite Bay Horse Staging Area. We had an easy time until the ride back during which we ran out of energy due to the heat.

Everyone was at the pool when we got back. I saw my brother-in-law’s parents for just a moment. My brother went to his room. I cooled off by the pool but was still bonking. I went back to the room while everyone else discussed dinner.

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.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Participate in Sunday Streets

On July 15 I wrote that I got two hours into getting things done at home – I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome but was happy to work on it. I took a couple of breaks to move stuff around but mostly played minesweeper when I got distracted.

When I knew my old classmate was headed into the city I got on my bike and met him at 21st Amendment. I ordered tater tarts and when they got in we discussed the baseball game we would attend on August 11. He also introduced his brother and uncle. I discussed the Seals with them.

I rode home on an interesting path - through Filipinotown to Lafayette and the apartment. The ride through Selma is difficult. I got back to getting stuff done when I heard that another old classmate was nearby. I got on the 14 and had a pupusa before having a beer with him. I was too tired so I went home.

In the morning of the day that I wrote this I was lazy when my friend let me know she was going to the Ferry. I tidied and rode Market to find her. I got coffee and we rode back together. When we got to Valencia she quietly admitted a desire to participate in Sunday Streets. We played with basketballs and met a local personality. She went upstairs at that point to be alone for a bit.

I quietly walked around the noisy street in front of the coffee shop for a bit. When she returned I brought her trailer up and then we set out for her acquaintance’s party.

We caught the 6th to 9th and walked to their house. When we got inside I was upstairs alone together for a moment but my friend wet outside. Everyone was headed out there a moment later. The host set up an inflatable. There was fun stuff everywhere. We had barbecue and beer. I got to know a few of their friends.

We went up for cake a bit later and I met the cats. On the way out we learned some old bike party acquaintances lived next-door. A short while later we were on the six getting off at to Buchanan on our way home.

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.