Wednesday, January 16, 2013
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It’s time for another ramble around the Sacramento Delta. Bob is leading us on a counter clock-wise loop starting from Isleton out to the Cosumnes River Preserve in search of Sandhill Cranes and other migratory birds.
We exit Isleton through Old Town on Main St and H St up to the levee on Hwy 160. The old wooden framed buildings and colorful facades bring to mind a blast from the past of the once booming Chinatown in this Delta Region.
There are gorgeous views of the vast open rich farmlands surrounding the Delta levees. Our first sighting of Sandhill Cranes is along Tyler Island Rd. We make a brief stop to admire the cranes from afar.
The levee road continues on Race Track Rd for the turn onto Walnut Grove Rd. This route has an out and back along Staten Island Rd where there are sightings of a small group of Sandhill Cranes and a much larger group of Cackling Geese. Our noisy cycling group disrupts the birds as they hastily take flight upon our arrival. It’s an amazing sight to see!
We return on Walnut Grove Rd to Thornton Rd; the Chevron Station is a great place to pick up a Subway sandwich along with a quick pit stop. We continue north on Thornton Rd through a residential area with old barns, vineyards and orchards. The road changes to Franklin Blvd once you cross the bridge over the Mokelumne River.
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Our lunch stop is at the Cosumnes River Preserve; there are plenty of picnic tables along the wrap around porch area. “Thanks” to Carla & Pat G for the birthday treats of vegan Banana nut bread and brownies-both delicious!
We continue on Franklin Blvd to Desmond Rd to view the wetlands abound with ducks and other migratory birds. The turn on Bruceville brings into sight the many hundreds of white birds in the seasonal wetlands; they quickly take flight as we ride by!
We head west on Twin Cities Rd and cross the bridge over Snodgrass Slough to River Rd. We go along the Sacramento River into Walnut Grove and through the small town of Locke to continue west on Hwy 160 to the town of Ryde.
The turn onto Hwy 220 goes through the valley grasslands, agricultural lands with many orchards, vineyards and horse ranches.
Grand Island Rd runs south along Steamboat Slough to Hogback Island. The water in the slough is perfectly calm; revealing the mirrored images of all its surroundings-it’s absolutely beautiful! The rich fertile soil in this great agricultural valley provides food for not only us Californians but the nation as a whole-Amazing! We cross the bright yellow Isleton Bridge back to Hwy 160 into Isleton.
Thanks to Bob H for leading us on this Delta Ramble! Another big “thanks” to Carla, Chris and Pat G for the birthday treats! “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”
27 people in attendance with 4 tandems
VDO Stats:
49.34 miles with 374′ of elevation gain
Avg grade: 1%
Max grade: 3%
Weather: FANTASTIC! Sunny clear blue skies with temps ranging from the low 40’s to the mid 50’s
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In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.
~Robert Lynd
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Follow this route for today’s ride:
Ride Chronicles 
nancy, as always your images capture the best of the day. keep up the excellent work! one minor correction, carla and *Pat Greene* were the generous bakers of the birthday desserts…i was just an innocent bystander.
Duly noted, credit has been given to the correct person. Nancy
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