Just a quick note to say we’re off to England on Thursday. Margaret’s daughter, Lizzy, is getting married in a beautiful town called Arundel.
We’re also going to see Margaret’s Mum and head over to France for a day taking the shuttle under the Channel.
We hope to post a little but we’re not sure how much internet access we’ll have.
Anyway we’ll be back May 3rd.
April 22 2008 | Further Afield | No Comments »
This must be the closest bike trail to home but we have never been on it. Today we will try it out.
We park the car on Blossom River Drive. The weather is a bit overcast but the sun does make a few appearances. There is a bit of a wind but it is not too bad.
The entrance to the Upper Guadalupe River Trail is on Blossom Hill Road and Blossom River Drive. We decided to go right first of all towards San Jose. The trail is fairly flat, paved and well marked but hardly used or at least we did not see too many people. It’s not as though we had our usual early start as it is now 10.15.
We follow a creek for a couple of hundred yards and then it widens out to a small lake. We take a sharp curve to the right and go round the lake and under Highway 85. There are a few water birds on the water and we even spotted a turtle.
Soon we passed the light rail station at the back of the Oakridge Mall but the trail petered out soon after that. There was a sign pointing down a residential street to the Highway 87 bike trail but we did not fancy riding along beside the freeway.
So we turned and headed back the way we came. I knew to the south it goes to Almaden Lake but was not sure if we can go further or whether that is a dead end as well. We will see.
It is a pleasant path with the view of the Santa Teresa Hills in front of us. The Guadalupe River is to our right and we see three anglers just setting up for a hard days fishing.
It was not too long before we came to Almaden Lake. I’ve driven past here on a sunny day when the place has been packed and it makes a convenient alternative to the ocean. Swimming is allowed in a small section at certain times of the year and there is plenty of sand around the edges to play in. There are other forms of amusement; paddle boats, horseshoe pits, children’s playgrounds, bocce ball courts and I’m sure there are more features as well. We passed several picnic areas. In one there was some activity so I guess there is going to be a private picnic here later on.
At one point we came to a gate across the path with construction on the other side but there is
a detour through the car park. The trail rounded a bend and we found ourselves on the Alamitos Creek Trail and I must say we were very pleasantly surprised. We didn’t realize there was such a jewel so close to home.
The first part is a walking, biking and fitness trail and there were lots of walkers on it. It was nice to see so many families out for a Sunday walk.
What made the biggest impression on us was the beauty of the trail. The gently babbling creek to the side, the Santa Teresa Hills in the distance and the masses of wildflowers were all charming. The trail meanders close to houses but it still feels very rural. To help matters, the wind has dropped and the sun is shining. What a beautiful day. We passed Leland Senior High School and crossed Queenswood Way and as we weren’t sure how far the trail goes but we turned round opposite Swanswood Court. I have since learned that this trail finishes a bit further along but it joins the Calero Creek Trail.
April 20 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
We left San Jose at 4.30 in the pitch black and it did not begin to get light until we reached Stockton. Mind you, the urban sprawl we were driving through was not much to look at. Just before Stockton we took Highway 4 East towards Highway 99 and then Route 88 towards Sutter Creek.
It was not long before we were in the countryside of the Central Valley and the scenery began to be interesting. We passed a lot of orchards and rows and rows of grape vines sporting their new greenery.
At Lockeford we stopped for breakfast and by 7.30 we were on our way again. It was a beautiful drive through some lovely countryside with masses of wild flowers of every color along the route.
It’s going to be a hot day and already the sun is up and the shades are down. In front of us we can see the Sierras which is always an uplifting sight.
The cattle ranches and vineyards gave way to scrub and rock and we began to climb out of the valley.
When we reached Highway 49 we turned left and stopped off at Sutter Creek.
Sutter Creek
The first thing that caught our attention was a huge banner announcing the 49er Bypass Challenge for Walkers, Runners and Bikers was taking place today. Trust us to arrive when something was going on. The same sort of thing happened to us on our first trip to Murphys and also to Volcano. In Murphys it was a Homecoming Parade and in Volcano a chili cook off.
Another banner was strung across Main Street and the middle of the town was cordoned off so we turned up a side street and found a small car park and took a wander around.
They call this city the Jewel of the Gold Country and it is a very cute place. The main street consists of cafes, gift shops and antique emporiums all situated in buildings constructed over a hundred years ago. Sutter Creek was a tent town during the latter half of the 1800s when gold was found nearby. Be warned, the sidewalk is not suitable for wheelchairs as there are lots of levels and steps.
Today there was a lot of bustle as volunteers for the 49er Bypass Challenge where busy setting up water stations and cones and contestants with numbers pinned to their vests were warming up and studying route maps. There were four routes - a 1 mile walk around town, 5 and 10 kilometer course for runners and a 25k bike ride and they all started and finished at the same point with staggered starting times.
We stopped off at the Backroads Cafe where Tom had a decent cup of coffee and I treated myself to a cup of chocolate (without the whipped cream). Everybody was very friendly and I chatted to the coffee servers, the volunteers in the street, the competitors and the passerbys. There is a laid back and relaxed feel about the place.
I was surprised at how few competitors there were. The first call was for girls 6-7 and men over 80 but there were no participants. There were about a dozen different starting times for the under fifteens and the over 35s but nobody came forward. The announcer was having a hard time to get anybody on the start line. There was one call for 69 year old females so no wonder there were no takers - who wants everybody to know how old you are? It all seemed a little complicated to me and the announcer struggled to get all the categories and start times right. By 9 though he had a few takers and we watched small groups set off on the 10k run in one direction and the dozen bikers set off on the 25k course in the other direction. Between 9 and 9.30 there was a lull before the participants for the 5k run were called to the starting point.
April 16 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
After a 4.30 start, we were ready for breakfast by the time we got to Lockeford. Now you are probably wondering where Lockeford is. It is east of Stockton and we were on our way to the Gold Country. This is new territory for us and we did not know what to expect in the way of breakfast, but we spotted this place with an open sign in the window so pulled in.
It was just after 6.30 but there were a few cars in the large car park. The restaurant was large so with just a couple of other customers we could sit anywhere and picked a booth. Due to the large size of the car park and the signs on all the tables saying ‘Truckers Special’ I’m guessing this is a regular stop for truckers.
Most of the seating is booths with just a few tables and chairs in the middle and 11 places at the counter.
Our server was, to put it bluntly, abrupt. She appeared rushed, which was strange seeing how empty the place was. To the other customers though she was friendly but to us, mere tourists, she was not. Tom order Portuguese scramble with linguica and English muffin and was told, in almost an accusing manner, that the muffin was 50c extra. I ordered the oatmeal, after checking that it was not instant oatmeal (’of course not, it’s made fresh every morning’) with a side of toast.
There is not a lot to say about the decor. A few bland flower pictures in gold frames and a sprig of artificial flowers on each table and that’s it. There are no quirky touches to make it memorable.
My oatmeal did not look very appetizing when it was plonked on the table in front of me. It was in a small white bowl on a small white plate but what immediately took my attention was the water it was swimming in. The best I can say about it is that it was not stodgy and overcooked and it was hot. On another plate were small plastic containers of brown sugar and raisins and a small plastic glass, a quarter full of milk. Tom’s scramble looked reasonable and he said the linguica was nice and spicy but on the negative side there was not enough egg, the cheese was not melted, the potatoes were not crispy and it as merely warm not hot. Also the coffee was weak and tasteless.
The restroom was large, clean and adequate but without a trace of ornamentation at all, it was soulless.
You can guess our verdict. It is not somewhere we would ever go to again and we certainly don’t recommend it.
April 12 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
Last weekend we went to Woodland for our family Easter reunion, so no post.
Yesterday we decided it was time to overhaul the bikes and today is our first bike ride of the year.
Coyote Creek Parkway is almost on our doorstep and it is 15 miles long. As we did not have far to go, we had breakfast at home, hence no post to the breakfast log.
The weather was a bit overcast first thing but the sun peeked out on our short drive to our starting point at Parkway Lakes. We intended to start from Riverside Drive off Monterey Road but we couldn’t find it. We decided to start in the middle of the cycle path instead of attempting the whole round trip of 30 miles. At 9.15 we pointed our bikes to the south and set off. Although there were a few cars and trailers around, we saw no boats on the water. Maybe it is too early in the day for the water skiers.
Soon we were passing the gently humming pylons at the PG&E substation. On the right is an ugly power generating station which is quite a blot on the landscape,
The cycle path is well marked and there are warnings and stop signs when the path crosses several minor roads. There are quite a few fellow cyclists around, mostly our age but there were some dedicated cyclists with all the proper gear and one or two family groups. After crossing a wooden bridge and a road we ride along Coyote Ranch Road for a short distance and pass a field where there were several horses. This is the edge of Coyote Ranch where they hold corporate picnics and employee days out.
We came to a sign which warned to look out for flooding. As we have not had much rain recently I was not expecting to see any water but we had to ride through a shallow ford across the path. I bet it’s much deeper after rain.
April 07 2008 | Special Places | 1 Comment »
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