2006 Oct 15th Ride - River Roads
{Click on photos to view full size images} Photos by Cranky and VSP
October 15, 2007 - River Road Ride
It is a chilly morning as Cat and I turn onto the short cut to Isleton. The road is a bit bumpy and bounces Cat around quite a bit. I just stand on my pegs as I ride along. These roads are built on top of peat dirt. The road bed is like mush and the roads are seldom level.
Tiny got off work and rode directly to the River's Edge. He is waiting on the bench outside of the restaurant. Cranky pulls in before I can light up a cigarette. As we are being seated Nite Lite and Linda and son Brian pull up to park. David J from Woodland is next to pull in.
Ted from Davis does not get there until we are eating breakfast. Ted and Sherm have something in common, they are both retired from the Coast Guard. Ted is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy.
All of the Sublows order the very good French Toast. Must be something aboot (sic) their Canadian heritage.
Tiny has the special which is a breaded pork chop since this is his dinner.
Getting ready to ride. You can see the bright yellow striped safety vest on the left. Worn by the Ride Leader.
We ride a leisurely pace around the Brannan Island Loop which is full of Marina's and signed at 25 MPH in a lot of places.
We bounce along Grand Island next and take a break in the parking lot of the Grand Island Mansion. This place is usually closed when we ride the river, but this is Sunday and they have a Sunday Brunch and are open when we stop.
David, Ted and Tiny decide not to take the trip up to the Mansion entrance. The others have wandered up the hill mainly to use their rest rooms. But Tiny spots a Port-A-Potty through the pear trees. So we trepass a few feet into the orchard and make use of it.
Linda, Cat and Brian heading in to use the facilities.
There is some kind of party for antique car owners at the Brunch. Here are Cranky's photos of the old cars parked along the Mansion.
The parked antique cars made the Mansion feel like we were back in the Great Gatsby era. It gave the place a feeling of speak easy days.
We next circle the rest of Grand Island and at the Ryde Hotel we cut through the middle of the island back to the ferry crossing to Ryer Island.
The next two photos were taken at about the same time from each end of the ferry.
Cat's first trip on this cable ferry.
We circle Ryer Island and now need to take the boat ferry across the Sacramento River and the Rio Vista side of the river. Here we are waiting in line.
On the boat we are squeezed in with a bunch of vehicles. It is a busy day today. We are shortly to find out why.
We get to Rio Vista and are suppose to cruise right along the river to the other side of town. Well this weekend is the Rio Vista Bass Festival and there is a road block on the road. We wander through a motel parking lot and make a U-turn. We try two other streets but Main Street is where the parade is and we can not get to the other side of town. We find a local who is headed to the Sandy Beach Park right where we need to get to. He tells me to follow him. We actually have to go through the Rio Vista High School parking lot from the rear entrance to the front entrance to get around the parade.
We make it finally to ride Montezuma Hills Road. Along that road we come within spitting distance of the latest generation of wind mills. These are huge.
We then head back to Rio Vista and Shelby's for lunch.
He's safe!!!!!
Cranky ordering lunch.
Nite Lite telling another one of his tall tales.
Shelby's is a dying breed of local drive ins and it is for sale. Hand made hamburgers. Real chilli cheese dogs. Great onion rings.
After lunch we head off home. Tiny leads Cranky, Cat and I to the Oakley Chevron Station from there he heads home. I then take the back roads around Brentwood into Byron and to the Interstate. Cat and I point Cranky to the Old Altamont Pass Road and send him on his way back to San Jose.
Cranky sent this in an email:
"And that road back into Livermore was
GREAT!!!! A really big thanks!!!! Cranky"
I ride with Cat down I-580 until the Modesto exit at Hwy 132 where we honk our good byes.
The end of another NorCal VROC Ride.
While the riding is fun and the roads of some interest, what makes these NorCal VROC Rides really fun are the rest stops and meal stops along the way. Where the real story telling and swapping of tall tales makes for a fun time. Of course, it is tough to match the story telling of one H. "Nite Lite" Sublow.
This is from Cat in reply to the We Did Not Lose Cat This Time post:
"Nope! Nobody lost me. I had a wonderful time! First time taking a bike
on a ferry... was pretty sure we were all gonna die, but it was easier
than I thought it would be! LOL"
Here is Cranky's reply to that same post:
"NNNNNoooooooooooo!!!!!!!! HE {VSP} TRIED TO LOSE EVERYBODY!!
Multiple U turns on narrow streets, rapid acceleration,
drove thru motel parking lots, hassled the locals,
and TRIED TO DITCH US BY TAKING A BACK ROUTE THRU A
!&)*%!#*$% SCHOOL YARD!!!!!!!! .....but we're on
to him NOW!!!!!!!! GBSEG!!!!!!!!!
Great ride!!!!!!!! There was a parade, that blocked
our planned path, and it was a !!#%)#$*% to get around!!!
Sorry Don, had to roast you a bit, GBG. seeing the delta,
and almost ALL of Rio Vista was a blast!!!!!!!
You really know these places!!!! VERY HUGE GRIN!!!!"
From David J.:
"It was a great ride. About 10 miles after we all split up, the sun came out again. The one thing I didn't understand was the woman holding the room key out for Don as we drove through the motel parking lot..:-)
Great food,great ride, and great stories from Nite Lite and company.. You guys are great."
Note: We have no road photos because it was too cold to ride without gloves and I can not click my camera with gloves on. In fact I did the entire ride with my heated grips on low and even a few times switched to
high heat. I must be getting soft in my old age. :-)
--
Don "Very Short Person" Inamasu
VROC #5569-R; TWVROC #13; Inmate No. F650-2125
Stockton, CA 95219
October 15, 2007 - River Road Ride
It is a chilly morning as Cat and I turn onto the short cut to Isleton. The road is a bit bumpy and bounces Cat around quite a bit. I just stand on my pegs as I ride along. These roads are built on top of peat dirt. The road bed is like mush and the roads are seldom level.
Tiny got off work and rode directly to the River's Edge. He is waiting on the bench outside of the restaurant. Cranky pulls in before I can light up a cigarette. As we are being seated Nite Lite and Linda and son Brian pull up to park. David J from Woodland is next to pull in.
Ted from Davis does not get there until we are eating breakfast. Ted and Sherm have something in common, they are both retired from the Coast Guard. Ted is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy.
All of the Sublows order the very good French Toast. Must be something aboot (sic) their Canadian heritage.
Tiny has the special which is a breaded pork chop since this is his dinner.
Getting ready to ride. You can see the bright yellow striped safety vest on the left. Worn by the Ride Leader.
We ride a leisurely pace around the Brannan Island Loop which is full of Marina's and signed at 25 MPH in a lot of places.
We bounce along Grand Island next and take a break in the parking lot of the Grand Island Mansion. This place is usually closed when we ride the river, but this is Sunday and they have a Sunday Brunch and are open when we stop.
David, Ted and Tiny decide not to take the trip up to the Mansion entrance. The others have wandered up the hill mainly to use their rest rooms. But Tiny spots a Port-A-Potty through the pear trees. So we trepass a few feet into the orchard and make use of it.
Linda, Cat and Brian heading in to use the facilities.
There is some kind of party for antique car owners at the Brunch. Here are Cranky's photos of the old cars parked along the Mansion.
The parked antique cars made the Mansion feel like we were back in the Great Gatsby era. It gave the place a feeling of speak easy days.
We next circle the rest of Grand Island and at the Ryde Hotel we cut through the middle of the island back to the ferry crossing to Ryer Island.
The next two photos were taken at about the same time from each end of the ferry.
Cat's first trip on this cable ferry.
We circle Ryer Island and now need to take the boat ferry across the Sacramento River and the Rio Vista side of the river. Here we are waiting in line.
On the boat we are squeezed in with a bunch of vehicles. It is a busy day today. We are shortly to find out why.
We get to Rio Vista and are suppose to cruise right along the river to the other side of town. Well this weekend is the Rio Vista Bass Festival and there is a road block on the road. We wander through a motel parking lot and make a U-turn. We try two other streets but Main Street is where the parade is and we can not get to the other side of town. We find a local who is headed to the Sandy Beach Park right where we need to get to. He tells me to follow him. We actually have to go through the Rio Vista High School parking lot from the rear entrance to the front entrance to get around the parade.
We make it finally to ride Montezuma Hills Road. Along that road we come within spitting distance of the latest generation of wind mills. These are huge.
We then head back to Rio Vista and Shelby's for lunch.
He's safe!!!!!
Cranky ordering lunch.
Nite Lite telling another one of his tall tales.
Shelby's is a dying breed of local drive ins and it is for sale. Hand made hamburgers. Real chilli cheese dogs. Great onion rings.
After lunch we head off home. Tiny leads Cranky, Cat and I to the Oakley Chevron Station from there he heads home. I then take the back roads around Brentwood into Byron and to the Interstate. Cat and I point Cranky to the Old Altamont Pass Road and send him on his way back to San Jose.
Cranky sent this in an email:
"And that road back into Livermore was
GREAT!!!! A really big thanks!!!! Cranky"
I ride with Cat down I-580 until the Modesto exit at Hwy 132 where we honk our good byes.
The end of another NorCal VROC Ride.
While the riding is fun and the roads of some interest, what makes these NorCal VROC Rides really fun are the rest stops and meal stops along the way. Where the real story telling and swapping of tall tales makes for a fun time. Of course, it is tough to match the story telling of one H. "Nite Lite" Sublow.
This is from Cat in reply to the We Did Not Lose Cat This Time post:
"Nope! Nobody lost me. I had a wonderful time! First time taking a bike
on a ferry... was pretty sure we were all gonna die, but it was easier
than I thought it would be! LOL"
Here is Cranky's reply to that same post:
"NNNNNoooooooooooo!!!!!!!! HE {VSP} TRIED TO LOSE EVERYBODY!!
Multiple U turns on narrow streets, rapid acceleration,
drove thru motel parking lots, hassled the locals,
and TRIED TO DITCH US BY TAKING A BACK ROUTE THRU A
!&)*%!#*$% SCHOOL YARD!!!!!!!! .....but we're on
to him NOW!!!!!!!! GBSEG!!!!!!!!!
Great ride!!!!!!!! There was a parade, that blocked
our planned path, and it was a !!#%)#$*% to get around!!!
Sorry Don, had to roast you a bit, GBG. seeing the delta,
and almost ALL of Rio Vista was a blast!!!!!!!
You really know these places!!!! VERY HUGE GRIN!!!!"
From David J.:
"It was a great ride. About 10 miles after we all split up, the sun came out again. The one thing I didn't understand was the woman holding the room key out for Don as we drove through the motel parking lot..:-)
Great food,great ride, and great stories from Nite Lite and company.. You guys are great."
Note: We have no road photos because it was too cold to ride without gloves and I can not click my camera with gloves on. In fact I did the entire ride with my heated grips on low and even a few times switched to
high heat. I must be getting soft in my old age. :-)
--
Don "Very Short Person" Inamasu
VROC #5569-R; TWVROC #13; Inmate No. F650-2125
Stockton, CA 95219
posted by VROC #5569-r @ 8:05 PM
1 Comments:
At 11:05 AM,
Jim "Skid" Robinson said…
Sounds like real fun. Wish we were there.
It bothers me that such familiar places are so far away.
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