American River Wildlife News
CARLESS ESCAPE: ROLLIN' ON THE RIVER
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The plan was an early fall ride toward the Sierra foothills on the American River Bike Trail -- aided by Amtrak to Sacramento -- like the tours in the glossy adventure travel catalogs. Only my boyfriend, Jeff, and I would be our own organizers: no trying to follow the pack that's following the guide; no wasting money that would go to print glossy catalogs; and no support vehicle. And so no wine, a necessary sacrifice to the gods of packing light.
It might seem odd that Sacramento, a city known for its sprawl, is one of the best nearby destinations for a biking getaway. But with Amtrak's recently expanded Capitol Corridor service, Sacramento's recently extended light rail system and a flat, scenic bike path in between, it's a trip that's easy to put together, doesn't require Ironman training and, if you time it right, offers just about as much fall color as you can get without heading to the Sierra. Faced with a couple of morning options, we chose a Saturday 8:30 a.m. departure from San Francisco that would put us in Sacramento before 11. The Capitol Corridor trains have always been bike-friendly, so I took mine along while Jeff planned to rent one in Sacramento. On the train, wheels quickly secured in the lower-level bike racks -- which fortunately only looked intimidating -- we climbed the stairs and settled in for a comfortable commute. Read the feature story in the San Francisco Chronicle. |