A biking get-away, early November

 

I've said this before, but I'll say it again: Autumn is my favorite season.  I dearly love the fall colors, crisp days, chilly nights, falling leaves, and the occasional rain.  I can work in the yard without breaking into sweat, and raking leaves to me is a zen moment.  Jimmy, on the other hand, favors summer, perhaps because he grew up in the deep south where every hot/humid summer lasts roughly six or eight years (IMO)!  Nevertheless, we are both in awe of our colorful community, which is ablaze with breathtaking reds and oranges and yellows.  Plus, with cooler days, we can get Out and About and enjoy outdoor activities comfortably. 

This Pink Dogwood is the first tree in our yard to turn.

The next photos are a combination of three different bike outings along the American River.  The first was a day trip from home, in fine weather under a cotton ball sky, below. 

Of course the girls were out.

As well as a BIG fella!

Is he in jail?

Datura and Evening Primrose were the only two flowers we saw.

From start to finish the American River bike trail (aka Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail) is 32 miles one way, from Folsom to Old Sacramento, in sight of the American River much of the time.  You see, above, why we like to pedal here -- not only is it relatively flat, it's flat-out gorgeous.

The ride was so enjoyable, we decided to return, this time "camping" in Tergel for two nights at Cal-Expo's RV park.  Cal-Expo, in Sacramento, is a bit over 60 miles downhill from our house ... and it's adjacent to the American River bike trail.  No rain was predicted, but big winds appeared in the forecast after I'd made the reservation.  No matter, we can still ride in windy weather.

They weren't kidding!  We arrived Tuesday Noon, Nov 5th, and took off on the bikes shortly thereafter -- in REALLY strong winds.  Cold North winds.  (Added more layers.)  At least the sun was shining, which made us feel warmer.  Actually, it was when we were in the open and not shielded by trees, that the wind tried to push us over, but, you know we did all right.

We encountered a number of "trail closed" signs due to trail/bridge construction, with detours taking us around and about, which is just more adventure to us!  At the Discovery Park area, we spied a lone boat moored near the shore.  While the river appears placid here, the reality was: white caps in the water!

Crossing the river on "The Green Bridge."

Sacramento's Tower Bridge.  We didn't ride across it today, though we have in the past.  We continued on beyond Old Sac to the marina and Miller Regional Park, to a cul-de-sac marking trail's end.

A group of ladies was sashaying across a city street, till they got honked at.  They didn't exactly run away, but they did ease toward the curb.  Dang things are everywhere.  Her feathers gleam in the sun.

Made it back to Cal-Expo!  This was Wednesday, the 6th, and only slightly less windy than Tuesday.  We were off the trail at this point and checking out Bushy Lake via a narrow smushed entry through tangled dense foliage.  Another nice quality of the river trail is all the offshoots you can access.

Not much to Bushy Lake.

Harumph.  When Jimmy unchained the bikes Thursday morning for one last bike ride, my front tire was flat.  Well, the heck with it, no riding today.  Instead, we each grabbed a bag and walked a mile to where we'd seen a super abundance of walnuts on the ground.  Like the Oaks, these Walnut trees seem to be having a mast year!  I weighed the combined nuts and we picked up 6 lbs of unshelled walnuts.  Hopefully most will be good.  I'll get out the nutcracker soon and check 'em out.

BTW, Thursday dawned clear and calm, no wind -- haha.  We packed up the little we took and made for home, arriving late afternoon (after shopping).  Altogether, we put 55 miles on our bikes, not earth-shattering, but we sure had a good time pedaling the trail.  These short getaways are The Best.

Retirement! Wed/Thurs 6/1-6/2

 

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?

Odds or Ends -- April 9-12, 2017

Again, spying a break in our otherwise 2017 rainy/stormy weather pattern, we threw a few things in Tergel, and took off down the hill Sunday morning for a three-night stay at Cal-expo RV Park in Sacramento.  Mind you, Sac isn't far from home, maybe 60 or 65 miles and 3000 ft less in elevation, but we really needed to get away while the sun was shining. Besides, I had an early Monday morning medical appointment in Sacramento, and a visit or two with the Joneses and sweet Everly Rose would round out reasons to fly the coop.

We've stayed at Cal-expo before and know the American River Bike Trail is a stone's throw from where we park our RV.  Since we left our bikes at home, getting on our feet Monday after my appointment was exactly what we wanted to do, and so we did.

But first, a flaming tulip from home.
It came close to drowning, but beat the odds.

Jimmy, on the bank of the normally-not-so-lively American River,

but today it's still flowin' high and fast.

The trailside was teeming with wildflowers (achoo! achoo!).

White-veined leaves on the Milk Thistle plant are intriguing, and are very pretty in my eyes, never mind that they can spread like a wildfire.  It's pink/purple prickly flower was attracting lots o' bees.  The plants appeared to be popping up all along the path ... yes, invasive.

Handsome Tom was struttin' and gobblin'!
He had a little gal on the other side of the path he was talking to.

Black Locust flowers (Robinia pseudoacacia) on the river bank.  I've seen these trees in bloom on a prior trip here and wasn't sure what tree it was.  Now we all know!  I couldn't get close enough to catch a scent, but the Wisteria-type flowers look like they'd be fragrant.

Yonder Egret is standing near a slough we'd never seen before.  The American River, like every other waterway in NorCal, overflowed its banks as the result of tons of rain (and snow melt from higher elevations).  I guess we shouldn't have been surprised, but seeing ponds and sloughs filled with water that we'd never seen wet before reminded us that it's been a wild winter.

Turtles, above, on a half submerged log were soaking up the sun.  

We disturbed a covey of Quail, below, as we hiked along.  They zipped into the bushes.

The sky grew overcast (geez), and the temp dropped, but no rain fell.  Stopping beneath this tree, I saw a Nuttall's Woodpecker checking the trunk crevices for a nifty bite or two. 

And this guy was part of a flock of golden-crowned sparrows

gleaning the grass seeds near a golf course.

Tidytips -- Layia platyglossa -- what a cute name for a flower!

* * * * *

I've been plagued by a rash of sorts, as in itchy red spots all over my body, since last November.  Yes, I've been to urgent care, my primary care physician, a naturopath, dermatologists and an allergist, trying to find the cause and cure for the rash.  My appointment Monday morning resulted in a diagnosis of nummular eczema, with a new ointment prescription (taking precedence over all the other jars and tubes I've collected in the past five months).  I'm hoping -- fingers and toes crossed -- that this greasy ointment does the trick.  What I have isn't earth shattering, but it's been hell for me.  Never heard of nummular eczema.

Enough of that.  Anyway, we piloted Tergel to Cal-expo early Sunday afternoon, arriving laden with dinner to share with the young'uns.  Matt was involved in yard work on his day off, so we gave him a hand.  Later, of course, we played with the baby.  Everly Rose is a one-month old doll baby!

Jimmy, getting cozy with The Lollies (at the Pavilions), a sculpture by Ruth Rippon.

On Tuesday, we met Matt and Jen and Everly Rose for lunch in Cafe Bernardo at the Pavilions in Sacramento, not far from Cal-expo.  Each of us ordered something different from the menu, and everything brought to the table was very tasty.  As an added bonus ... little Everly Rose slept through lunch!  After eating, we walked a bit through the outdoor mall to get a coffee.  At that point, she awoke and demanded her own lunch, which Matt delivered via a bottle of Mom's best.

A brisk wind blew and we sought a sheltered nook to drink our coffee and feed Everly.  Gray skies threatened more rain, but we stayed dry.  Tomorrow (Wednesday) we'll have to unhook Tergel early to avoid the upcoming rainstorm (sigh!!).  Jimmy dislikes undoing the utilities in the rain.

So expressive, so cute.

We didn't quite make the unhooking in time .. light rain began while we were drinking our morning coffee.  By the time we got on the road, those windshield wipers were on full.  Not the best drive home, but we made it up the hill and home safely.  Our mini-vacation hit the spot ... a great 5-6 mile walk and lots of baby time ... just what we needed.   A taste of what's hopefully to come.

Awww, how cute! Sacramento, 9/22-25, 2014

We're fairly sure it's a "she." She even looks like a she, small and delicate. When we settled Tergel in Site 237 at Cal-Expo on Monday 9/22, she turned up ... late afternoon, snack time. She sat out in front of Tergel, far enough to be safe, but close enough to be seen. Jimmy and I were sitting in our chairs having a cuppa and commenced talking to her. "C'mere, kitty, kitty." She inched closer. "Bet she's hungry," I said to Jimmy. I swear she smiled! OK, I'll fess up -- I went inside and hacked off a small piece of cheddar cheese. Figured she'd prefer cheddar to jack. Stepping outside, she was now beneath Tergel, behind the steps. Correct. The cheese was devoured.

She played catty with me and moved away. Cheese gone, she moved back under Tergel, looked at me and quietly said, "meow." Aw, geez, melting like the proverbial soft touch, back inside I went and returned with a bag of chips (of all things) and spinach dip. She liked the dip. Left the chip. (The chips and dip were for us, but I was willing to share!) I was sitting on the bottom step and by now she was a couple feet away from me. "Meow." Aw geez, back inside again! Looking in the fridge, I spotted sliced roast beef for sandwiches. Oh yeah! Three times I returned to the fridge for another slice of roast beef. She got so close, next to my hand, and GRABBED the last piece out of my hand and retreated.

She returned every day at snack time.  "Meow."  It worked like a charm every day!

Who could resist a sweet face like this?

 

She took to following me around ... always at a safe distance.

  

I think she was under Tergel in this picture.

We'd just returned from an evening walk.

She was poking around in the weeds next to the asphalt (eyeing me, too), sure something was moving in the crack.  She pawed several spots, alert, and suddenly pounced.  Her prize was a small wiggly snake that she carried away to eat beneath a different motor home!

Quite a few feral cats inhabit Cal-expo.  They keep the rodent population down.  The American River bike trail is approx 100 feet to the left, and a rich diversity of wild critters lives along the water course.

My early evening walk on Wednesday revealed a "Murder of Crows" at Cal-expo's Harness Race Track, next to the RV Park. Lots more were off to the left out of the picture. They may have been discussing where to roost for the night, the price of tea in China, and other deep subjects. Estimated number? Hundreds. Sycamore leaves rustling in the Delta breeze almost drowned out the sound of so many crows! The breeze felt wonderful.

When I turned around, the setting sun had turned the cloud bank into a rainbow of colors.  

Rain was forecast for Thursday morning, and about 6:30 am I heard the first light drops hit Tergel's roof.  Real rain fell till mid-morning.  Jimmy and I stayed high and dry, happy to watch puddles form in the parking lot -- a most welcome sight!  This is the first measurable rain in months.  Everyone hopes it will help knock down the massive King fire east of Sacramento.  That beast has grown to over 95,000 acres (150 sq miles +/-).  As many as 8,000 firefighters from across the nation are on scene.  Homes have been destroyed, and it has caused misery to thousands.  The monetary cost is astronomical:  $53 million dollars since it began nearly two weeks ago.  I've heard it's become the second most expensive California wildfire this year.  So, let it rain, rain, rain.  Containment is now at 55%; that's a big plus.  

One more note.  On our way home this afternoon, we pumped Tergel full of regular gas at Arco for $3.29/gallon! "Cheap" gas!  Splashed a few gallons in Smartie, too.  Now they'll both be ready to roll down the highway in a few weeks.

And the kitty? She was waiting for us out front when we emerged from Tergel this morning after the rain. And? She was walking toward another motor home as we pulled away. Fickle feline! We'll both miss her ....