back! in the saddle

( imagine steven tyler singing that title line, and then you'll be in my head all afternoon yesterday )

bri mackin daddy lead troyboy and me on a local adventure yesterday: biking along the american river bike trail. we took the lightrail out as east as it would take us, then hit the pavement. we were a motley crew, bri on his top-o-the-line racing bike, tb on an equally posh mountain bike, and i, on my trusty steed: barracuda, sporting her sturdy saddlebags (which you know included tools, nuts and berries and fruit, and a change of chic clothes--for the well-equipped, well-fed, and well-dressed). the american river bike trail is a pleasant, tree-lined 30-some mile glorified sidewalk, with a yellow line down the center to organize traffic. it starts in downtown sac-to and follows the river up to folsom lake, with access to towns along the way. true to his faithful doggie form, troyboy was back and forth on his mountain bike, pedaling hard to race up front with bri on his superlight bike, and checking in with me on my steady, plodding route. we broke for lunch at a friendly italian deli in folsom, stopped to spectate on the fishermen waist-deep downstream of the dam, and made our way back downtown in time for sunset.