We went to Temple coffee and sat out in front and we ate for a little bit. I sent out some tweets. Then we visited the dorms and rode around the quad for a little bit. As my sons were trading the second bike back and forth, occasionally I would allow them to lead. Other times I would. As we crossed the 113 to Russell Blvd, I let my son lead until the path crossed the road and then they switched.
The boys were really into the tractors. Russell Blvd is long and easy to use as a cyclist given the separated bike paths and it is often the case that riding along this type of path warrants no comment. However, it should be noted that this portion of the ride was idyllic and had many sweeping views of the Vaca Mountains, local birds and various crops being tested in UC Davis’ experimental plots.
At Stevenson Bridge we made a quick stop and the boys switched again. Here one of them took the lead. Putah Creek (apparently, according to locals it is pronounced like the state “Utah”) is a long, low traffic road where “roadie” cyclists like to visit. It wasn’t very hot but the boys switched again before the town of Winters. The boys managed ok but occasionally they get worn out.
We hung out in town until I had gotten a few beverages. We had a pancake, eggs, etc. snack. After that we rode to the edge of town to see how the road network connects with Putah Creek. We found a wash there which runs the length of the west end of town. We also found a fun playground which had a lot of kids.
We continued then to Putah Creek Road and one of the boys volunteered to lead. We were concerned about cars since this section connects Winters to a town further south. However, that stream of traffic breaks off pretty quick. The road then turned into a series of right angle turns with short sightlines and a long dull rise.
The boys inevitably got worn out again despite their trading the extra bike. At the Lake Solano Canal we had to take a long break and give each other big hugs. At this point we could see much of the agricultural Lake Solano, with its flooded fields and orchards.
The other boy lead us through Pleasants Creek then and once we topped the hill there we arrived at the campground where we settled on a site. They set up a tent and then we left the second bike behind, got on the cargo bike and headed up Highway 128.
There were so many speeding drivers! They also had boats and other large trailers. However, they were all traveling in the opposite direction as it was late in the day. The ride went fast enough. At the Cold Canyon resort we tried to get some water but the one person we saw their basically said they couldn’t provide us with any because we weren’t customers
We got back on the cargo bike, crossed the Putah Creek Bridge and rode up Thompson Canyon. Monticello Dam loomed above us as we approached. A few cars passed us, but it turned out fine. We had some beverages when we got to the top. At the dam, we investigated the turbidites, which are fossilized remnants of oceanic sedimentation found in the joints between blocks of metamorphic sandstone related to the local geological epoch known as the Great Valley Sequence.
I had us find a shaded location nearby and we sat and contemplated the lake. We had brought a snack of apples and carrots. A short while later, we descended from Monticello Dam back to Cold Canyon Resort. My boys have a tradition when we ride together on my cargo bike down big hills where they hold my hat to avoid it getting blown away.
This turned out to be prescient given the speed we traveled through the hot, windy Thompson Canyon. The ride was not impossible, but it was work, and there was one big truck with a pontoon boat, which passed us at an inopportune moment and that made me really upset.
We returned to the campground, unpacked and started winding down for the evening. The boys did their thing. Later we ate a little food and hung out together until bedtime. The boys came and found me a couple of times but they mostly just played until well after sunset. At the end of the night they drank some milkshakes and crawled into the tent.
I had gotten our site set up for the evening in that period. Only a few sites were available but I still believed that I should’ve found a better spot. Once I had finished up and had gone to sleep, I slept all right but probably could have done better. I gave the boys some allergy medication around 5 AM because I figured we needed it. However, we slept for two more hours after that.
By 9 AM we got packed up near the RVs and ate the last of our food. There was an ok place to charge up the bike’s battery. When we got back on the road, one of the boys lead us to Pleasant Creek and Putah Canal and then they traded with the other boys leading us to Winters. I taught them how to anticipate automobiles coming from behind. At Winters we had French toast at the steak house.
A short while later we returned to Putah Creek Road and the boys were trading the second bike back and forth. This time the boys did really well. They switched once we got to the Russell Blvd Bike path and we made really good time until we crossed 113. I followed as the boys led me through UCD campus and we arrived at Temple coffee.
There we refreshed myself before boarding the crowded 3:10 PM train. There was so little seating that the boys had seats but I did not and I had to shuttle between both ends of the train to check on them. I had a beer while standing watching them look at their iPads.
At Richmond station, we went over to BART. This leg of the trip is always a hard time but I managed. My big cargo bike is a real challenge for traveling by train. We rode home from Civic Center and were really lazy once we finally got back home together.
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.
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