Yes it was cold this morning. When we left for Walnut Creek there was frost on everything, so I know it was below freezing. There were five of us riding over Hwy 4 toward Walnut Creek trying to stay warm. As we rode up the hill past Bay Point we heard this loud BAM and one of the cars in front of our small group pulled quickly to the shoulder of the freeway. Then we were in the debris field of the blown-out tire and fender well trim. A couple of the bikes in the left wheel track didn't have enough time to dodge the metal strip, but luckily running over it didn't cause any damage. It was interesting to say the least. We not only heard the tire blow out, but we could actually hear the metal trim getting ripped from the fender well. The rest of the ride over was uneventful, but what a way to start the day.
We began gathering in the parking lot at McGuire's around 7:30 and it wasn't long before the place was packed. What a great turnout on this cold Saturday morning. The last official count before our departure was 49 bikes, but I think another bike arrived just before we staged under the BART tracks making it 50. We lined up in two groups and were soon on our way.
We jumped on 680, took 242 to Hwy 4, and made our way to the Antioch Bridge. As we rode past Bay Point and into Pittsburg we encountered a couple of areas of fog. It wasn't too thick, but it did leave some moisture on the face shield. Then it was clear and sunny again and we continued on. At the Antioch bridge toll plaza a few more bikes joined our group, so now the unofficial count is 52 or 53. From there we rode up 160 along River Rd through Isleton, Walnut Grove, and Freeport en route to Sacramento and our scheduled stop. This was a nice ride along Hwy 160 with very little traffic and nothing but sunshine. The cold didn't seem to affect anyone too much because everyone was properly bundled up.
Our stop was at the Starbuck's on the corner of Freeport Blvd andPocket Rd. We stood around in the sun drinking our coffee and chatting until it was time to continue on our way. We pulled out as one large group of 50+ bikes onto Freeport Blvd and followed that all the way down to 'I' St where we turned left. Our trip through town caused the group to get separated in numerous places, but we were able to keep the groups ahead of us in sight so it wasn't a problem. We followed 'I' St over to 13th and turned left again. We began looking for parking, but there wasn't much to be had. They had changed some of the street parking and moved it to the sidewalk, which was packed full. We rode around the block again and people were grabbing parking wherever they could find it. A few of us found parking back on 'I' St and then made our way into the show.
The line for tickets wasn't too long and what there was moved quickly. With tickets in hand we made our way to the exhibition hall and our ultimate destination. We found the usual vendor booths and bikes inside, and I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. Most of the bikes were the same as they were the last couple of years. There were a couple that I hadn't seen before, but they didn't hardly seem worth the $18 admission. After making the trip up and down the aisles we called it a day and returned to our bikes.
We returned via the same route and stopped at the Moon River Inn in Freeport for lunch. About the time we were finishing our lunch a few more of our group came in. We chatted for a bit and then left them to enjoy their lunches. Our ride home was pleasant and significantly warmer than it had been just a few hours earlier.
What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. Good riding, good food, and good people.
See you all next week ...
