11.10.13 Riding the Devil

Mount Diablo stands tall over the the Central Valley of California.  Not only can it be seen from my job site in San Francisco and from along the Sacramento River, but it has one of the largest viewsheds in the world, second only to Mount Kilimanjaro.  On a clear day the views stretch all the way from Mount Shasta to Yosemite Valley.  Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those days.

A: Sacramento | B: Brannan Island | C: Mount Diablo Summit | D: Amtrak Martinez

Over the golden Tower Bridge and past Raley Field, I continue down the busy Jefferson Boulevard for a short stint before turning off on the Cortland Branch Line Trail.  Miles of gravel flow through watermelon and pumpkin farms, past a high school football stadium, and end up under a wooden bridge a short ways away from the Sacramento River.

Starting off on the Cortland Branch Line Trail.

The Delta is busy with recreational boaters and fisherman looking to bring home some striped bass or salmon for dinner.  I continue past the Freeport Bridge, my normal crossing point for a morning river ride, and go on to pass the Paintersville Bridge also.  The Sacramento River is used for some hefty shipping, so all crossings are draw bridges of different designs.  County Road E9 runs over Steamboat Slough Bridge and I take the right turn to Grand Island Road.

Country signs at the Freeport Bridge.

I didn't even know I took this shot until uploading photos after the trip.

Farmland appears on the west side of the road and the river hugs the narrow road on the east.  The actual riding surface isn't as nice here, but the difference in scenery is a fair trade.  Cal Trans operates two ferries along The Delta, the J-Mack Ferry and The Real McCoy II (the original McCoy was getting too old and weak to cross the river without getting pulled away in the current).  One car joined me just before taking off on the first ferry crossing.

Waiting for the cable-driven ferry to dock.

All aboard - not much car traffic at this time.

 Just as I wonder when a safe spot to pull off the road will appear I notice a small farm stand tucked away under a tree.  For two dollars I grab a plate of peaches to snack on later and take time to make a couple PB&Js, a bike touring staple.

Just as I arrive at the next ferry crossing and begin to take the flat ground for granted Mount Diablo appears in the distance - reminding me that tomorrow won't be so easy.  At the request of the ferry captain I board last to avoid getting run over by the rushing cars at the other end of the river.  These ferries operate 24/7/365, other than for two twenty minute breaks during the way, talk about a repetitive job.

Mount Diablo with the Rio Vista Bridge in the foreground.

Still riding south along the Sacramento River, I cross over the Rio Vista bridge and continue on CA 160 straight to Brannan Island.  This segment has the most amount of car traffic and inconveniently placed rumble strips on the shoulder, making for some rough sections of road.  All the way Mount Diablo is looming in the distance.  Plenty of daylight remains, but I still decide to stop for the night at Brannan Island and stick to my original plans.  For a mere four dollars I score a walk-in camp site along the water surrounded by a few other vacant sites.  I wait for it to get a little dark, cook up come turkey chili and spaghetti, set up camp, and pass out for the night.  I got a solid 12-hour night sleep and woke up in a hurry to get back on the road.

Views from CA 160 to Brannan Island.

Views down the river to Diablo from the camp site.

Sleeping arrangements for the night.

 The wind turbines are spinning in the Delta breeze, not only providing power to the grid but also giving me a steady headwind to battle.  Another river crossing is in view, this time over the Antioch Bridge.  There isn't a sidewalk, but the traffic is fairly light and the shoulder size is decent. The bridge is as straight as an arrow for it's entire two mile span and I am plenty visible.  At the crest I take a moment to stop and take in the views from an elevation of 165 feet.

Antioch Bridge

Large cargo ship heading out to the SF Bay.

View from the top of the Antioch Bridge

Taking the first exit off of the bridge drops me off on side streets to Pittsburgh-Antioch Highway, finally leading to a gravel bike path.  Gravel turns to pavement and the trail ends up paralleling CA 4, The Delta Highway, before running along a calm canal.  The Contra Costa Canal Trail merges back and forth with the Ygnacio Canal Trail, eventually dropping off in a nice neighborhood a few blocks away from North Gate Road, which leads all the way to the summit of Mount Diablo.

Contra Coast Canal bike trail

I thought I made a wrong turn and hit a dead end until this tunnel appeared.

Here we go.  I get weird looks from all the people on lightweight road bikes passing by me.  They ask if I plan on going all of the way up.  That I do.

Starting off at the "entrance" to Mount Diablo.

 The climb is constant and unforgiving, rising from sea level to just about 4,000 feet in ~13 miles.  Toward the end it was tough to make pedal rotations and keep any momentum, especially when going off the side of the pavement a few times and needing to mentally reset to continue.  The occasional "right on" from people descending and encouragement from and conversation with people passing me on the way up make me continue on.  Three and a half hours later I make it to the top.

Finally at the top!

Totally beat and looking forward to the downhill ride back to the base.

One last view before turning back.

It is nearly 4 PM and the next train arrives at Martinez in 15 minutes.  There is no way to make it, looks like the 5:15 train will have to do.  Booting up Google Maps on my phone quick to double check directions to the station I notice that it is 12 miles away.  With 115 miles on the odometer and lots of climbing under my belt I decide to push hard and battle the clock to Martinez.  I make it to the ticket counter out of breath with 6 minutes to spare.  

We'll see about that...

Riding the Contra Costa Canal trail to Martinez.

Taking the easy way back.

 What a relief it was to take off the front panniers and hang my bike up on Amtrak.  I secure a seat within view of the bike and enjoy the quick ride back to Sacramento, well worth the $19.  This was somewhat of a Reverse-Rinko trip.  "Rinko" is a Japanese term for travelling on train in order to reach a cycling destination.  I see many more Amtrak/bike trips in the future once my Brompton comes in!

9.19.2013 Lake Tahoe Loop

When the going gets tough you just need to change gears and keep on pushing, so I did.  After living in California for four months I had yet to see Lake Tahoe, although I had gone climbing south of the lake about two weeks after moving across the country.  After working a few 60 hour weeks and getting rained out partway through my trip to Sutter Buttes the previous weekend I decided it was time to get away and check out Lake Tahoe.  

The lake is split between two states, California and Nevada.  With the goal of keeping the lake on my right so I didn't have to look over a lane of traffic to get clear views of the water and mountains I parked my car about four miles away from the south shore at a trailhead for hikers near Fallen Leaf Lake.  The actual loop around the lake is about 72 miles and can easily be done in a day; however, I wanted to camp out near the north shore so I ended up riding 40 miles each day.  Finding a camping spot around the lake can be tough, but using WarmShowers for the first time made it an easy and enjoyable experience.

 

The first views of Lake Tahoe are accompanied by a long and often steep and curvy climb to Emerald Bay, which was well worth the work by the time the 40+ mph descent to lake level was completed.  With the wind at my back I continued rolling past Rubicon Bay and Meeks Bay.

Climbing along Rt. 89 to Emerald Bay.

Views from the Emerald Bay pullout.

There were surprisingly few bicycles out on the road and biking paths that run along to the shoreline.  The few that I saw were roadies cruising past me uphill and other riders giving the friendly nod going the opposite direction.  Nobody else was loaded in any way other than a saddlebag full of gu gel, so I was getting some odd looks from drivers stopped along the road taking in the amazing views.

Snow capped mountains along the east shore in the distance.

40 miles fly by and before I know it I'm at the address listed on WarmShowers, on the shore of Agate Bay. I had exchanged emails and texted with my host during the past week and knew that she would not be home until later that evening. Coming through the gate to the backyard I could not believe my eyes.  People really live like this? With my bike leaned against the dock/deck, I walk down to the beach to take in the full panorama view. 

Camping spot for the night. 

Looking down to the south shore of Lake Tahoe.

Paragliders flying over the Nevada side of the lake.

Randi, my host for the night, finally arrived home from work and welcomed me inside for some pizza and beer.  Her son just finished a cross country trip from Washington to New York passing through Canada and used WarmShowers along the way.  This was her way of giving back.  Randi insisted that I stay in the guesthouse instead of sleeping outside, but I couldn't pass up on the clear sky views and sound of the waves crashing along the shore.  It had been dropping to 27F the last few nights but I was well prepared and didn't want to have carried all of my sleeping gear for nothing.  The Therm-A-Rest cot kept me off of the cold ground and I was plenty warm, sleeping in only my biking shorts for the entire night.

Testing out the Therm-A-Rest cot, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag setup.

Sunrise from the sleeping bag.

Stellar views.

After oatmeal and eggs, a warm cup of coffee, and a quick chat I was back on the saddle and only a few miles away from the CA/NV border.  Randi gave me a little tip to turn off on Lakeshore Boulevard instead of continuing on Highway 28 through Incline Village.  The morning air was brisk, but it only took a mile or so before I had to take off my flannel and vest, zip off the legs of my pants, and throw back on my long sleeve jersey.  Still riding clockwise around the lake I pass an overlook for Sand Harbor and decide to turn around to check it out.  There were a few other people down along the shore and they start asking about my trip. Conversation ensues and I find out that they are visiting from Israel and have family in San Francisco.  We chat for a little bit about my trip to Israel and favorite places in the country.

Clear morning views from the road.

A quick photo-op from my new Israeli friend.

Back on the road I get a friendly honk from the Israelis as they pass in their rental car.  Dense trees with huge pine cones thin out to reveal rock formations and pastures along the road, leaving plenty of room to catch a glimpse of the mountains and lake when the highway curves to the east.  Highway 28 turns off to Highway 50 at Spooner Lake to reveal the most dangerous and scary section of the ride, from Glenbrook Bay until Zephyr Cove.  Highway 50 becomes much more highway-like and the shoulder narrows.  Battling a strong headwind I only reach 20 mph downhill and have to fight to maintain control when the gusts come from the side and push me toward the bumper at the ends of the road.

 

Identifying peaks at a scenic overlook.

The wind mellows out and the road becomes more biker-friendly after passing through Cave Rock, a tunneled out portion of road cutting through a rock formation that drops off to the lake.  California comes quick and the welcome sign is nowhere near as large as the ones on highways back east.  Casinos and ski resorts appear in the distance just as car and motorcycle traffic thickens.  Highway 50 veers away from the shoreline and turns to Lake Tahoe Boulevard, a familiar sight that intersects with the road my car is parked at just over 5 miles ahead.

Turning around to see Cave Rock after taking the lane to pass through safely.

South Lake Tahoe casino skyline.