Day 2, Davis to El Dorado Hills: A Taste of Heat

July 24, 2017

NOTE; You can leave a comment or question for us by using the “Comment” feature located near the bottom of the page. We enjoy getting these and will respond as soon as we have internet service (some places we stay don’t have it or the wifi is just too weak to be useable). Thanks!

Mileage Today; 58 Total So Far; 123 Remaining; 1,468

Climbing Today; 1,765 Total So Far; 4,220 Remaining; 95,898

Max Grade Today; 8.3% Average Uphill Grade; 1.0%

Average Speed While Riding; 9.5 mph

Mechanical Issues; None

Photos Credit; Bud, unless noted otherwise

Bud Speaking:

Considering our late night last night, we opted to sleep late this morning and were able to enjoy the breakfast at the Best Western. Davis is the bicycle capital of the world, in addition to being the center of the universe of course.

After the leisurely morning, we were finally ready to roll.

However, we decided to take advantage of the numerous bike shops in Davis and look for some bike shorts that Doc needed. We visited four bike shops unsuccessfully, and were unable to locate anything satisfactory. So we finally rolled out of town and only progressed a few miles before we ran into Eric.

Eric From Scotland Has Toured From Maine to WA State to CA So Far - Wow!

Eric is from Scotland, and has been traveling extensively in the United States, having biked from the East Coast to Washington State and down to our present location in California. After exchanging pleasantries, we rolled on and soon found ourselves on the YOLO Causeway bike path which lead us into West Sacramento. West Sacramento is an industrial area and has a lot of street people. We found ourselves being propositioned for money several times. I would advise other tourists to plan on rolling through West Sacramento rather than stopping at stores there.

As we crossed over into Sacramento we were supposed to make an immediate left turn onto the bike path, but construction put us on a detour and we found ourselves hunting around in a tourist area seeking the bike path. We were actually rolling along on cobblestone streets, and Sis spotted one or two dollar bills on the cobblestones but was afraid to stop because the bike was unstable on the surface. In the past I have played a found money game, where I try to find money on the ground and see if I can collect enough to buy a cup of coffee at the end of a tour, and Sis had just passed up enough money to buy at least a cup of coffee! So that kind of put the dampers on my enthusiasm for the found money game.

Once we got on the bike path it was pretty easy rolling and we soon found ourselves on the main bike path along the American River. As we proceeded on up into Sacramento proper, we had expected to find stores and restaurants and such along the path or at least near the path. However, a lot of land had been set aside for the path and there was absolutely no intrusion of civilization along it. It made for a lovely trail, but it blew our plans since there was no place to eat.

Wild Turkeys Wander the Trail Near Folsom (photo credit: Doc)

A Bike Path Runs Along the American River Through the Sacramento Area

The American River is a Beautiful Clear Stream

Doc and Sis on a Bike Path Bridge Over the American River

We stopped at a picnic table and enjoyed what meager provisions we had. As we proceeded past Sacramento and headed on toward Folsom, there were several branches to the path and of course we managed to get lost a couple of times. I was extremely disappointed to not get to bike past Folsom Dam, because this is a major rehabilitation project of the Corps of Engineers and I had wanted to photograph it.

We finally gave up on following the path and exited somewhere in the Folsom/El Dorado Hills area, and using GPS we made our way along roadways to eventually intersect our path. The extreme heat and the hills at the end of today's ride, combined with our sparse eating during the ride, again led to Sis getting bonked and she found herself needing to walk some of the hills in Folsom.

The traffic was heavy as we neared the Holiday Inn Express, and we were glad to finally arrive at our destination for the night. I had arranged to meet my friend Brad Call for dinner and we were running a bit late from our late arrival. We enjoyed a very nice meal and conversation with Brad, but we were all so exhausted from our hectic start of this tour that none of us thought to even take a picture of Brad for this journal. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel and were eager for sleep…

Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 123 miles (198 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0