Saturday: many loops in the neighborhood. There were five rides offered all starting at Red Sea & Hovnanian. The first was 2.5 miles, then came a two 4-mile rides and two 6-mile rides. Total = 23 miles. The pace was slower and riders could stop when they wanted. One of our rides had 6 riders!

Sunday: American River Bike Trail, 20 miles out-and-back. We rode to Discovery Park and “turned left” onto the trail. Turning right takes you to Old Sac. This was fun with a group of very strong riders. In this picture, we’d ridden past the trail exit (up and over the levee) to Costco/REI to the curve as the trails goes under I-80 – our turn-around point.

Wednesday: Cherry Island Golf and Soccer = 29 miles. A new route for our riding group. We rode down Del Paso Rd to the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail going north toward Rio Linda. The Dry Creek Parkway Trail took us behind Cherry Island Golf Course to U Street and the Cherry Island Soccer Fields.

Thursday: Tour d’Arlete = 15 miles.

Today: Around the Airport = 17 miles. We were lucky and didn’t get rained on!

Just so you don’t think we slacked off on Monday and Tuesday: 25-mph north winds, gusting to 40, meant no bike riding. Total this week = 104 miles.

Does the back cover count?

On Tuesday, a group of us rode to Old Sac. But once we got there, someone suggested we ride farther. We turned around at Miller Park.

Dani’s at the front, leading out group back home. Jonathan is our sweep. I followed like a proud mama bird whose babies left the nest for the first time. Consistent use of hand signals, great decision-making at intersections, excellent lane positioning, and so much more.

On Wednesday, we rode the Jackrabbit Trail + two nearby parks with great bike trails.

We looked across Elkhorn Blvd and saw a huge mass of white birds in the harvested rice fields with hundreds more birds getting ready to land.

On Thursday, we rode around the Sacramento International Airport via the Garden Hwy, W Elverta Rd, and Power Line Rd: no bike lanes, 2-lane roads with no shoulder, almost no traffic, and no stopping. It was one continuous pedal – 16 miles.

On Friday, we welcomed a new rider to our group – Rod. We tried a new route via Del Paso Rd, Sac Northern Bike Trail through Del Paso Heights, N Sacramento, and Discovery Park.

Today, we rode to Old Sac then a 5-mile downtown route. It’s always a bit of an adventure – something odd, funny or unique happens on every ride.

Another week of riding in the books … and another high mileage week for me. 107 miles. I might be motivating others to ride, but actually they’re motivating me!

On New Year’s Day, it was Be Kind to Your Bike Day – my decision totally. Bring your bike, lube and rag, preferred beverage and lube your bike in my garage. And there were blueberry scones as a treat.

On Saturday, there was a foggy mist when we left on our ride to Old Sac plus a 5-mile downtown loop to explore the buffered bike lanes (green paint), separated bike lanes, designated bike routes and areas where taking the lane was the only choice.

This was a fun ride. We drove to the Amtrak station in Davis and rode the Davis Bicycle Loop.

And I found three big walnuts.

On Wednesday, we rode 24 miles around Hansen Ranch Park. The farthest point is on the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail near Elkhorn Blvd at the location of “Wally”, a heritage walnut tree designated by the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

On New Year’s Eve, we rode a new loop through Land Park out to Sutterville Rd which turned out to be the longest ride of the year.

From November 12 to December 31, 22 different bike riders rode 3990 miles on 28 scheduled rides. I did all the rides and rode 444 miles. Among those riding the most often, Barbara rode 301 miles. Cheryl, Jonathan and Leo have 200+ miles. Dani, Kathy, and Jane have 100+ miles.

To get the word out about the next round of classes, Jibe decided to place some 15-second (40 words max) ads on radio – local stations and Pandora, etc. and asked me to be “the voice.” I had an appointment at a recording studio on Tuesday morning.

Suggestion from the producer: “More enthusiasm even if you think you sound over the top. Like a teacher in front of her class first thing in the morning, she had a few cups of coffee and she LOVES her job.”

Nailed it. What a fun first-time experience!

Covid-19 is worse and there isn’t a lot for a person to do. Outdoor activities, however, are encouraged which means … lots of bike riding. Thank goodness.

Wed Dec 9: 7 of us rode to E Levee Rd for a winter view of Hansen Ranch Park. The loop that I’d planned ended at this point on the levee improvement project (a sign would have been nice), we turned around and rode back to Sorento Rd.

A very good ride! 18 miles total.

Fri Dec 11: 8 of us rode a route called Tour of N Natomas. All the major bike trails are included – Jackrabbit, Redbud, and Fisherman’s Lake Parkway – plus N Natomas Regional Park. Our longest group ride yet – 21 miles.

Mon Dec 14: 8 of us rode to Old Sac, then crossed the Tower Bridge to explore the Riverwalk going in one direction and the Riverwalk Trail going in the other direction (south) which ends here. The word WEST swivels 180 degrees by the way.

Wed Dec 16: 3 of us rode 4 cold miles to see the 12 homes on the Four Seasons Westshore Christmas lights tour. Our last stop was at Kirk and Holly’s on Crete Island Lane.

Today: 3 of us rode around Hansen Ranch Park to the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail and home. 24 miles! Woo-hoo!

Making the best out of difficult times.

This was one of our biggest rides. There were 10 of us! It was just 8 miles, then we took a 30 minute break before heading back.