Amgen Tour of California - Day Before

America's biggest bike race starts tomorrow in Downtown Sacramento with the Prologue, a 2.4 mile time trial, circumnavigating the State Capitol and adjoining streets. A crowd of 75,000 is expected to line the course to watch the 136 pro-cyclists representing 17 teams.

This race is REALLY BIG TIME with the field being the strongest and most fascinating for it's short 4-year history. The biggest buzz is 7 time Tour de France champion, Lance Amstrong, coming out of retirement. The loaded field includes 2 time Amgen champ, Levi Leipheimer going for a 3-peat, last year's TdF winner Carlos Sastre from Spain, Fabian Cancellara, the 2008 Olympic Champ from Switzerland, and Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton two notables attempting comebacks from drug suspensions.

The local news was abuzz with reports of cycling teams out on training rides on the local roads or spotted roaming around downtown. So today, dodging raindrops, I walked from my house to downtown to see who I could spot and check out the venue for tomorrow's big race.

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At the corner of L and 10th Streets, the TV trucks are taking up all the parking spaces

Checkin' the Checker!!

Tents being set-up for the vendor show in front of the Capitol

The view down 11th Street toward the Capitol

Motorcycle crews prep-ing on L St.

Set-up of the start area on Capitol Mall and 9th St.

Got a tip from a friend that the Jelly Belly Team was making an appearance at Sacramento Sweets in Old Sacramento

Three members of the Jelly Belly Team - Matt Crane, Kiel Reynen, and Jeremy Powers

How many pro-cyclists does it take to rack a bike?

Jelly Belly team cars gets my vote for coolest support vehicles

Especially this cutey!

More race pics coming tomorrow!!

Stebbins Cold Canyon Hike

The Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, managed by UC Davis, is located off Hwy 128 near Montecello Dam (forming Lake Berryessa) in the Vaca Mountains between Winters and Napa. From the trailhead, we took the main western trail up a series of steep switch-backs to the top of Blue Ridge and followed the spine of the ridge to the end where it drops preceptiously down into Cold Canyon. Stone foundations of an old homestead are found at the bottom of the canyon. The main trail circles back to the trailhead following a creek bed. In a normal winter, there is a good flow in the creek. This season, the creek was bone dry.

The main loop trail is 4.75 miles with a elevation gain of approximately 1,500'. The major attractions of this hike are terrific overlooks of Lake Berryessa, and splendid views of the surrounding mountains and Sacramento Valley from the Blue Ridge Trail.

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Looking down on Lake Berryessa from the first overlook

Peering down on Montecello Dam. Note the bathtub ring along the shoreline indicating low reservior capacity due to a dry winter.

Great views from the top of an outcropping - Don Dupage, Bob Tribe,
Dick Fraschetti and Herb Lee

At another viewpoint

Switchback trail takes you up to Blue Ridge

The mountainside across Cold Canyon - looking east

Following the Blue Ridge spine to a small hump

View looking east down to Putah Creek and Hwy 128

Don on the Blue Ridge Trail

Another view of Lake Berryessa from a higher hump along the ridgeline

See the ridge trail - looking north

The lads at the high point, 1580' on the Blue Ridge Trail

Raptor poop on an outcropping

At the bottom of Cold Canyon, are the foundation remains of ye ol' homestead (above and below)

SF Presidio Hike

On an unseasonably warm early February day (2/1), the Sacramento County Hikers led by Rich Blackmarr visited the San Francisco Presidio. Our 5+ mile hike was a walk through history with our route starting at the visitor center located at the main post. The trails took us through forests, past coastal defense structures, beaches, multi-million dollar homes, Crissy Airfield, Fort Point, the Golden Gate Bridge, and vistas with breathtaking views of SF Bay, Marin Headlands, Angel Island and Alcatraz.

~Short History~

For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post, first by the Spanish who in 1776 established this as the northernmost outpost of their empire in the western North America.

The Presidio then fell under Mexican rule for 24 years before the U.S. Army took control in 1846. Over the next 148 years, the U.S. Army transformed the grounds from mostly windswept dunes and scrub to a major military post with gun batteries facing the ocean, airfield, hospital, cemeteries, and over 870 structures.

In 1989, the Presidio was closed by the military and the property transferred to the National Park Service.

Since 1994, the Presidio, a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, has been transformed into one of the preeminent urban parks in the U.S. The 1,491 acres contains 11 miles of hiking trails and 14 miles of bicycle route.

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The Officer's Club is now the Park's Visitor Center

A beautiful green belt leads into the Main Post area

Historic artifacts placed on the green-belt

Historic brick buildings

A piece of modern sculpture

A group foto of the Hikers

On our walk to China Beach, we pass Robin Williams home

A neat rock marker points the way to China Beach

A couple gazillion dollar homes overlooks China Beach with incomparable views

Our lunch spot with a gazillion dollar view

The western gulls were in a feeding frenzy too!

Me and the bridge

Baker Beach overlook

Cute beach dog . . . looks like my buddie Nikki

It's early Febuary and you would think it's summer. Climate change here we come. . .

The hikers encircle a gun battery placement

An old photo of what these big guns looked like when these batteries were in use

The trail takes you past the batteries to the Golden Gate Bridge

Joyce and the BRIDGE

Amazing view of the SF icon

Even the underside is beautiful

The steel arch frames Fort Point

Fishing off the old pier with Alcatraz in the background

The promenade along the bay front

A cool way to tour the City

At $5.50 per dog, this stand was making a killing! Even I succumbed.

Cairn marks the way back

A funny astro-turf globe.

End of a fabulous hike on a gorgeous day with a fun group!
Thanks Rich for leading another great hike.