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Category Archives: Bike Trail
Warm bike trail attracts snakes
A warning painted on the bike trail alerts trail users to watch for snakes.
I noticed about a week ago someone has been painting alerts to watch for snakes on the American River bike trail. The paintings appeared and then most of them were painted over or removed (I assume by Parks Dept. employees).
Springtime is when snakes begin appearing on the trail. Consider this entry by Robin Donnelly in her book, Biking and Hiking the American River Parkway.
“As you travel the Parkway in springtime, you might see a snake sunning in the path. After its winter hibernation, it is absorbing heat from the warm surface in order to hunt longer at night. Snakes “hear” through vibrations picked up from their underbelly in contact with the ground, as a result, it is likely they will know you are there and move out of the path.”
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
In the news: making Sac a “cycling Shangri-La”, a Tour walk-up and more
A group of cyclists, some of whom are part of the SACOG after work workout ride group make their way along the American River bike trail last month.
Plenty of cycling news in The Bee over the weekend. On Friday, reporter Tony Bizjak focused his entire “Back Seat Driver” column on May is Bike Month in Sacramento. On Sunday, in the Forum section of the paper, former executive director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, Walt Seifert, authored a column listing his top 10 steps to making Sacramento a cycling Shangri-La.
“So why don’t we lead the nation in the share of trips made by bike? Why do cities like frigid Minneapolis and puddle-prone Portland outbike Sacramento?” Siefert asks.
Also on Sunday in the Travel section of the paper, Bee contributing writer, James Raia, penned a walk-up to the Amgen Tour of California headlined, “Plenty to eat, drink and do along Tour of California route.”
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Warmer and drier weather
It was a gorgeous day on the bike trail today as you can see from this image of a cyclist headed west on the trail on the south side of Lake Natoma on Sunday afternoon. The weather for the week will be drier and warmer according to the latest weather story on sacbee.com.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
In the news: Weather update, bike accident legal tips and funny biking tips
Cyclists ride through, and around, a puddle that covered the American River bike trail next to the Campus Commons Golf Course Thursday evening.
The rain has passed and the weekend weather forecast from the National Weather Service predicts sunny skies and temperatures over 80 degrees for both weekend days. It looks like a good weekend for riding. If you are looking for tips on what to do in the event of a bike accident, check out this blog post by Sacramento injury lawyer and cyclist, Jessica Grigsby. You can find more information on her blog. If, however, you are looking for a laugh, check out this post of biking tips from The Onion. Stick your tongue firmly in your cheek before reading.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Upcoming events, weekend rides
Riders take the ramp descending off the Hazel Avenue bridge on the American River bike trail.
If you are still looking for a ride to do tomorrow, the “Bike around the Buttes” is still open. In its 27th year, this event is a benefit ride for the Yuba-Sutter Childrens Type 1 Diabetes Support Group & Resource Center with all proceeds being used locally and for a variety of programs for diabetes in the Yuba-Sutter community.
On Sunday, April 22, there is a Tireside Chat Guest Lecture and Book Launch with Author Matt Biers-Ariel at the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame at 303 3rd Street in Davis. His book is titled, “The Bar Mitzvah and the Beast.”
If you are looking further down the road, the California Bicycle Coalition has posted their bimonthly selection of “…the state’s most interesting rides, routes and bike-related events.” Included in the list is the ever popular Chico Wildflower Century Ride on next Sunday, April 29, which is sponsored by Chico Velo Cycling Club.
And, this Saturday is the Devil Mountain Double Century staff ride, which is where I will be. I will post pictures and video next week from the ride which is a precursor to the DMD ride next Saturday, April 28. And, if you noticed, the rider on the left in the picture above is wearing a DMD jersey.
Posted from Fair Oaks, California, United States.
Friday evening along the bike trail
A cyclist heads west along the American River Parkway bike trail Friday evening as an egret and a few ducks feed in the slough nearby. The great weather will continue through the weekend, but there is rain headed our way for most of next week according to this story in on sacbee.com today. Enjoy the weekend, but, if you’re out and about on Sunday morning, the bike trail will be closed from Discovery Park to Del Paso Blvd. until about noon. There will be more than 6,000 runners out there competing in the Shamrock’n Half Marathon. Good luck to all those runners participating in the race.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
In the news: weather coming, trail detour continues, interesting editorial
Cyclists ride under the Hazel Avenue bridge recently with the American River slowly moving along behind them. The river is obviously low for this time of year, but an approaching storm should add some much-needed water to the river and snow to the Sierra’s.
In other news, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates member John Whelan reports the bike trail detour at mile 3.5 has been extended until Friday. “The scope of the work has doubled because the beaver burrow was much more extensive, and the levee engineers and staff were deeply concerned about the beaver burrow affecting the flood worthiness of the levee,” Whelan said in an email to members.
Lastly, a letter to the editor in the Davis Enterprise by Davis resident John Whitehead brings up some interesting issues about cyclists not stopping at stop signs.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Sunday afternoon on the bike trail
I saw this couple using binoculars to check out the egrets and ducks feeding in the American River near Sunrise Blvd. Sunday afternoon. It was a nice day to be out on the trail, especially since a couple storm fronts are headed our way.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Bike trail detour update
A cyclist makes the turn near mile 3.5 on the American River bike trail where repair work is about to begin Thursday morning forcing trail users to detour the site by going on top of the levee. Repairs are needed because the trail has been undermined by beavers, according to Sacramento Regional Parks authorities. The detour will be in place during the day as work is done on the trail, but in the evenings and on the weekend, the trail will be open through the site.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
In the News: Bike trail detours, stylish bike rack, Bee editorial
There are two bike trail detours scheduled this week, according to an email sent out by SABA. Starting Thursday, Feb. 23, there will be a detour from mile 2.5 at Del Paso Blvd. to mile 3.5 for trail repair. Construction should be done by Monday, Feb. 27. Then, On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Guy West Bridge will be closed to all traffic for bridge inspection and repair.
Speaking of SABA, if you are a volunteer, tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 22, is their Volunteer Appreciation Party at Broadacre Coffee beginning at 6 p.m.
In other news, Sacramento Bee writer Blair Anthony Robertson penned an interesting article recently on local carpenter and furniture maker, Steven Tiller, who crafted a stylish new bicycle rack called a Bike Valet.
“Tiller’s elegant, sculptural Bike Valet came to life once he decided he wanted to store his bike and still have something nice to look at – something more than a bike leaning against a wall or hanging from a hook in the ceiling,” Robertson said.
Also in The Bee this week is a compelling editorial about the transportation bill currently in the House of Representatives. The piece, entitled, “Transportation bill should be roadkill” starts out like this, “Apparently the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives doesn’t walk or bicycle much, or spend time riding subways or trains. They definitely don’t spend much time riding buses.”
Spring blossoms in February?
A cyclist passes a blooming pear tree along the American River bike trail Friday morning. Kind of strange to see trees blooming in mid-February. According to an article in The Bee, by Debbie Arrington, the warm weather, intensified by reflected heat off asphalt and cement is causing trees in the city to begin flowering. Although, most trees in the countryside surrounding Sacramento are not blossoming yet, Arrington wrote.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
In the news
Two interesting articles in The Sacramento Bee and on sacbee.com during the last week. The first article, written by Sam McManis is about the Savage Sprints event held twice a month on Sundays at the midtown Sacramento restaurant, Hot Italian.
“This, of course, was not a normal night at the restaurant. More cyclists, along with friends and loved ones, milled about than diners intent on tucking into a briatore calzone or spooning Ferrero Rocher gelato,”McManis wrote.
The event is an effort to raise money by the organization, SacValleyVelodrome.org, to build a velodrome in the Sacramento area.
The second article is about the drop in crime along the American River Parkway. The article, written by Sam Stanton, points to a number of possible factors for the drop, including the weather.
Stanton interviewed Chief Ranger Stan Lumsden, who said,”We had seven straight months of rain last year, which probably contributed to the low numbers. The other issue we had is the last three months of the year we did a full-court press on the illegal camping at the lower end of the parkway,” Lumsden told Stanton.
Weekend events – ultra run on the bike trail
The 34th Annual Jed Smith Ultra Classic run is this Saturday. If you’re out on the trail, the ultra runners will be on both sides of the river between the Watt and Howe Avenue bridges.
In Davis, the Davis Bike Club is holding two rides in conjuction with the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis Kick-off Party.
Sunday morning run on the bike trail
Another warm, sunny Sunday morning brought out the runners on the bike trail. This runner startled a pair of mallard ducks and they launched from the slough next to the trail near the 3.5-mile post.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Tom turkey struts along the bike trail
The turkeys are back. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen a turkey on the bike trail and then this morning I saw a gang of about 14 birds clucking along the trail under the Fair Oaks bridge. Then I noticed the tom strutting along with his feathers all fanned out.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Sun and warm temperatures return
Hard to believe it’s January. The National Weather Service is predicting a high temperature of 63 degrees today which is well above the normal of 56 degrees. Sacbee.com has a detailed forecast in their weather story today.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Trail repairs begin Tuesday near mile 29 of the bike trail
UPDATE (1/19/12): According to a story on sacbee.com by Bill Lindelof, the rainy weather has postponed the trail repairs. Read his story here.
It appears the worst section of the American River bike trail will finally get some much needed attention. Signs posted by the California State Parks department along the trail at mile 29 near the Mountain View Court overpass say the bike trail repair will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 17 and end on Friday, Jan. 27. The signs say to expect delays, although they don’t say the trail will be closed.
Posted from Folsom, California, United States.
Another lovely morning on the bike trail
It was a particularly lovely morning along the Sacramento River Tuesday as a full moon dropped over the horizon with the ziggurat and CalSTRS buildings reflected in the calm river water. According to an article on sacbee.com this morning, we have had nine straight days of of daytime highs reaching 60 degrees or higher. Hard to believe it’s January.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Mountain lion warning signs by Nimbus Dam
Just east of the Nimbus Dam, park rangers have posted warning signs about mountain lions sightings. There have been four sightings according to a story on sacbee.com. Read Bill Lindelof’s story here.
Posted from Fair Oaks, California, United States.
Surly Steamroller sunrise
My Surly fixie rests on the railing of the bridge at the William Pond Recreation Area this morning.
Posted from Carmichael, California, United States.
Warmer mornings ahead
The morning commute continues to be a cold one these days with temperatures remaining below freezing well into the morning. The daily lows should warm up as clouds and a possible shower move into the picture later this week. Read Bill Lindelof’s weather story in The Bee.
The sun rises over the American River near William Pond Recreation Area on Christmas morning.
Posted from Arden-Arcade, California, United States.
Need a last-minute Christmas present?
If you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas present, the fourth edition of, “Biking and Hiking the American River Parkway” by Robin Donnelly would make a great gift. Recently released by the American River Natural History Association, the 140-page book is literally the bible for using the parkway. It’s got up-to-date maps showing access points, restrooms, drinking fountains, parking areas and more.
The book has many historical photos and includes descriptions of the many plants and animals that inhabit the parkway.
You can pick up the book at many of the bike shops around town. I know they still have some copies at Rex Cycles. And, of course, it is available at the Discovery Shop inside the Effie Yeaw Nature Center.
Sunset graces the evening commute
A gorgeous sunset graced the evening commute on Wednesday. Enjoy!
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Frosty, fogging morning ride on the bike trail
If you get up at first light and hit the bike trail these days you’ll encounter a winter wonderland of frost and fog. Dress warmly, though, if you plan to go out and enjoy the scenery.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Freezing temperatures again
The morning temperatures dropped to freezing and below in some places making for a cold commute, but also providing a spectacular scene along the American River at Guy West bridge.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Frosty morning commute
Freezing temperatures dropped in on Sacramento this morning. Today will be sunny and clear but more cold nights are on the way. See Bill Lindelof’s weather story at sacbee.com
Frost covers the railing on an observation deck in Miller Park Tuesday morning.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Now that’s a lot of porta-potties
Tomorrow is the California International Marathon. My ride today went past the location of the start of the race on Auburn-Folsom Road. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many porta-potties.
Sure enough, when I checked later, the CIM folks boast about the porta-potty numbers on their website. It’s their no. 21 reason why to run the marathon.
Good luck to all who are running tomorrow.
Posted from Folsom, California, United States.
Watch out for drilling rigs on the bike trail
A cyclist passed a drilling rig parked near the levee at the Watt Avenue bridge on Wednesday morning on the bike trail. As I wrote in an earlier post, crews are drilling along the levees near Watt Avenue for the next couple months. This morning I happened across this drilling rig parked west of the Watt Avenue bridge, north of the American River. If you’re in the area, keep an eye out. Read Matt Weiser’s story on sacbee.com here.
Posted from Arden-Arcade, California, United States.
Coyote sighting part 3
Another coyote sighting. This one is better than the previous two. On Friday morning I saw this coyote strolling along the American River bike trail by Campus Commons golf course. He trotted along the trail, oblivious to the golfers on his right and occasionally looking over his left shoulder at me. I was up on the levee pacing him until I reached the point where the levee trail drops to the bike trail. He saw me coming and took off.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Thanksgiving Day – turkeys on the bike trail
Happy Thanksgiving. Here’s a collection of video clips of encounters with turkeys this fall on the American River bike trail.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Drilling on the levees
A contractor has started drilling on the levees along the American River Parkway according to a story by Matt Weiser on sacbee.com
“Visitors to the parkway are advised to watch out for the equipment and give the crew working room,” the article says. The drilling is taking place at Paradise Beach, south of the American River, this week. It will continue for the next couple months on both sides of the river.
Read Matt’s story, here.
Coyote on the bike trail
This coyote was strolling along the bike trail Saturday morning near the 15-mile mark. While I was video recording, a passerby asked my what my dog’s name was.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Tower Bridge sunset
A winter storm front is moving into the Sacramento region on Friday. So, here is probably the last colorful sunset in Sacramento region for the next few days. I photographed this guy taking pictures from his boat of the sunset over the Tower Bridge on Thursday evening.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Stop and go
Stop and go traffic on Interstate 5 headed south out of Sacramento on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. And, then a traffic jam on J Street near Sac State. It’s great to be riding a bike in traffic like this.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Bike trail near Watt Ave. closed for two weeks
A section of the secondary bike trail south of the American River and east of Watt Avenue is closed until the end of the month. It is closed for levee repairs. Read more about the closure in Matt Weiser’s story on sacbee.com. Click here to read the story.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Rush hour traffic
As twilight dropped over Sacramento Tuesday, I stopped my bike on the pedestrian bridge behind the Blue Diamond almond factory to photograph the stop-and-go traffic on the Highway 160 bridge over the American River. Another rider, passing by, asked if I needed assistance. I explained I was photographing the poor souls stuck in rush-hour traffic on the bridge running parallel to ours. He said he often thinks the morning news programs should add a statement at the end of their traffic report, saying, “…and the bike trail is clear and cyclists are moving freely.”
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Sea Lion heads south on the Sacramento River
On this morning’s ride to Davis we were treated to the view of a couple Sea Lions cavorting in the Sacramento River. One was feasting on a Salmon (unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough to capture that with my camera) and the other was headed south, swimming fast toward the Delta. I was able to get a quick shot of him surfacing for air just north of the water intake station near Old Sac.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
White-tailed buck foraging along the bike trail in East Sac
I saw this White-tailed buck along the bike trail right by the Fair Oaks bridge Friday morning.
“You don’t see that very often,” said a guy who was walking nearby with his wife.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Full Moon Rising
A full moon rises over a cyclist headed east along the American River bike trail Thursday evening in near Cal Expo in Sacramento, Calif.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Frosty Fall Morning along the American River
Frost coated the plants along the American River this morning as fog rose from the river creating many spectacular sights. Here’s a small gallery of images from the morning commute.
Bike trail detour in Old Sac
If your daily commute involves accessing the American River bike trail near the Railroad Museum in Old Sac, the I Street access is blocked. There is an Amtrak Exhibit Train blocking the access route. The train is in town as part of a 40th anniversary for Amtrak and contains Amtrak memorabilia. It will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Cyclists can still get to the trail by going down J Street and the trail access will reopen on Wednesday. Photo by Bill Vanderslice
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
25-hours of riding to mark daylight saving time
A story in today’s Sacramento Bee reports on long-distance cyclist Greg Wilson who plans to ride more than 300 miles starting at noon on Saturday to mark daylight savings time. If you’re out on the American River bike trail after noon on Saturday or before noon on Sunday, you might see Wilson and four others from the Hammerin’ Wheels cycling club as they ride back and forth on the trail. You can read the story here.
Sunrise at Guy West Bridge
A cyclist crosses the Guy West Bridge at Sac State Wednesday as the sun rises over the American River.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Bike trail detour at Campus Commons ends
The detour along the American River Parkway near Campus Commons golf course Has ended. In August, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the detour because of the construction of a seepage cutoff wall in the levee at the end of Northrop Avenue. The detour was supposed to end two weeks ago but was extended to yesterday. The levee work is done and a section of the trail by Northrop has nice, new paving. 
Posted from Arden-Arcade, California, United States.
Proposed building near bike trail draws controversy
An article in Saturday’s Sacramento Bee by Matt Weiser reports on the controversy over the proposal to build a flood control center adjacent to the American River Parkway near the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. Read the article here.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Evening fishing on the Sacramento River
This time of year Salmon fishing season is in full gear on the Sacramento River. 
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Coyote on the bike trail
After a long hiatus, I saw a coyote on the bike trail yesterday morning near the 6-mile mark on the detour at Campus Commons. He popped out on the trail, saw me and headed back the way he came.
Posted from Arden-Arcade, California, United States.
Concerns about safety on the American River bike trail
Bike trail safety is a growing concern with budget cuts to the county parks department. Sam Stanton tackled the issue in a story in The Sacramento Bee today.
“Rangers say they’ve had some success at getting groups of homeless people to move their gatherings farther back from the bike trail to avoid problems with cyclists who use the bridge behind the Blue Diamond almond plant to access the path and ride home.,” Stanton reported.
Sure enough, I have not seen any of these gatherings like the one in this video shot last month in the Northgate area. Click here to read the story.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Bike trail detour at Campus Commons extended
It seems the detour along the American River Parkway near Campus Commons golf course will continue for a bit longer than originally planned. In August, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the detour because of the construction of a seepage cutoff wall in the levee at the end of Northrop Avenue.
Signs posted on the trail stated the construction would be done by Monday, Oct. 17, but, a construction worker at the site Friday morning told me it would be at least a week before they complete the work.
As you can see from this video shot Wednesday and Friday mornings, there’s still some work to do. And, when I rode past the site Friday evening, the signs had been changed. The new end date for the construction is Oct. 31.
Posted from Arden-Arcade, California, United States.