Sunday evening, April 21, we gathered in the Holiday Inn downtown Sacramento for our first of many Happy Hours, eager to hear what was coming our way. Eight Canadians and 6 Americans had answered to call by Warner Griswold to join a tour of the historic gold-mining area which is now dotted with vineyards as well. Introductions all around – a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Warner laid out the basic plan: breakfast in the hotels, make lunches at the truck and carry them with us, truck-driving sharing arrangements. The terrain, he said, was challenging. And “I’ll let you know each night what the next day holds – not the whole trip all at once.” Apparently that would be overwhelming.
After a little warm-up day that took us over to Davis and back, we left for Lincoln. The first 30 miles found us riding a bike path along the American River – lovely and flat. The approach to Lincoln was suburban/ commercial where we stopped for lights and watched closely getting into left-hand turn lanes. But what a lovely hotel we found there.
Our hotel the next night was located in Grass Valley. It was the day we began to be aware of an additional note on our cue sheet (the total mileage was of course of supreme interest): Elevation gain 5000’. Actually it said a smaller number than that, but at the end of the day, the bike computers read out that number. In 50 miles [80km] we’d climbed 5000 feet! Certainly a new record for many of us. And one of us did some creative map-reading and failed to show up for Happy Hour. Warner rounded him up with the truck and he was happy to be back among the survivors.
Since we were spending two nights in most towns, we had the opportunity each day to bike a loop (with astonishing elevations) or to browse around the town, relax by the pool, or just rest. On our move from Grass Valley to Auburn, Warren marked the map the steepest sections of our climbs and a few of us chose the “alternate route” for a little less leg work. However, at the top of the climb (which included a short bit of pushing the bikes), we were rewarded with a view of the “Lake of the Pines”, not available to those on the alternate route. The Holiday Inn in Auburn was a lovely place, laid out like a maze, but with a terrific restaurant and a lovely pool, and a library in the lobby. Auburn offered a nice variety of non-biking options, and some of us took in the Farmer’s Market, Old Town and the enormous sculpture of the “first white gold miner”, the Courthouse which housed the County Museum, the local bike shop. Naps were also on the agenda.
By the seventh day, the heat wave had kicked in, so we got earlier starts, skipping breakfast at the hotel for extra peanut-butter sandwiches and fruit. After three big climbs, our lunch stop was located in a huge very green park, featuring picnic tables, running water and flush toilets. Not an everyday occurrence. During our last big climb of the day, we stopped by the river and watched a bevy of kayakers getting ready to brave the white water downriver. Great hot day for that activity! We began to see more vineyards, some with huge Spanish Moorish style homes set back behind acres of grapevines, just putting out their first leaves this month. We passed a Bison farm, an Emu farm, and some wildlife – turkeys, slithery lizards, deer, snakes (usually crushed) and plenty of turkey vultures.
In Placerville, we stayed at the historic and charming Cary House built in 1857. It has an old elevator with a metal cage door like expanding baby gates and a sudden start and stop devoid of any subtlety. Placerville is full of history laced with legend and myth. The dummy hanging from the second story window opposite the hotel “honored” the once-routine event of rounding up and “taking care of” troublemakers by vigilante groups. Placerville is also the home of a hardware store that still looks like 1920 – stocked to the ceiling with every imaginable thing. You could spend a half day just roaming that store.
By this time, we are all well aware that each biking day promised to be more challenging than the last! However, Warner did a great job of marking alternate routes and helping those of us overwhelmed by the steepness of certain hills. Warner also did a terrific job of keeping us fed and “watered” (Happy Hour beer and wine were supplemented by tomato juice and pop as requested), and making trips to the nearest Cosco to stock up while we were relaxing.
The route to Jackson was yet another killer: 54 mi [87 km] and 5000’ ft elevation. Between the alternate routes, and the map-reading snafus, we believe that only one of us actually rode the mapped and cued route. But we all arrived, though a couple of us went straight to napping instead of Happy Hour!
The heat continued to be a problem. The climax of the climbing was intended to be en route to Sonora (9000+ feet of climbing) but Warner modified the plans to reduce the climbing. It turned out that Highway 49 began well but shrank to no shoulder and too much traffic for comfort. A few of us chose the back-road climbing route after lunch and were rewarded with a beautiful vista of the Stanislaus River (dammed farther downstream) nestled in the hills. Like most days, the city-traffic-laden approach to the hotel on the eastern edge of Sonora seemed endless. But the hotel had a pool that was refreshing.
On our next “day off” a small group of us took a car over to Yosemite Valley. For someone who’d never been there, it was well worth the 2+ hour drive. We hiked to the top of Vernal Falls, a stunning waterfall, huge and powerful, one of many in the valley – up and down steep trails. Four hours round-trip – it seemed a good alternative to biking all day, and every bit as challenging!
The next to last day to Sutter Creek began with a 12-mile descent and then the usual climbing. For our final day, returning the Sacramento, we were promised “it’s all downhill.” The first 30 miles had its climbs, but the last 30 we were back on the bike path along the river. It was sheer delight! Our last dinner in the hotel we celebrated new friendships, shared challenges, fantastic weather, possible new gear and even bikes motivated by the many conversations enjoyed over the two weeks.
The only thing that marred this tour was the accident that a biker suffered on the very first day. She had to leave the trip almost before it began. We all hope that she’ll find another trip in the future as enjoyable as we found this one.
Hats off to Warner – and to us all!
“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your
envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.”
–Cesare Pavese
“I feel that I am entitled to my share of lightheartedness and there
is nothing wrong with enjoying one’s self simply, like a boy.”
–Leo Tolstoy, on learning to ride a bicycle at age 67