I don't think this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it was close. We've been on this parkway before, several times in fact, and we've always enjoyed it. This time, we told each other, we could ride and ride and ride, all the way to the dam and back. I called CalExpo in Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon to see if their RV park had space for us for a couple of nights and heard, "yes, we do." We booked the next two nights, Wednesday and Thursday, and then got busy. We wouldn't take much, but we did have to pack the RV with essentials, like coffee. The drive from our house to CalExpo is only 59 miles, but that area is relatively flat, especially compared to hilly Nevada City where we live.
We didn't get an early start anyway, but no matter for such a short distance. Too bad the first day of June (Wednesday) would be the hottest day of the year so far! After setting up, the time was 1:30 or 2pm, and the sun was brutal. But we wanted to ride, so we unloaded the bikes, donned the bike shorts, slathered sunscreen on our white legs, and took off for a short ride from CalExpo to Old Town Sac.
This is the best map I could copy and paste of the American River Parkway, aka the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, a fairly well-renowned paved trail that winds 32 miles from Discovery Park in Sacramento to Folsom, paralleling the American River. Throw in an extra few miles and you can ride to Old Town Sac, which is what we did. Huge Cottonwood trees provide shade along the way, but not enough on a hot day. The header photo was taken close to Discovery Park, showing lots of boats, and even folks in that cold water! We did 15.6 miles round trip; the temp was a blistering 93°.
In late afternoon, Matt and Evie were in the CalExpo neighborhood, so they stopped by after Jimmy and I'd ridden back to Tergel. Visiting with them was delightful -- Evie loves our Tergel, it's probably a giant playhouse to her. Dinner was suggested (Jen was at work), and Matt drove us (we'd only brought our E-bikes, no car) to Zocalo, a "modern" Mexican restaurant with muy delicioso food. Really glad they came by.
Jimmy, ready to roll.
Thursday dawned with overcast skies (surprise!). It was forecast to be a bit cooler, but we were prepared to get out early and beat the heat. We hit the trail at 9:30, with nothing else to do today but ride our new bikes. A fresh breeze blew in our faces. It was a lovely, lovely morning.
Riding has never been about speed for us; it's the joy of being Out and About, stopping when/where we wanted, the rushing wind keeping us cool. The fast riders on bikes with skinny tires whizzed past us like lightning bolts, disappearing into the distance. Our pedal assists performed Perfectly whenever we needed to crest a hill.
A number of beautiful parks are laid out along the river, as well as fishing access, like above. Fellow E-bikers stopped at the same time (comparing models) and snapped our pic.
Free entertainment, too!
Lots of wildlife to be seen. With close to 5,000 acres bordering the river and multiple types of vegetation, critters have plenty of places to hide ... or be seen. Mom and her brood, above, had just crossed the trail to get to the other side. (I don't know why!)
From our site at Cal-Expo to Mile 6 on the parkway, we rode to our destination of Nimbus Dam at Mile 23. Hooray -- a round trip of nearly 40 miles! Of course, we also had some backtracking to do and a jaunt across the river and UP the hill to Bob's Cycle Shop in Fair Oaks (where we bought the bikes) to get a minor adjustment.
Part of this trail is called an Urban Forest. Homes are peppered atop river bluffs and behind the levee where you can't see them, but access to the trail can be had at many points. We passed through meadows filled with bright sunshine and forests with welcome shade.
We spied a number of Yellow-billed Magpies, hopping through the grass. In this shot, the birds have an overseer! Haha. Birdsong from many different species accompanied us the entire distance. I loved it.
One of the crossing-the-river bike bridges as our trail switched from the north to the south side of the river.
A refreshing and wonderful two-day "vacation," though our heinies still feel tender from a long ride such as this -- I guess we need to develop calluses on our cheeks! All in all, a couple of A+ bike rides. Maybe if we can find a cool stretch of temps in the near future, we'll return. The section from Nimbus Dam to Folsom needs doing. We're game. You betcha, we're having fun!
When I think about my Dad and my two deceased brothers dying before or at retirement age, before they could enjoy life beyond work, I am doubly grateful for my life today.
Retirement: Ain't it grand?
Perfect short trip with Tergel. I kinda love those little short ones, with something fun to do and not far to go. Those bikes look like really great fun. I guess as the weather warms you will have to find beautiful trails higher up. I am imagining something paved around Lake Tahoe? Who knows. Yes, retirement is absolutely grand!! I have already had way more years than I ever expected.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! And yes, retirement is GREAT. The day you did that, we went the other direction. East on Hwy 50, Lunch on the lake in South Lake Tahoe, then over Luther Pass south to Carson Pass and the beautiful (FULL) Lakes along Highway 88. We came home on Mormon emigrant Trail. It was our first opportunity to see what the Caldor fire did. Lots of damage, but it actually looked better than I expected. Remember the incredible stands of Aspen along Highway 88? They are still there, and they were just now leaving out for spring. Nice way to get out of the heat on that hottest day of the week.
ReplyDeleteI have been a long time bird lover and have searched for different birds in other states, but mostly in the East. It is one of the features I like about your travels, especially seeing all the different bird species you encounter on your trips. Thank you, Luv, Cousin Betty Carson Adams.
ReplyDeleteSuch enthusiasm! Such beautiful photos! And of a trail Mickey and I were familiar with!
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