Day 3: Sacramento to Auburn.

Time Zone : Pacific (GMT -8)
Todays Distance: 51 miles
Cycling time: 4hrs 18 mins

Today’s cumulative ascent: 2763 ft

Average Heart Rate : 104 bpm

Distance so far: 191 miles

Ascent so far: 7550 ft.

Todays Profile:

Dedication: Today is for the teachers in Providence who labour there with total dedication to the children and their welfare...... for Varina, Saker, Bari, Christine, Marly, Sarahlinda, Sharon and Isa who was there the last time the Abbey students were in Shillong.

Today was another short day with a little shot of reality near the end... a taster for tomorrow. Bags were all loaded at 6am and breakfast in Lyons nearby. No need to rush the morning meal today. Just outside Sacramento we got on the American Riverbike Way which generally follows the course upstream of the Sacramento River. We followed it for 33 miles..an absolute pleasure to cycle on, no cars, plenty of other cyclists and interesting terrain. Today I cycled in an international group - New Zealand, Trinidad, Australia, and Ireland. We stuck together for the day and had an opportunity of

conversation on the bike path. The wind was generally in our favour and we tipped along at around 14 mph. There was no stress as is evidenced in the average heart beat (104 bpm). Temperatures were in the upper 20's although it was still an early hour but the breeze in our hair made it so exhilirating. I have to enjoy these days while they last. This is the calm before the storm. We passed by Folsom (Didn't Johnny Cash do a famous gig in Folsom Prison?) and made our only SAG stop in Beals Point park on the banks of Folsom Lake. It had been a stress-free 33 miles so far. Even the squirrels joined us for a reloading of carbohydrates by the wagons.

After SAG we were back on the open road linking Folsom and Auburn. Now we were getting into rolling terrain but nothing too severe. After 2 days of total horizontal cycling it was a change. temperatures were by now approaching a pleasant 30. Just before we came to Auburn City Limits we faced into a 1.5 mile steady climb. Each of us took it at our own pace and arranged to regroup at the top. All made the top with a smile (right) and shortly afterwards almost all the group met for lunch at Pine Cafe just before High Street. It was a relaxing break with no urgency to restart .... by now we had 48 miles under our our belts and over 2000 feet of climbing. No wonder all had a great appetite.

After lunch it was a short ride through downtown Auburn and our group pulled in at Comfort Inn at 1.15 pm. and got a pleasant courteous welcome.

I have noticed that through California people couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful. And that's not just to me (obviously a tourist) but even to the other Americans; they are so efficiently laid-back and genuinely helpful.

And cycling is a major recreational activity with excellent infrastructure. So far we have been on many Bike Paths with today's being the daddy of them all. I believe we'll be on many more along this adventure. And along the major roads and streets there is a marked bike lane. Is this just in California ?...I'll see as we pass from state to state.

Another great day's cycling and the group is really bonding and getting to know each other. Last night I had a great chat with two of the lads from Las Vegas. All part of the experience.

Tomorrow ? We'll let tomorrow take care of itself. All we got to do is to rest up tonight and keep turning the pedals...one more time, then one more time etc etc.

Heard today: "I've never met a hill yet that I couldn't walk"

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

Day 2: Fairfield to Sacramento.

Time Zone : Pacific (GMT -8)
Todays Distance 57 miles
Cycling time 4hrs 04 mins

Today’s cumulative ascent 758 ft
Average Heart rate 104 bpm

Distance so far: 141 miles

Ascent so far: 4787 ft.

Today's profile

Dedication: Today is for all the Abbey students preparing for Junior and Leaving Cert, particularly my own Maths and Irish students. Lads, give your very best shot.

Today was an easy one with a short distance and no climbing of note. Strange to think that we have climbed almost 5000 feet and are still only 30 feet above sea-level.

Breakfast (Grand Slam) at 6.30 in Denny's nearby and with the luggage loaded at 8 am we all moved off in small groups of various sizes. I started out with Jeff, an American now living in New Zealand. ( He had been a Maths teacher earlier in life). We dealt admirably with the navigation while discussing the intricacies of trigonometry and cubic equations !! We had today's 'major' climb shortly after starting - a short one of about 150 feet. We knew today was not going to be great for scenery but it was of interest. Fertile ground with irrigation channels growing a variety of produce. I saw fields of barley being harvested and I wallowed on the smell of new-mown hay as we passed along Walters Road just east of Fairfield.

The navigation was predictable - like horizontal steps of stairs, right, left, right, left etc. And the wind was in our favour especially in the early hours and we tipped along at almost 20 mph across the landscape. Utter bliss. We ccriss-crossed railway lines many times and such crossings can be dangerous should the wheel drop down by the rail on the level-crossings (much more dangerous than at home). One train that passed by us at the 31 mile mark was at least half-a-mile long (no exageration) and only one engine at the front. Wouldn't having that engine when we hit the Sierras and the Rockies. Our one and only SAG stop today was at the 32 mile mark and it was still only 10.30. By lunchtime we had pulled into Davis through its University campus; it seemed to be an excellent location for us to stop for a sit-down lunch. Our group had now grown to 8. A quick visit to one of the many bike shops in town and then a beautiful bagel and fruit juice to top up the energy tanks.

Out of Davis we had a long spin on a bike path right beside Interstate-80. The constant noise was deafening and prevented any conversation. We had the 5 mile of bike path to ourselves as we powered along in 30 degrees of heat but a beautiful breeze made it so enjoyable and relaxing. Within a short time we passed over the Tower Bridge facing up the main thoroughfare of Sacramento looking at the State Capitol. That would be for later in the afternoon.

A quick left turn brought us into Old Sacramento, looking as it did in thr days of the Gold Rush with cobblestone streets (not nice to cycle on) and wooden sidewalks. Sacramento was the western terminus of the Pony Express( the 1966 mile mail run from Missouri) as there was a railroad from there right down to San Francisco. We could come back to this area later in the afternoon.

At 2.15 our group pulled into the Best Western Sandman Motel still feeling fresh but keen to freshen up with a shower and a change.

Anxious to make the best of our time here a group of us (Martin, John, Amy, Sue , Jeff and self) headed back on foot to investigate the Old town. Martin ( from Germany) and I walked on to the State Capitol to meet Governor Arnold. we got to the door of his suite of offices to be told that he was not in town today. That was his loss. So Martin and I had an interesting 5 mile walk before Route Rap (the details of tomorrow's itinerary). I had a quick relaxing swim before dinner in the adjacent Mexican Restaurant with the full group.

So many of the group are asking me about Providence and the reason I'm doing the cycle. I'm thrilled to explain all the good work being done there. The shirt has created an awareness. Just today one cyclist caught up from behind wanting to know if I got a shot of Providence Road just back the way. I couldn't be doing the cycle for a better cause.

Not a great scenery day, but a great day of pleasant cycling. No one in the group has hit a 'Should-I-give-it-up-now' patch yet. It's early days yet. It will happen to us all at one stage or other but hopefully the group dynamic will pull us through.

Thank God for the health and the energy.

Day 1: San Francisco to Fairfield

Time Zone : Pacific (GMT -8)
Todays Distance 84 miles
Cycling time 6hrs 43 mins

Today’s cumulative ascent 4029 ft
Average speed 12.1 mph
Average Heart rate 118 bpm
Distance so far: 84 miles

Ascent so far: 4029 ft.

Today's profile

Dedication: Today is for all the children and all the teachers who have been in Providence School since 1999.

A 6 a.m. early breakfast and all were ready at 6.45 to set off. The morning was cold and all had extra layers on to cope with the typical low temperatures of a San Francisco morning. There was a relief when the word was given to go. The whole group was to stay together for the first 24 miles. Shortly after starting we hit a 1.5 mile steep hill....just the thing to settle down the breakfast or otherwise. On Skyline Boulavard as we travelled northwards into the wind, another organised cycle came against us...... they were going from san Francisco to Los Angeles over 5 days ... the A-Drive. There must have been 4000 cyclists in it with many in fancy dress. They were of a younger age profile and the wind in their backs....life just isn't fair.

After 17 miles we dropped down to the Pacific for the wheel-dipping ceremony.... the back wheel in the Pacific and at the end in 7 weeks time we'll dip the front wheel in the Atlantic. Just the location for an official group photo with everyone wearing the 'America by Bicycle' shirt.

Next a spin on the San Francisco hilly streets as we made our way towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Being Sunday morning it was crowded with pedestrians and with cyclists but we got a clear run across on the west path after passing under the carriageway. It was a memorable spin across the 2 mile bridge and over 200 feet above the water. There was a SAG stop (Support and Gear) at the far end and a chance for a few photos.

At this point the group broke up into smaller sections for the rest of the day. I cycled in a group with Sue from Golden as we dropped down into the beautiful town of Sausalito by the waters edge. Still there were cyclists everywhere going in all directions.... it's big in this area.

By this stage there was great heat and the jackets and leggings were off. I was now in the Providence shirt and before the end of the day 2 of our group said they'd cycle from New Hampshire to Providence with me. (We'll check that out again after another 51 days.).

The 20 miles on Highway 37 (Sonoma and Napa counties) was almost like Holland in that it was so flat and through reclaimed land (from the northern part of the Bay).... but at least the wind was helping us a little and we were at over 20 mph at times. Again at the end of the day there was a stiff 2 mile climb to a point where we crossed over Interstate-80. On some of the roads today there were long cracks along the length of the road - up to 2 inches wide and 6 inches deep- caused by the earthquakes of a number of years ago. It wouldn't do a bicycle wheel any good to drop into one. One of the roads on the route was blocked off and it meant crawling under the fence to proceed.

It was a glorious day's cycle and I'm thrilled that we are finally on the way. Over the next few days I'll develop a routine for each evening so as to get to bed early and recharge the batteries.

I arrived in the hotel in Fairfield at 4 p.m. and had a great appetite for dinner in Applebee's Restaurant nearby.

Our full group: