Capital Corridor - Oakland to Auburn

Looking for yet another unique car free getaway and hot off the high of our week long “spring ride”, I noticed that the Capital Corridor seemed to have one train a day that actually went all the way to Auburn, which is an hour further east than Sacramento and firmly up into the foothills of the Sierras.   Hmmm…?  How can we turn this into a weekend bike getaway?    Catching the 3:30 train from Jack London Square was easy, even on Friday afternoon as you beat the BART bike ban hours from the city which start after 4.  We opted for Oakland versus Richmond so we’d be starting at the beginning of the line, but you can do an easy transfer at Richmond between BART and Amtrak.  If you opt for Lake Merritt BART, it’s just a 5-minute bike ride to Jack London Square.   We knew that there are about 4 train cars with 3 bike hooks each; however, even sweeter is the bonus 4-bike floor rack in the first car which made our loading and unloading stress free and easy. 

New 4-bike floor rack is sweet!

So unlike your normal long weekend race to get out of the city by car to get to your getaway, our getaway began as we boarded the train.  4-person table seats…check….Anchor Steam….check….views of the bay…check.  And right on time to Auburn by 6:30 where we headed by bike to our one night layover at the Holiday Inn, just 5 minutes away.   There are not a lot of good car-free hotel choices in Auburn as it has been immensely scarred by I-80 splitting its heart in two; however, the HI is new and has a courtyard pool and hot tub which felt great and got us all in the vacation mood prior to walking to Old Town.   There is one large event focused (read weekend weddings) B&B near Old Town which you could try as an alternative as the Holiday Inn was predictably soulless and a bit pricey.   Also, they accommodated us away from the Freeway side of the hotel in quieter courtyard rooms, so ask.  (Despite their denial that any of their rooms had freeway views?!)….o.k. I agree, half of the rooms have a parking lot view over an In-n-Out Burger, with the freeway right behind that.   Perhaps they should classify those rooms as “American View”.  We also didn’t mention the bikes in detail at check-in..just asked if there was an entrance outside to our rooms as this is always better than rolling them through the lobby.  If you do go through the lobby, just be confident and certain that you’d be taking the bikes to your room as most places don’t have much experience with bikes and will aim to please, especially if you are pleasant.

 It’s an easy 20 minute walk to Old Town from the hotel which passes under the freeway, but Auburn has clearly made an attempt to soften the Caltrans effect by adding some streetlights and a decent sidewalk .  Old Auburn is nice and we had a great outdoor meal at the Brewery, with a mandatory 12 beer sampler …..a huge bargain at 6 bucks, with good enough sized “samples” to fill the whole evening.  Did I mention that people are friendly up in Gold Country.  Across the board, everyone was very nice, and no attitude which is definitely a vacation from SF.

So the next morning, a 10 minute walk got us to the “Auburn Breakfast Club” in a strip mall (leave that Bay Area attitude at home now).   After loading up on yummy eggs and pancakes (but disappointedthat we didn’t see Molly Ringwald?!), we were inchin’ to get on the bikes and ride.  We had only about 30-35 miles to cover to Grass Valley, and we knew it was mostly uphill as Auburn is at El 1200 and Grass valley is at 2400 feet with lots of ridges, creeks and river valleys to cross.  So we picked up some sandwiches from the adjacent supermarket as there would not be much civilization on the roads we’d be taking.     However, the ride was beautiful in the late spring, especially once you get to Placer Hill and Dog Bar Roads outside of Auburn.  The Bear River also made a nice lunch stop and cold dip break, although a little cold and shallow to “swim”. 

On the way to Grass Valley

Dog Bar road takes you up a big ridge and right by Smith Vineyards which we couldn’t pass up as they are only open for tasting Sat afternoons from 1-5, and low an behold, it was Sat afternoon between 1 and 5.  Good karma on this trip.

A Wine Detour on Dog Bar Road

We were the first people to visit by bike and the Vineyard owner was both friendly and impressed by that we were doing a whole weekend by bike and Train.  Great organic wines too, which provided our wine supply for the next few nights in Grass Valley.  (And it’s all downhill from the Winery if you take the direct route…we didn’t)

First bike wine tasters at Smith Vineyards!

We detoured to the hilly Rattlesnake Road and soared into Grass valley by 3 p.m.  Grass Valley has a pleasant downtown and adjacent old neighborhoods, and we stayed at the wonderful little “Sierra Mountain Inn”  Very well run with pleasant and comfortable rooms.  We got adjoining end rooms with one kitchenette, so we could hang out together and even ordered pizza in the second night after a full day of riding up through Nevada City to the Yuba River.  You can easily walk to town in 10 minutes and there are loads of restaurants  but it’s down a short steep hill, so biking takes a little effort from the Inn.

Fog Free in Grass Valley

We stopped in Nevada City both for a coffee break and beer break on each end of our rides to the Yuba River.  Nevada City is even more picturesque than Grass Valley with a large creek adn canyon adjacent to town that makes it more dramatic.   Very pleasant cycling roads and weather, but it is very hilly, so this is not touring receomended for flatlanders.  The Yuba River State Park is accessed off a few different roads but we opted for a hilly but farily quiet looking road past the private Lake Vera.  The last mile or so is dirt as the Lake Vera-Purdon road decends about 800 feet down to the Yuba River.

Top of the Hill, Nevada CityWe found a great little beach and shade spot next to the river and enjoyed a few hours of swiming, lunch , and relaxing before riding back up out of the river valley. The road turns to dirt above the Yuba River

A refreshing swim in the Yuba River!

After two nights in Grass Valley, we packed up Monday morning with lots of food and water and headed towards Folsom.  It was over 50 miles to Folsom, but the roads were MOSTLY downhill and it was get warmer as the day went on, so we were all spent by the time we got to Folsom Lake for a late lunch and in time to see the lines of cars trying to get to the lake.  All the roads in had been closed, but we just sailed by on our bikes, so happy not to be joining the majority of Americans stuck in the Memorial Day traffic  tradition.

We hooked into the American River bike trail at the lake and cruised to Folsom where we caught the light rail to Sacramento .  The ride is less than an hour and costs only $2.25, with each little car taking two bikes at front and rear only, but we jammed 4 bikes in the back of the front car as bikes are not allowed in the front of the front car, despite the seats being adjustable and having two bike hooks.  The 10 minute transfer to the Capital Corridor was hectic as the jazz fest was breaking up and there were a lot of bikes getting on the train.  We all made it work by placing extra bikes on the 3 hooks or just in front of them.  You can lock your bike to itself if you are sitting elsewhere, but just make sure to chat with anyone whose bike you may be parking in so you can move it as needed.

A little crowded on the Capital Corridor return!

So back to San Francisco by 6 p.m., refreshed with the feeling that we had really gotten away, seen incredible scenery, and left only baby-sized carbon footprints.  -R

The connection to the VTA #17 (equipped with a front rack which holds 3 bikes) is right at the San Jose station and the ride over 17 is fast – just don’t watch your bikes bouncing along on the front rack.  Get comfortable with using the front of bus bike racks – they really extend your range for car lite vacations and getaways.  We’ve never had a problem with a bike coming loose or being stolen – although I hear that can happen in SF – and if it rains your bike gets a power wash.  Just remember to take off anything you don’t want wet or possibly lost over a bump.  I cover my saddle with a plastic bag, remove the water bottles and seat pack and, of course,  remove my panniers.

This trip was organized with a load of other wonderful people who have extensive bike camping experience.  All I can say is yay car lite trips and yay bike camping.  Short version of the itinerary: Capitola, Carmel Valley Campground (private), Arroyo Seco, King City, Pinnacles, and then Rich and I rode to Gilroy where we caught another VTA bus with a bike rack on front (I believe every VTA bus has a bike rack) and back to Cal Train at San Jose and then to SF.

It’s a treat for a city cyclist to get out to more rural roads.

Yes, that is a lightly loaded bike for camping.  The bulk of the gear was in the truck of a non-riding camper.

Riding roads less traveled mid week is blissful.  You hear the birds and the wind, any cars approaching you can hear from pretty far off, and the drivers on these roads were so nice.  People waited to pass until it was safe, even if there was a clump of 15 of us, they moved all the way into the other lane, and even the big huge agricultural trucks were super careful.

There is not a lot of “bike infrastructure” – but it does go to show that if people are respectful of other modes of transportation – it works.

Happy car lite campers.

More neighborhoods, more Sundays.  We need your help to make it a sucess.  This is a tough year to raise money, but it’s a good year to provide free fun events for people to enjoy.  Bike, walk, dance, yoga and hula hoops – it’s all coming back.

1) Sunday, April 26:   Waterfront Route running along the Embarcadero–from AT&T Park to Aquatic Park.

2) Sunday, May 10:   Waterfront Route in the Southeast Sector, highlighting the San Francisco Bay Trail, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in May. From AT&T Park to the Bayview Opera House, along the Bay.

3) Sunday, June 7:   New route for 2009 through the Mission, engaging new neighborhoods in the Sunday Streets movement.

4) Sunday, July 19:   Same route through Mission.

5) Sunday, August 9:   Great Highway Route. Connecting Golden Gate Park to the San Francisco Zoo, along Ocean Beach.

6) Sunday, Sept 6:   Same route along the Great Highway.

Go to the website, volunteer, donate, join Livable City and help support more fun car free events. Let your City Supervisor know you support Sunday Streets.  Come out and Play.

www.sundaystreetssf.com

Photo from SFBike

The tag-along

When the borrowed child is attached to your bike via a borrowed tag-along, you know where they are.  I assume that kids who’ve grown up in the City, have been a passenger on your bike, have been a tag-along kid, and then get their own bike have a sense of the streets and you feel more comfortable.  Riding behind Rich and Jenny on Fell Street on the way to the park I admit I was a bit worried.  All was fine, but I do wish our streets were more friendly to all cyclists.

Soon to pedal off on her own.

 The bike learning area on Waller at Stanyan is a great place to practice starts and stops and turning.  I know why parents cycle with their kids – it’s fun and a great way to get around.  And watching a child start to pedal on their own is an amazing feeling.  The next generation of happy cyclists is here.

Just about 4 miles north of Ft Bragg and linked by a wonderful family friendly multi-use path to Ft Bragg, MacKerricher State Park is a wonderful weekend destination.  We rent a car because we don’t own one, but we were not the only ones with the “get to the campground and don’t drive” mindset.  The family camped next to us was from Willits, just over the coast range, and they did the same thing.

January camping attracts an avid sort of camper, and the family from Willits approved of our day bike ride choice of Sherwood Road, a secondary sort of road that gets delightfully untraveled as you climb.

And finally – turns to bikes and locals with keys only.  Ah….worth the climb.  Since the road is dirt at this point it is closed off during the winter to prevent damage during what is usually the wet and muddy season. 

The City of Ft Bragg made a wise choice when they invested the money to rebuild Pudding Creek Trestle, it opened about a year ago and the locals as well as the tourists have made it a favorite walk and bike spot.  Some are even using it to get to the best surf spots without having to drive or walk while carrying your surfboard.

Ft Bragg is about a 4 hour drive from SF. 

MacKerricher State Park: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=436

Loaded up and ready to go

A few weekends ago we decided that it would be nice to get out of the city on our bikes.  In order to get further then I can pedal out and back in one day, we ride our bikes to 7th and Market and hop on the Golden Gate Transit bus with our bikes and ride back to the City.  How far we go is limited by by how long we can sit on the bus, and how far I can pedal home.  On this trip we got off the 70 at Lucas Valley Road and rode through China Camp, had lunch in San Rafael, and then rode on home to SF. 

China Camp

We read the paper on the bus, watch for friends cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge, and marvel at how badly bus riders are treated in this first world country.

A little dignity for the bus riders please?

This bus stop is not really going to make you rush out to ride the bus is it?  The footpath away from it is a dirt trail on the other side of the guard rail lining the on ramp. The sound of the traffic rushing by, even on a weekend morning, makes conversation almost impossible.  Just a few miles down the freeway a big expensive freeway widening project is going on. We also took a look at the old rail lines in San Rafael, which will become SmartRail someday soon.

Rail tracks in San Rafael

Links:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466 

http://www.goldengate.org/schedules.php

http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/

Happy Obama Time!

That’s my lock pocket in my basket.  Helps me know I always have my lock and cable when I head out the door.  The orange ribbon keeps the cable from bouncing out of the pocket after particularly nasty potholes, saving me from throwing myself in front of traffic to get my cable back.  On Market Street. During rush hour.

The Bike Kitchen

The one thing about my bike that I’m permanently struggling with is keeping the brakes aligned.  They get so much use in San Francisco that the pads wear down quite quickly and they never seem to sit properly on the rims or have the right amount of travel.  They’re v-brakes, which for some reason have these strange bearings that give them about eight degrees of freedom and mean you need three hands to keep them in place and tighten the nut.  I’ve been seriously considering buying a new bike with disk brakes just so I don’t have to deal with this any more…

So I decided that instead of fighting with them by myself in the garage again I’d go down to the Bike Kitchen so I could use some proper tools and maybe get some advice on how to fix my brakes properly.  If you haven’t heard of if before, the Bike Kitchen is a do-it-yourself bike shop; they provide the space and the tools for you to work on your own repairs, with some assistance if needed from their mechanics.  For a measly $5 it’s much cheaper then taking your bike to the shop and you learn how to take care of simple maintenance tasks yourself.

It as pretty busy the evening I went down there, lots of people fixing their bikes, a few building their own bikes from old parts and even an out-of-town couple who just came to have a look.  I got my brakes sorted (really I think all I need to do this at home is a decent bike stand) and pedalled happily home.

Bike Kitchen is by no means the only operation of its kind—a friend of mine runs the Bike Station in Edinburgh and there is a (I believe) unrelated network of Bike Stations here on the West Coast.

In the 6 weeks I had off from work (just went back this Monday), I spent my time walking around downtown to get him to take his naps (he’s one of those urban babies who just wants to be a part of everything, like he doesn’t want to miss out on what people are talking about). I would throw him in a sling and cruise around Union Square, the Financial District, the Ferry Building…one time I even walked all the way up Hyde Street from Post Street to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Walking around really made me rediscover what a cool city we live in. Most of the time I’m stuck in the Tenderloin dealing with open crack sales and public defecation, but just by walking over Nob Hill, I was reminded that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. The views are amazing, the local businesses are unique, the architecture is stunning, and when the streets are clean, without traffic, the neighborhoods feel so livable.

Seriously, you can’t really experience all S.F. has to offer unless you get out of the car and walk around. Luckily, the city is one of the most walkable places in the nation, so you really don’t have any excuses to be lazy.

Once you live without a car, or with little car use, your tolerence for sitting in or driving an automobile goes way down.  For starters, they go so fast and feel quite dangerous.  Then, there is the feeling that you are missing so much – zipping by at 50 mph or more.  There is life going on out there, interesting things to see and all you can do is watch out the car window like a trapped hound.

But, this being the west there are wide open spaces that beckon.  State Parks to be explored, hikes to be taken, places you just can’t get to very easily without the gasoline powered four wheels.

So what do we do, we somewhat car-adverse lovers of the great outdoors?  Plan, plan, and plan some more.  Do your research.  Know what you like and want in a vacation destination. 

Our recent car-lite trip to Tahoe City went like this.

Rental condo in Tahoe Taverns, lake adjacent and just a 15 minute walk from Tahoe City and not along the road, through the condo complex, then through a small state park and the edge of an adjoining condo complex, the back parking lot of a bank – and there you are – at the Truckee River outlet.  There is a small health food grocery store just across the street from the condo complex, New Moon Natural Foods, where we could find all the yummy food we needed and are used to.  A very walkable and bikeable town, Tahoe City, where they have really done a fabulous job making you feel welcome on foot or by bike.  Bike paths that run north and south of town for a total of about 13 miles.  You can ride south to Sugar Point State Park on separated bike path almost all the way – there is just one gap where you ride on the shoulder of the road near Homewood for about 3/4 mile.

Twice we drove the rental car to trailheads to hike, once we got to Tahoe City we only drove about 60 miles the entire week.   Miles driven for our entire vacation were 460.  200 up, 200 back, and 60 while staying in Tahoe City.  Miles biked were probably about 75 for me, and 130 for the mountain bike riding husband (Great mountain bike trails within riding distance of the condo we rented – no extra driving to bike.)  Miles walked – tough to say since we walk so much, most likely about 40 miles.  20 actual hiking miles – with some serious elevation gains and loses, and 20 casual miles.  To town for DVDs, for dinner, to go to the Farmers Market…it adds up.

This vacation brought to you by a rental car, 2 bikes, and 2 car lite devotees. Ok, it was really 3 bikes, the mountain bike got squished into the back seat of the rental car, the other 2 were on the rack.  And yes, we have our own bike rack even through we don’t own a car.

Next post: will we ever get to take the train to Truckee with our bikes?