Gabe recently purchased his first bike – a very sweet 2006 Harley Davidson Sportster. Its black with the Screaming Eagle II package and very loud. My HD knowledge stops here, so perhaps he can tell us more in the form of comment and his lovely wife can supply a picture she took the day Gabe picked up his new baby.

Last weekend Gabe and Jon (another writer soon-to-be rider) completed the motorcycle safety class and are now legitimate M1-holding riders (well, they will be as soon as they turn in their paperwork). In celebration of the new bike, class completion and the fact we’re on summer vacation, Gabe and I took a short jaunt along the Delta.

After leaving Natomas we headed to West Sacramento, taking Jefferson all the way through Southport and into the Delta. Along the way we passed the secret new West Sac Lowes (no one seems to know its existence), the Nugget, and the new River City High School. Once in the Delta we toured along the Sacramento Deep Water Channel and hung a left on Clarksburg Road. This bought us to the tiny hamlet of Clarksburg and South River Road where we rode along the Sacramento River. This road, covered with majestic valley oaks, rides atop the levee and provides a fantastic view of the Valley as well as boats floating up and down the river. There are also some beautiful Victorian and Craftsman style river homes along the way as well. Some are gorgeous, while a few others need quite a bit of restoration.

South River Road winds into Walnut Grove where we crossed the river and headed back towards Sacramento on Highway 160. While very similar in appearance to South River Road, Hwy 160 provides a view of the other side of the river as you pass the Clarksburg-like towns of Locke, Hood, Courtland, and Freeport. Each of these communities provides a glimpse into the 19th century history of merchant traffic floating up and down the river. The whole area is kind of an unknown secret. I’m always amazed to think all of this exists only a few miles south of Sacramento and just west of a very busy I-5. Gabe kept remarking, “I never knew this was here…”

Finally, once we were back in town we ended our ride at the world-famous Freeport Bakery. Okay, it might not be world famous, but it should be! The cakes are awesome. Even Gabe, a self-described not-very-cakey person nearly licked his plate clean. I personally recommend a piece of the Fleur-de-lis cake with a glass of iced coffee. Its a perfect summer afternoon treat.

Joe

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Today’s ride started with that ubiquitous question, “What’s for breakfast?” Being Sunday and having the normal hunkering for pancakes, three of us hopped on the bikes and headed out to the Putah Creek Cafe in Winters. We met two other bikers who had to come by car (faring issues, forgive them). If you’ve never visited Putah for breakfast you should definitely stop by. Order the apple cinnamon roll or the blueberry pancakes (my favorite), but beware the later you show up the longer you will wait for a table and they may be out of cinnamon rolls.

The Ride

After meeting up at the Jefferson Blvd Chevron in West Sac, we headed out the Capitol City Freeway to Davis. This freeway, like many, is quite boring but will get you over the causeway quickly. Once in Davis we took 113 to Russell Blvd. Russell itself is a nice little ride, but there are tons of cyclists so keep your eyes open and your speed down. Just outside of Davis, we hopped on Putah Creek Road for a walnut and olive tree lined trek to Winters.

With full bellies, one of us with a GPS-enabled phone thought it would be fun to lead the group up Hwy 16 through the Capay Valley after breakfast. The skies were still a little smoky from recent wildfires, but the sights were still pretty scenic. The area is full of beautiful rolling hills and valley oaks – quintessential California. You can tell that this area was once an agricultural powerhouse, but is now a little forgotten. Perhaps community supported agriculture will bring them back?

Along Hwy 16 there is one large area of modern development – the Cache Creek Indian Casino. Its kind of obnoxious for its location, but based on the full parking lot on a Sunday morning it must be a boost for the local economy. Just past the casino 16 gets twisty as it rolls along Cache Creek until you finally join Hwy 20. We took 20 back to Sacramento, traveling through Winters and Colusa. There isn’t much to see other than tractors, rice fields, and other riders. From 20 we took Hwy 45 to 113 in Knights Landing. Should you be looking for some straightaways to ah…make sure you bike meets its specs…this is your place. Just look on the map below.

From Knights Landing we snuck back into Davis and Intersate 80 on County Road 102. This road is well trafficked, so you’ll likely be going slow and getting trapped at a few lights but it does have tons of sunflowers and a photovoltaic plant to check out along the way. After a short stint on I-80 we were back in West Sac with empty gas tanks, sore rears, and grins from ear to ear. The route is posted below should you wish to try it yourself.

Joe

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Welcome to the first installment for the Sacramento Motorcycle Journal. A few weeks ago as I was riding to Napa with a group of friends I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to have a place where we could chronicle our two-wheeled adventures?” Wouldn’t it be great to have a diary of rides, roadside attractions, restaurants, and scenic views? After all, we live in California’s capitol surrounded by sights as diverse as Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and the Delta – each one offering its own adventure with in a few hours of home.

Like many riders, I tend to do lots of thinking while I’m flying down a two lane road, and that’s where it dawned on me that a blog might be the perfect medium for recording our jaunts throughout the state. So here it is – the Sacramento Motorcycle Journal. Whether your ride a Harley, a Ducati, or a fast moving scooter, on these digital pages you’ll find lots of great rides, sights, and most importantly food (we tend to ride for meals). Leave a comment and let us know what you think and perhaps a suggestion for a route we should check out.

Joe