# Spring done sprung on our tandem



## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

We took our Samba out of hybernation yesterday with a seasonal inauguration along the American River in Sacramento. 78F and sunny! Flowers were blooming, people and dogs were out splashing and barking, sailboats and kayaks, kids and kritters galore!

We slept late, then had a three hour drive over the pass, so we didn`t get started until early afternoon, but we still had plenty of time for a nice ride. Since we rode the lower part of the trail down to Old Sac last year on singles, we decided to start in the middle (where Arden dead ends) and ride up to Folsom this time. Going up, we took the path around the S side of Lake Natomas, got lost somewhere near the top of the lake and ended up on some kind of gnarly (for us) single track. Eventually, we just bushwhacked our way towards the sound of traffic and popped out right in the middle of Old Folsom. Perfect- lunch time! From the trail itself, it`s very hard to believe you`re in the middle of a metropolis with several million people.

After lunch, we found found the bike path again, then took a short detour on a dirt maintenance road up the South side of the river, towards the dam- killer views from that little side track! If anybody else in Norcal rides this trail, take the time for that little detour. It should be at least passable on 28mm tires, if not you could walk it in a half hour.

Riding back down to our truck was uneventful, but very tranquil as the afternoon wound to a close. Less people, quieter, and everything looked a lot different as it got towards sunset. We followed the main path on the N side of L. Natomas this time- much easier to follow. According to the mile posts on the trail, we did an even thirty miles with a guestimated five worth of detours. That`s a new distance record for my honey, beating her previous guestimated thirty. We gotta get a computer on this thing.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Oops- forgot this one.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Great report, you got some nice images there.

BTW FWIW IMHO skip the computer HTH.


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

great pics. #2 looks like a top hat wouldn't go amiss. No computer +1.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Two suggestions to leave the bike electronics free- must be something to that. Why do you recomend against it? Mostly what I want is the mileage. Would you still recomend "no computer" over "computer mounted where it isn`t a distraction" (like on the stoker stem, which isn`t visible to the stoker while in riding position)?


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

that would work, people can get fixated on details provided by the things. I would personally measure tandem rides by hours spent together and vistas viewed. having milage sets or could set arbitrary goals to be conquered.who needs the pressure?


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