Day 3: Sacramento to Auburn -- Folsom Prison Blues

Miles: 51.6; riding time: 3:43 avg speed: 13.9 max speed: 32; total trip miles: 201; weather: low 70's clouds & sun; Alt change: + 1500' Pictures are here

Each day has been so different and today's been no exception. Wait until we cross Nevada's desert on I80 Michelle tells us and the variety will cease when the route sheets give us exit numbers.

Our first 33 miles leaving Sacramento were on the American Parkway Bicycle trail along the American River. Though I had politely declined a membership offer from Team Stop-a-Lot at last night's Mexican dinner, today's performance definitely qualified me for an honorary membership. It was a short and easy day until the last several mile climb so I thought I would take full advantage to rest, slow down and enjoy.

The American River was site of much gold mining activities from the mid 1800's until recently and has dredgings all along the stretch we traveled to prove it. There is considerable wildlife and scenic river views to be enjoyed along the trail. There were numerous squirrels that darted right to the trails edge as if egged on by their teenage buddies to cross as close to traffic as possible. I spotted several wild turkeys that, as I later learned, had been imported 15 years previous and were now multiplying. I dismounted several times to scramble through the underbrush to get a clear shot at one and finally did. And then there were deer sporting newly sprouted antler stubs leaping up amidst the blooming wild thistle fields.

And there were plenty of riders traveling along the trail including the one parked at trail edge as I drove by demonstrating that WWII fighter plane-like 3 wheel recumbent, complete with the record of squirrel kills (11) and rattle snake kills (1) he had made. I stopped to chat for some time with Stuart and when he offered to ride along a ways with me I took him up on it. I told him how strongly this reminded me of riding along with Pete and shared Pete's story. Whenever the trail dipped down, Stuart doubled his speed and when it went up, his speed halved; just as Pete's used to. And Stuart told me about the area and its history and his love for this Parkway where he could be found most every morning. Stuart was a 50ish otologist who should have been at his practice or in surgery on a Tuesday morning in June. But his Parkinsons had ended all of that. And now, he told me, he was trying to focus on what he could still do and enjoy that instead of what he could no longer do. Another reason this ride with him reminded me of Pete.

I also rode for a stretch with a lady in her mid 70's. She rode along at a healthy clip and when we got to talking she told me about her X-country adventure in the mid 80's when she rode from LA to Boston without SAG support. Only one friend, panniers and cheap motels saw her across.

After the SAG stop at about 35 miles I finished up at a healthy clip including the days climb right at the end with the tours two fast guys, Sean and Tom. Tomorrow it's a 74 mile jaunt up the Donner pass which is 6000 feet higher than our elevation here in Auburn. Baggage load is at 5:15 and breakfast at 5:30. That tells me we'll need all the available daylight. Here's how AbB describes the day:

After a few moderate riding days, we’ll pick it up a little and head up into the mountains. Cycling up into the Sierras is awesome. The views and vistas are beautiful. The closer we near the Donner Summit, the more beautiful it gets. You will be rewarded for all the climbing as we crest the summit and get an awesome view of the Truckee Valley. Then it’s a wild ride down to Donner Pass Lake and the quaint town of Truckee. You will sleep well comforted in the knowledge you have conquered the toughest climb day of the tour

Now it's off to service the bike. I'll need it to be firing on all cylinders tomorrow.