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
