John’s address is technically in Lincoln, California. But we spent a lot more time in Auburn while I was there, and I think it has a better ring as a blog headline.
Googlemap’s direct route from Vacaville north and east to Auburn takes about an hour.
I spent about 5 hours heading south and east, crossing the valley south of Sacramento, then riding east and north up into the foothills, and finally hooking back westward.
Googlemap’s direct route from Vacaville north and east to Auburn takes about an hour.
I spent about 5 hours heading south and east, crossing the valley south of Sacramento, then riding east and north up into the foothills, and finally hooking back westward.
Riding the rural backroads through the valley was much like doing the same on the Great Plains: it takes longer than the freeway, gives one a better glimpse into the common life of small towns, is thus more interesting, and is even flatter and more rectilinear.
I stopped for breakfast at Raul’s Striper Café in Rio Vista, which is the kind of place where the waitresses have known most of the customers for decades and address them by “Mr.” and “Mrs.”
I had plenty of counter space to spread out the paper map Larry gave me. At a glance it was obvious the route I’d planned the night before using Googlemaps was seriously flawed. For whatever reason it had been invisible to me on-screen that, after leaving Rio Vista, I should cross the bridge and immediately turn north, taking the road which for some miles runs beside the Sacramento River. A quick double-check using Googlemaps revealed that not only is the road designated CA-160, it’s named “River Road”.
It’s been my experience anything named “River Road” is worth exploring.
This was no exception.
The road winds along the top of the levee, the river crowded with bass boats on one side, vineyards and orchards down below on the other. It was a really fun road, though I was obliged to share it with other vehicles, as was true for virtually all the roads I travelled this day.
Eventually I resumed a straight eastbound course, lest I end up driving into Sacramento. As before, there were way too many stop signs (which is to say, any; I strongly feel half the stop signs in this country should be replaced by yield signs, and the other half replaced by low-maintenance landscaping). But I finally intercepted CA-88 and began a gradual climb into the foothills. The quality of the ride improved immediately; curves started happening with increasing frequency and decreasing radii, stop signs went (mostly) away, the pavement was smooth, traffic was light and fast. The weather remained cool, temperatures in the low sixties beneath a mostly cloudy sky.
I spent a fair amount of time on CA-124 and CA-49, but the most exciting part of the ride by far was CA-193:
I stopped for breakfast at Raul’s Striper Café in Rio Vista, which is the kind of place where the waitresses have known most of the customers for decades and address them by “Mr.” and “Mrs.”
I had plenty of counter space to spread out the paper map Larry gave me. At a glance it was obvious the route I’d planned the night before using Googlemaps was seriously flawed. For whatever reason it had been invisible to me on-screen that, after leaving Rio Vista, I should cross the bridge and immediately turn north, taking the road which for some miles runs beside the Sacramento River. A quick double-check using Googlemaps revealed that not only is the road designated CA-160, it’s named “River Road”.
It’s been my experience anything named “River Road” is worth exploring.
This was no exception.
The road winds along the top of the levee, the river crowded with bass boats on one side, vineyards and orchards down below on the other. It was a really fun road, though I was obliged to share it with other vehicles, as was true for virtually all the roads I travelled this day.
Eventually I resumed a straight eastbound course, lest I end up driving into Sacramento. As before, there were way too many stop signs (which is to say, any; I strongly feel half the stop signs in this country should be replaced by yield signs, and the other half replaced by low-maintenance landscaping). But I finally intercepted CA-88 and began a gradual climb into the foothills. The quality of the ride improved immediately; curves started happening with increasing frequency and decreasing radii, stop signs went (mostly) away, the pavement was smooth, traffic was light and fast. The weather remained cool, temperatures in the low sixties beneath a mostly cloudy sky.
I spent a fair amount of time on CA-124 and CA-49, but the most exciting part of the ride by far was CA-193:
CA-193 is the tightest, twistiest road I’d been on so far this trip. It winds up and down I don’t know how many steep mountain canyons, with silky sinuous S-curves stacked up by the dozen.
The first driver I came up behind dived for a turnout at first opportunity.
Thank you for playing Speed Up Or Get Out Of My Way.
The second wore an Oregon plate, was very slow, and didn’t pull over until the second opportunity.
Thank you for playing Speed Up Or Get Out Of My Way.
The third was a local in a black Kia who pulled out from a side road a quarter mile in front of me. I flicked on my high beam to let him know I was coming on quickly. Then I saw his suspension squat and a puff of blue smoke from his exhaust pipe, and he started pulling away.
This driver was also playing by the rules of Speed Up Or Get Out Of My Way, but had selected the infrequently-chosen Door #1.
I dipped my headlight and fell in behind him.
For a while.
It’s rare these days to see a car driver willing to pass on a double yellow line…
After passing through Auburn and then another tight twisty ride down Wise Road, I arrived at the home of my old friend (since junior high) John Cathcart. John wasn’t home from work yet but his wife Nancy was there, meeting with one of the contractors involved in the major renovation project they have in the works…and which means my sleeping arrangements are in a very nicely appointed RV parked down by the pond.
For dinner we drove to the Auburn Alehouse.
Thank you for playing Speed Up Or Get Out Of My Way.
The second wore an Oregon plate, was very slow, and didn’t pull over until the second opportunity.
Thank you for playing Speed Up Or Get Out Of My Way.
The third was a local in a black Kia who pulled out from a side road a quarter mile in front of me. I flicked on my high beam to let him know I was coming on quickly. Then I saw his suspension squat and a puff of blue smoke from his exhaust pipe, and he started pulling away.
This driver was also playing by the rules of Speed Up Or Get Out Of My Way, but had selected the infrequently-chosen Door #1.
I dipped my headlight and fell in behind him.
For a while.
It’s rare these days to see a car driver willing to pass on a double yellow line…
After passing through Auburn and then another tight twisty ride down Wise Road, I arrived at the home of my old friend (since junior high) John Cathcart. John wasn’t home from work yet but his wife Nancy was there, meeting with one of the contractors involved in the major renovation project they have in the works…and which means my sleeping arrangements are in a very nicely appointed RV parked down by the pond.
For dinner we drove to the Auburn Alehouse.
Auburn Alehouse
John, John, and Nancy
We used two vehicles to get there. I was invited to drive Nancy’s Miata MX-5 top-down on the way there, and the Corvette Grand Sport on the way back.
Both of which got me thinking, not for the first time, that this whole motorcycle thing is ridiculous.
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