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| Date | Miles | Route | Riders | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-31-2000 | 39 | Ione to Plymouth Route | KB, JR & Michael | Just like our ride today, this report will be short. Only 3 riders rode the last official Erma Ride of 2000. It was a perfect day to get in some miles, to stretch our legs a bit in preparation for tomorrow's "Opening Day" of the "2001 Erma Diner Season" with 100 miles scheduled. It was good to have Michael back riding and he has a goal already for 2001 - all 5 passes of the Death Ride! Good idea, MT, I think I'll give it a go also. We all had a fun 2000 with our Erma friends and am looking forward to more in 2001. So, see ya next year. (JR) |
| 12/30/2000 | 50 | last standard coffee ride of 2000 | Steve H, Gene, Ed, Luis Hurtado | Luis, having shed 70 pounds was ready to bump up his riding a notch (or two) so he came out for another Erma challenge--er, ride. His previous visits got him as far as Sutter Creek and back, but he took the full Rams Horn challenge today. And succeeded. Congratulations, again, Luis. A pleasant day all around, including merging with Mike Cockrell and the Stockton ride at Volcano and discussing Mt. Diablo and New Year’s with him and Rosie. We stayed mostly together down Shake and S-I roads, though we had to give Luis a Cheryl-approved remedy for cramps and bonking in SC on the way back. He recovered quickly, so I think he'll be back to share more info about gardening and cooking. A perfect Saturday-style ride to end the year. Thanks, gang. (EH) |
| 12/27/2000 | 72, 62, 35, 15, 30 | Sutter Creek, Jackson, Clinton, Tabeau, Pine Grove, Aqueduct, Volcano, Sutter Creek, Willow Creek, Irish Hill | John R, Ed, Cheryl, Karen, Chuck | JR & CG started in Ione, met Cheryl and me in Sutter Creek. We then rode to Bill's shop and phoned Karen to get her out of the office for a lunch ride and met her on Clinton. From there did Aqueduct to Volcano and decided on creek road back since Cheryl was fighting off a cold and I was feeling sluggish. By Sutter Creek, I was warmed up and continued with JR to Willow-Irish. A very pretty day and especially warm for the time of year (though not enough for me). JR pulled me at a blistering pace through Willow and Irish to make sure I got the complete J J Jacobs tuneup. Thanks, JR. (EH) |
| 12/23/2000 | 30*, 43, 58** | Pardee Loop | Steve H*, Penny and Jim, Larry H**, Gene, Chuck | Steve H--no one else showed! Abbreviated usual Saturday from coffee house, Daffodil Hill, etc. Looked for other riders coming from Ione but no one showed by 1030--last chance before Christmas. (SWH) Here's why--The Reader's Digest version: Larry showed up early and did an extra 15 miles before the rest of us showed up. The group did the Pardee Loop up to the dam over and back through Campo Seco. We stayed together as a group until Gene and Chuck had time constraints and left Larry and Jim and me on our own. (PG) |
| 12/17/2000 | 50, 30* | standard coffee with Fred | Steve H, Ray, Ed, Cheryl, Joyce*, Fred P, Valley Spokesmen Women's Racing team and Strada Sempre Duro riders Mike Cox, Marsha Welsh, Patty Payne, Christine, Marsha | STEVE--Now here's the deal. Fred said he would bring the women and Ray would "entertain" them. Ray will take multiple days to recover physicaly and mentally. The day started out with Fred's dramatization of what happens when you use only the front or only the back brake to get out of an emergency situation. This was accomplished with his toy police car and ramp. We then departed Ione with beautiful weather to show the women's racing team and Mike Cox the Duro race director what a great place we have to ride. We had a nice steady pace line going up Sutter Creek-Volcano Road with Erma's discussing the virtues of the cool temperatures of the region enjoying the Sutter Creek running water. As we got halfway up, we met Joyce, who looks superb on her bike after her enforced time off. Ed and Cheryl rode with Joyce as the rest of us proceeded up Rams Horn with Fred pushing anyone who lagged behind. I think Marsha just enjoys having his hand on her back--not that she needed it. After a pleasant ride to the top the tempo suddenly changed as Fred set his proteges loose down the ridge. Patty and Christine pulled Ray almost the whole way down, blocking him until the very end when he broke free. These women were serious! For the frosting on the cake, one of them said she would do better but she just had laporoscopic surgery 4 days before! After a pleasant cup of coffee at Sutter Creek, they were introduced to the doggie biscuit store for the dog waiting for us in the van. A spirited ride down to Ione ensued meeting back up with Ed and Cheryl with a sprint at the end. A great day. But as one wag put it "I thought this was supposed to be a relaxed ride." (SWH) RAY--In addition to Steve's report, here's my account on Shake Ridge: I waited at the top briefly, wondering if Ed would appear before taking off down the hill. Since everyone else had headed down already, I had a small gap to make up, but caught the tail end of the group as they screamed past Charleston. I could see Steve and Fred at the front of the group heading down the hill. I weaved my way to the front by the time we got through the first set of curves. Still thinking that this was going to be a steady pull all the way down, Mike jumps off the front with Steve on his wheel. As I'm about to grab Steve's wheel, Chrissy and Patty(?) go flying by. At each little bump in the road, someone tried to break away. I haven't seen this much competition and so many attacks down a stretch of road in a long time. It reminded of all those times on Irish Hill (Boy, those were a lot of fun, weren't they?). Mike finally faded after a series of attacks. I was the 4th rider back, watching as Steve, Chrissy and Patty go at it. There's something to be said about homefield advantage, and knowing when and when not to attack. I told Steve it was about strategy. He was eventually shelled off the back, but somehow managed to reattach before we hit Mama Bear. It would have been a very painful sprint up Papa Bear if the group remained intact, so I figured a little pain up Mama Bear was better than a lot of pain up Papa Bear. Halfway up Mama Bear I broke free and managed to stay clear until the end. When you don't know the road and how far away the finish line is, unless your name is Lance or Marco, you're at a serious disadvantage. To their credit, Chrissy and Patty are very strong riders, and had they been familiar with the road, it really would have been a real dog fight at the end. It had been a long time since I had that much fun! That last bit of energy was used up making the jump to light speed when Fred and Ed went flying by doing 35+ mph in a crosswind in the downhill stretch heading back into Ione. With those sudden gusts of wind, holding a straight line was very challenging, as I saw Fred and Ed trying to keep the squirrels under control. Thanks to Fred & Company for a great day of riding and all the instruction - I especially liked the police car demonstration! (RC) ED--As usual, I learned a lot from Fred. The braking demo was fun and enlightening. But I learn as much just by watching Fred ride and trying to absorb some of his skill and attitude toward cycling in the European sense of more of a group or team activity. Thanks, Fred, for keeping me thinking about such things as well as a great ride. (EH) |
| 12/17/2000 | 68, 63* | Ione-Fiddletown-Mt. Aukum | Karen, Carolle, Chuck, and John R : *Jim and Penny, *Larry H | Earlybird report--Special thanks to Mother Nature for enabling us to ride in ideal conditions considering it is the middle of December. Fortunately, commitments for later in the day vaporized so we didn't have to push the pace to be back exactly @ 1. This being the case, we rode at a variety of speeds throughout the ride. It has been awhile that our rides took us to Mt. Aukum thru Fiddletown first and it was a nice change. In Fiddletown we chatted with "Chatter's" and "Sumantha's" owner and "The Don" was quite relieved to hear that his 2 four-legged friends were at their second home over off of Ostrom Rd...... he had handed out his supply of dog bones to his buddies on Forest Home Rd.!! We refueled in Mt. Aukum where Karen was good naturedly reminded by our friendly clerk in the store about what happened the last time KB used the facilities....that being the toilet developing a leak that almost caused the evacuation of "downtown" Mt. Aukum. No such problem this trip so the welcome mat is still out! As usual the pace down the hill quickened and stayed that way through Plymouth. The ride over Irish Hill was fast since we experienced quite a tailwind.....for once!! Jim and Penny took advantage of the little extra help from behind and blew by Karen and Carolle on the 3rd hill and left them in their wake. Karen and Carolle were quite impressed with their power. Way to go J and P !! Perfect day and perfect friends made for a perfect ride so THANKS for everything ! Hope to see you all for one more ride before Santa arrives. (JR) |
| 12/16/2000 | 50, 30 | standard coffee route | Peter, Michael T, Ray, John B, Ed, Chuck, Joyce, Gail, Bob K, Jim, Penny, Chrissie (in spirit) | What a treat of a day and ride. Ray and I thought we were alone when we both arrived at the last minute and found the parking lot coned off for re-roofing work. We moved to the overflow lot and found the others. The morning started with a treat from Chuck: a music CD decorated with cycling poster images. I'm listening to it now (one--count em--one track that's 72 minutes long). Great music. Thanks, Chuck. And that wasn't the end of the holiday CD's: Gail gave out one full of Erma's Diner photographic images from Y2K. Thanks, Gail. Oh, yeah--the ride. It was chilly and foggy on our way out until it broke clear, as usual, just before Sutter Creek. There, we were, as usual, in a beautiful sunny day. It's like riding through "the Looking Glass" each week (and, yes, there was a rabbit we chased, despite his protests that he was not going to push the pace for the holidays--you know how you are, Ray). But the first rabbits were Chuck, MT, and Peter on Sutter-Ione. And, no, they were not aware of the rule that the first ones to the coffee house have to buy. But we were too distracted by seeing Jim and Penny there in civies and Joyce and Gail there in riding togs to worry about the rules. No Chrissie, unfortunately, but she was, I'm sure, celebrating and being congratulated for her educational achievements. We had a great, long, fun chat at the coffee house, all 11 of us. We stayed so long that we regretted it when we stepped outside into the chill, but Chuck got fired up and set a scalding pace up The Fridge Road. I pretended to have brake trouble to have an excuse to drop off. Rams Horn was casual and easy, chatting with Joyce and Gail. John and Ray egged each other into riding Charleston. Chuck changed his mind, or I would have felt forced to attempt it too. I was glad I didn't. Shake was a lot of fun, although a bit tough keeping my caboose connected to the Ray Train--my lungs still clearing flu out of them. JB's heartrate maxed out a time or two. Looks as though Chuck, JB, Cheryl, and I will be joined by Ray for the Death Valley Double in February. He didn't commit yet, but I could tell he wanted to. Said goodbye to Joyce, Gail, and Bob at SC. Peter and Michael had turned back earlier to make appointments. The four Erma jerseys stayed pretty much together coming back over Sutter-Ione, again following Ray's not-so-mellow yellow Pinarello. He was not the only un-mellow fellow, though. Chuck attacked a few times, including on the highway at the end and pulled us back to Ione, with a little help from Ray. At the parking lot, we were all aglow with great exercise, a beautiful day, and great company. (EH) |
| 12-10-2000 | 64*, 54 | Mt. Aukum Loop, Out & Back | JR*, KB*, Carolle & Steve M. | Where IS everybody??? Once again, us UpCountry folk left sunshine to venture down into cool, cloudy skies for the Erma ride but . . . no one else was there!!! And you all missed out, too, 'cause the weather was actually perfect! The cloud cover kept the temp. comfortable for climbing, and the pace kept us moving (at least us girls!). We visited all of JR's doggies along the way and had a great visit. Carolle's knee started bothering her, so they took the most direct route back from Plymouth to the car, and from what I understand, were very happy to be back. Riding only once a week makes for a tough ride, and 3 of us are on that unfortunate schedule. I gutted it out over Irish Hill to keep JR company, although I know he was probably bored with my slow pace - he missed all you race fans!!! We understand that Dave and Larry are recoving from injuries and we wish you both a speedy return to Erma! The rest of you missed a good day in the saddle! (kb) |
| 12/9/2000 | 50 | BV, Coal Mine, Campo Seco, Pardee, Stoney Crk, SR49, SC | Gene "the Animal" Pumphrey, Don, Mike T., Ray | 0720 hours: Ed calls telling me heís coughing all night and not going to ride. Iím still in bed, not feeling all that great either. I look out the window to see gloomy gray skies above. Weatherman on channel 3 says rain is in the forecastÖso as I pull away from my driveway, that feeling that I just forgot something hits me. Yes, in fact I did. I left my brain in my nice warm bed. What am I thinking?!!! Well, for those of you who had that same debate going on in your heads, you missed out on another beautiful day to ride. Once you got away from the Valley, the heavens opened to partly cloudy skies and mild temperatures. As I pull into the parking lot, I see that Mike T. was expecting foul weather also, as he opted for the larger tires (and extra weight) of his mountain bike. Since we were no longer meeting Ed in SC, and there is more than the usual traffic in and around Volcano, we decide to do the ìsouthern routeî ñ Buena Vista, Coal Mine, Campo Seco, Pardee, Stoney Creek, Argonaut, SR49, SC, Ione. The ride was very social, as the 4 of us stayed together and rode at a very relaxed pace. My resolution for the month of December is to ride ìeasyî, no pushing the pace, no racing around. However, for those of you who have ridden with Gene lately, have you may have noticed a change in his riding style in the last few months? Ever since those Senior Olympics, he goes to the front of the line and sets the pace, attacks on the hills, and climbs out of the saddle more. Mild mannered Gene has turned into an animal! Way to go Gene! Keep up the strong riding!!! No dog attacks on Campo Seco. Things started to warm up around Pardee. Several other cyclists were flying down Stoney Creek. As riders flew past us, we all agreed that the ìwhirringî of tires on the pavement is a really cool sound. Halfway up Stoney Creek, Don flatted, and milder temperatures forced us to shed the outer layer of clothing. Lots of Traffic on 88 and 49. After a brief stop at the Dog bakery, we headed back to Ione. Without the extended stops, we got back relatively early. It was a good thing I left my brain at home, otherwise I would have missed all this. I may have to do that more often! (RC). |
| 12/3/2000 | 47 | Five Mile Road - Ione Sutter Creek- Jackson Gate-Clinton Butte Mountain and back | John, Karen, Steve, Chuck (Joyce, Bob) | This is the first ride report the Don has asked me to complete since the ìride to Kirkwood.î So, see if you can believe this one: In the beginning the earth around Ione and out toward Irish Hill was without form and appeared void - due the intense fog. Then John said let there be light, but we had to turn around and head up to Sutter Creek just to see it. Once in the hills toward Sutter Creek we could see the grass was green and the sky blue, and it was good. In fact it was a beautiful day to ride. We could not help but think of Ed and the marathon runners making their way through the cold fog in Sacramento. We road from Sutter Creek up Jackson Gate to Jackson were we had a chance meeting with John and Lucinda Burge as they were touring the town of Jackson (by foot). We headed up Clinton, circled back on Butte Mountain, and then we retraced our steps back to Ione. In the final analysis, it was just another wonderful day . . . even if we did not do Stony Creek. (CG) And Joyce . . . riders: Joyce and Robert Kimball miles: 25 route: SC to and from Volcano report: Very cold riding to Volcano; but an hour in Volcano at the coffee shop, basking in the sun thawed us out. Met some nice people there. They are trying to organize, and obtain areas where hiking trails could be constructed in the Volcano area. Count me in. (JS) |
| 12/2/2000 | 50, 58*, 30** | Usual Saturday Sutter Creek coffe house | Steve H. Don S. (from Modesto) Gene*, Ray** | A beautiful day if you didn't live in the valley. Don revisited us for the first time in 4-5 months driving one hour through fog to get there. Ray ran invisible stop signs and made the trip twice-explain later. This was the "bottle day". Steve was so enamored of his new car he forgot his bottle but Gene helped him out. Ray forgot his water bottle but since he has the new style avant-guard bottle holder which nobody outside of trendyville has- so he headed back and met us in Sutter Creek. A perfect day with a fast pace line down Shake Ridge (watch out for Gene-he is seriously traing) capped it off. (SWH) |
| 11/26/2000 | 58*, 43**, 46***, 31 | Pardee Plus | Larry H*, John H***, John R**, Karen**, Carolle, Steve M, Cheryl**, Ed**, Jim & Penny**, Michael T, Chuck** | After driving down from the sunshine to the drizzle and gloom of Ione, those from "up-country" were ready to go back without riding. We were discussing driving to Pine Grove when Larry and John H showed up (they'd started at 8 and rode to Buena Vista and back), dripping fog-drops but warm and happy to be alive and riding their bikes. They eventually chipped away at the reluctant group and got everyone to agree to ride from right there in Ione. We pulled out all our cold-weather gear as well as some rain protection (from the heavy mist) and took off on what has become the standard Sunday ride lately: around Pardee. Carolle, Steve, John H, and Michael went straight back in from the wishing well and the rest of us continued across the dam, through Campo Seco and back by way of Lake Amador this time. A social ride, full of catching up, including a belated dog-basket birthday gift for the Don. Lots of fun stuff, including an angry dog out by Campo Seco (should have sent Mr. Dog Biscuit out front there), including a big-time pull by the tandem of the entire peloton down from the wishing well to Buena Vista. Everyone was very happy to have ridden, but equally happy to head home and get (A) into sunshine (up) or (B) into warm houses (down into the valley). (EH) |
| 11/25/2000 | 50, 70*, 20** | Standard coffee loop (Ione, Curran, Blues,Coal Mine, Ione**) | Gene*, Ed; Joyce**, Gail** | What a treat to get out of the valley fog and into the sunshine. Gene and I got started late, commisserating with Joyce and Gail in Ione, so stopped only briefly in Sutter Creek to check the coffee house for late starters and fuel up. We took our break with Rosie in her new birthday "Rosie: Town Greeter" windbreaker and eating a turkey sandwich. She said she really likes Gene's son. On the way up Gene and I talked about everything and on the way down, we rode fast. Coming down Shake was the "fastest" Gene's ever done it since he didn't get dropped. We had similar fast fun down Sutter-Ione. Gene went on for another 20 miles and I went home to eat. (EH) |
| 11/22/2000 | 51 | Pardee dam | Gene, John, and Chuck | Three riders showed up for the Don's "pre-Thanksgiving ride". We opted for the same route as Sunday since Gene and John missed it. Not much else to say, "it was just another beautiful ride." We are spoiled by the wonderful area we ride! Just one more thing to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (CG) |
| 11/19/2000 | 60*, 45 | Camanche-Pardee Loop | Jim*, Chuck, Cheryl, Ed, Steve, Scott | It was clear and crisp outside as everyone was getting ready for the 9 am "not so hilly" ride that Chuck requested due to his bad knee. Only one 8:00 vehicle (the Grays' pickup), and we didn't know whether it was both Grays or where they went). Scott T. was on Bone time, blazing up with bike bouncing on the back of his car. There was much discussion about the day's route, and during that tete a tete, everyone agreed that the Sunday rides should start at 9 am for the winter (8:00 is toooo cold). We headed out Marlette, choosing the "Kirkwood route" that Steve and Chuck did a few weeks ago. I'm sure glad Chuck had a bad knee; if his pace was any faster, I would have had to get the car to keep up. So onward to Camanche Blues to find some Harley riders to draft. What we found was a lot of pickups with bird dogs and guns going out for the morning hunt. We took a rest at the store, talked awhile and hit the road at Scott's prompting to get going (since JR wasn't there). Chuck, Steve, and Scott were off the front most of the day with Steve and Chuck doing most of the pulling and Scott staying back out of the draft so he could get his "full workout" for the day. We ran into Jim Gray just before Buena Vista Rd on his way home to help Penny with house cleaning duties for the T. Day family visit. The boys talked him into coming with us and forget the house cleaning. It was nice riding with Jim. The pace stayed at stealth speed, and I finally gave up trying to stay in the draft. The ride down the Campo Seco turns and bumps was fun and fast. We found some Wheelmen heading the other way. Ed finally warmed up and was leading the pack through the turns, Jim and I brought up the rear. With 5 weeks off the bike I was feeling the burn and just wanted to end the torture. Thank you, Ed, for being such a sweetie and letting me draft all day. Chuck let me pick the route home, I chose the easiest way, going left at the Buena Vista store. Ed and I went ahead without stopping at the store, knowing that Chuck needed more of a workout to catch up to us, and he did. I have never been so glad to see the blue roof of the sewer trea! tment pl ant from the top of the hill; ah, downhill and almost home. It was a fun ride, beautiful day and great company. (CY) |
| 11/19/2000 | 10 | Sutter Creek/Volcano Roads | Joyce | "OK,OK, you can cycle; but take it easy and be careful" said the doctor. It felt good to ride even if it was only 10 miles. Next week it will be 20. (JS) |
| 11/18/2000 | 50 | standard coffee loop | Ray, "The Prince," Steve H, Gene, Ed | How do you say "wow" in Italian? "Pinarello" maybe? We were so dazzled by Ray's new machine, fresh off the plane from Venice, Italy, that we completely forgot to sing the Un-mellow fellow with the yellow Pinarello song. We were late leaving Ione because we had to inspect it in detail, from carbon stem and seat post to aluminum bladed spokes ("because they're cool"). Campy 10-speed. Carbon saddle. The whole bike weighs less than my tool kit. And I've never before seen bottle cages that make a bike look so much faster. Of course, Ray has stylish bottles in matching colors. He also brought out his free stylish baseball hat signed by Giovanni himself and a new bike stand that he got there. The bike seemed to perform well in its first American test ride. He sure took the corners down Shake and Sutter-Ione fast. Only one mis-shift on the final hill on Shake, but I'm beginning to believe that's just Ray. We wished Rosie happy birthday (TODAY is her 70th, the town giving her a party in the afternoon, including Gene's son). Then we got stuck on top of Shake Ridge for about an hour, working on Gene's zipper. Steve finally offered to do surgery on it so he could get home before sundown. With all four of us working on it, we got Gene zipped up and told him never to unzip it again. Check out the PHOTO WALL for a couple of digital pictures from the day. More to come from Ray. Oh, yeah, a great day for a ride. Not even cold except on Refrigerator Road, where Steve offered to knock on a nearby door to get a blanket for me. What a guy. What a day. Fun ride. (EH) |
| 11/12/2000 | 50 | Jackson Valley, Stoney Creek, Butte Mt. Jackson Gate Sutter Creek Ione | Steve H. John R. Karen B. Dave N. Steve M. Carrolle P. Fred Proudman | Brrrrr! It was crisp in the foothils with Karen thermometer regestering 25 degrees on the mountain but we quickly warmed up going out Jackson Valley. Fred Proudman drove two hours just to be with us and regaled us with his stories of racing in Europe and smuggling bicycles across borders. Jackets were tossed off as we climbed Stoney Creek with Steve M. leading the pack looking for Chuck who was rumored to be in front-private joke. Fred would periodicaly circle and collect the women-a practice he does regularly now that he is the coach of the Valley Spokesmen womens racing team. The scenery was especially great with the trees all turned and the hills showing new green grass growing. After resting in Jackson Dave took us up and around Butte Mountain while Karen did her usual barn burning pace back down as we gentlemen were content to slide in behind her. Before turning on the speed down Sutter-Ione Carrolle explained why Val Kilmer is the worlds greatest actor "It's the body" despite Steve protesting that he doesn't even ride a bicycle! A very good day with both new friends and old-Thanks (SWH) |
| 11/11/2000 | 30 | abbreviated standard coffee loop | Steve H | The day was crisp to say the least 31degrees at my house (barn) I went to Sutter Creek to meet the other riders and there were none! I t was a specially scenic ride to Volcano and Daffodil hill with snow on the side of the road but none on it. A little sand on the road encouraged caution but still good. Big signs for Rose's birthday on the 18th. I saw all the Sacramento Wheelmen at the coffe house upon return and Gene was just getting started to do a Stoney Creek loop. Remember cold is always better than rain. (SWH) |
| 11/5/2000 | 50 | Stoney Creek, Butte Mtn, Jackson Gate, Sutter Creek | John R, Karen, Carolle, John H, Michael T, Dave N, Chuck, Cheryl, Ed | On the anniversary of Doug Wiktor's death, we rode a ride he would have loved, having a little of everything: cold, heat, flats (I think there were a few), hills, fast, slow, talk, ride, great scenery and weather. *** The ride report will not explain who or why someone was looking mid-ride for a "four-inch tongue" or why we were looking for JR and JW to show up in a squad car after breaking into a porta-potty or why "something about a burrito" scared Chuck away. Some things you have to show up for. (EH) |
| 11/4/2000 | 50 | Standard coffee route | Jerry S, Sarah, Jerry W, Gene, Ray, Ed | Gene realizes that he's gonna have to get on that Internet thing so he knows when rides start. He showed up at 8 for a 9 am ride and got in a few extra miles. What a good group it turned out to be. Jerry W was on his best behavior (managing to hold in his natural reaction to the CHP in Sutter Creek). We talked and rode moderately on Sutter-Ione, enjoying the conversations, catching up, and especially enjoying the weather and the views on a perfect fall day in the foothills. We did a quick to-go stop at the coffee house (for guess who?) and then kept going. Refrigerator Road lived up to its name, but because we were so warm from the sun, it actually felt good. At Volcano, we found out that Rosie's 70th birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and the whole town is going to party. A couple of fit-looking cyclist swished by and then came back to chat for a while. Both were from Chicago originally, now living in Bay Area. They'd ridden from their hotel in Amador City but had to get straight back. Why? Because one of them was getting married that afternoon at 3 pm in Sutter Creek. After chatting for a while about airline travel and weddings and the requirement that cyclists marry only other cyclists, they took off back down the creek and we took off up the Horn. Everyone rode moderately, conversationally up Rams Horn. The orchard at the top of Shake was in nearly full color and made for a great send-off down the raceway. Ray pulled me all the way down, hitting his required 50 mph on the way. We did the same fast pace over Sutter Ione and down the highway, always regrouping, finishing together. Everyone exclaimed at once as we entered the parking lot what a great day and great ride it had been. (EH) Ed has pretty much covered this fantastic fall ride - our return to Amador County and the much revered Erma's after several months in hiatus. A perfect day to return - great weather, fine friends to ride with and the fall colors to marvel at.... and........our first ride down Shake Ridge with the new pavement. It is now the "No-Shake Ridge" - all my fillings were intact in my teeth when we arrived in SC on this smooth new surface. We were all decked out in Erma attire, and thumbed our noses at the Larry's Diner sign. Jerry & I a little uncertain about our ability to keep up with the regular Erma's after so long away from the hills, and the flock of vultures perched on the wires and circling the highway at the start of Sutter-Ione Rd didn't do much for our confidence. The Erma's showed their usual good manners and courteous cycling by waiting for us to "catch up" all the while making it seem like they really wanted to go slower! Great to have time for conversation - met another Jerry, learned a lot about what makes Gene tick, and Jerry S. got a little culture from a lengthy conversation with Ed. Jerry thinks Ed is a literary genius. The hot news was hearing that Ray will be leaving Wednesday for Italy to escort his new bike home from the factory. He had carefully crafted a story about how it is just as cheap to fly to Italy for a week to pick up his new wheels as it would be to have it shipped. We all agreed that it was a very wise and economical move.....all of us jealous that we can't fly to Italy to visit a bike factory and do Christmas shopping in Venice! Saw Rosie showing her bare foot to someone in Volcano telling them about her sore toe. Hope it heals in time for her to boogie at her 70th birthday party coming up in a couple of weeks. It is the featured main event on the general store bulletin board, and the whole town is invited. Should we send a gift? As Ed mentioned, two cyclists stopped by for a short visit.....they complimented us on our Erma jerseys and discussed cycling trivia. One of them was getting married a few hours later, so they passed on joining us up Rams Horn Grade and elected to hustle the groom-to-be back to SC on the Creek Road. The groom didn't look the least bit frazzled or nervous.......he assured us he is marrying a fellow cyclist, so we invited them to join the Erma's any weekend they were back in Amador County. Rams Horn Grade seemed rather short, with lots of company and the fall colors to enjoy. Shake Ridge Road wonderful and smooth.......Ray & Ed disappeared...they were flying! We regrouped outside SC, then the group tried to ditch Jerry & me in SC, but we were wiley enough to head them off. Seems someone needed a last bathroom stop in SC. Jerry & I having never done the "standard ride" weren't even sure how to get back to Sutter-Ione Rd., but my excellent internal homing device found us the way. Another sprint from the Erma-men, minus Jerry S., who felt he must stay behind to escort me safely over the final hills......my legs were now feeling the effort. On the final stretch Ed & Ray again hightailed it back toward the barn. I hopped on for about 30 seconds and just couldn't keep the pace....where do these guys get their stamina? Hopped on the second mini-pelaton to a return by "Larry's" and back to the cars. All agreed it was a great ride on a perfect fall day. Thanks to all...... (Sarah & Jerry) |
| 11/1/2000 | 77 | Ione Sutter Creek Volcano Hale Rd! Fiddletown Mt Aukum Plymouth Ione | Steve H. John R. Gene P. Rick Stubstad (first time) | At 8 a.m. the three F.O.G. s (fast old guys) and one newbie-Rick (watch out Ray!) gathered together on a beautiful Wednesday and headed out for serious riding. The first thing we noticed is the ERMAS sign is gone-replaced by 'LARRYS' Too late for pictures now. We headed up top Sutter Creek with no "whussy" stop for coffee and up to Volcano. It was apparent that Rick is one serious rider as he towed Steve up at a furious unrelenting pace with us begging for O2 supplenment. to stay on his wheel. We all receved invitations to Rosies birthday next Saturday at the town hall in Volcano.Onn up Rams Horn and down Shake Ridge to Hale Rd we went. Ah! The Piece de Resistance! Hale was gorgeous and people such as Gene who are old mountain bikers love the first 1 1/2 miles that rattle your brains out. The colors were beautiful down to the fiord which only had three inches of water. Alas we did have climb up but not that far and then down to Fiddletown rd and the town itself. After John fed the dogs-two of the only 27 or so he fed on the trip he announced it was a great day to go up Tyler to Mt Aukum so after puking only once or twice up we went with Rick enjoying every minute of the new roads on the front.After chowing down on anything that would go in our mouths ie Its-Its Cookies,bannanas crackers we proceeded down a rapid pace (this is a surprise?) On school road we literly ran into a herd of sheep that were standing in the road after escaping from somewhere. John(the shepherd) was the good samaritin and carefully let them in the gate. Steve didn't have the heart to tell him he just took Deavers sheep and put them in Dick Coopers vineyard-but alas we can't all be farmers. The ramainder of the ride was uneventful as clouds were coming in except for the furious pace line down from Plymouth lead by Rick aka Ray. Truly an epic ride for the weekday warriors-must do again. (SWH) |
| 10/28/2000 | 21, 48* | Irish Hill-Willow Creek + | Fast Eddie,* Sort-of-Fast Edwina*, Larry-like, Greg Norman-ish, Sort-of-Ray, Definitely-Geno | John came as Eddie. Karen came as Eddie's sister. Ray came as The Shark (at least John will get that one). Steve came as Larry. Ed came as Ray. Gene came as a former track coach living in West Point who now rides bikes for a defunct diner. The costume winner this year were the doggie twins, JR and KB, who showed up with clothes on this time. They even had ties and tails, but they were REAL tails, long doggy tails. Their ties were bones around their necks. Long doggy ears stood straight out to the side from their helmets as they rode, and their cardboard and fur hound-like snouts were realistic enough to keep their compadre mutts inside fences as we rode by. Steve, the rabbit, gave us a better target than the usual Rabbit (you know who we mean) because he had pasted a cute little cotton tail on the center pocket of his jersey. Ray, in a hurry to be creative, had time to create a large shark's fin and tape it to the top of his helmet. His neck got a work out in the cross winds coming back into town on the highway. It was ticking back and forth like a metronome. I oughta know: I was sitting on his wheel the whole time in my costume of red Italian jersey, trying to disguise myself as Ray, but no one was fooled. Gene did an excellent job of dressing up and performing as a strong cyclist for us. Early start, delayed by chat and laughs and photos, to avoid the rain. We were back from the original loop by 10 am. Only JR and KB managed to avoid back-at-the-car-so-let's-quit-itis, and they rode on to Buena Vista. The first leg worked just as we had hoped: not a drop of rain. However, some rain began not long after we packed up and left, so we'll have to hear how the doggy duo did. (EH) To continue where Edzo, disguised as Ray, left off....the "doggie duo" did just "dandy." With the rain threatening, KB and "The Don" decided that we had better not "dog it," so we rode at a good pace. At the top of Coal Mine Rd. the rain started but with the wind blowing quite briskly, the precipitation dried on contact so we and the roads stayed nice and dry. Oh, the lignite mine on Coal Mine Rd. is being disassembled ..... Chuck must have submitted a major safety management report! After turning in a northerly direction at Camanche Northshore, we were treated to a great tailwind that made the trip back to Ione guite enjoyable. After loading up the bikes, the heavens opened up so we were happy to have gotten in a few more miles without getting soaked . Great ride even though not enough ERMA riders were along for the ride and fun. (JR) |
| 10/22/2000 | 168 | Ione to kirkwood | Chuck, Steve H | Only Steve H. and Chuck showed up for the 8:00 am start. The high winds must have kept everyone else at home. Too bad, it turned out to be the best day ever in the history of Erma's Diner. The strong winds were at their backs all the way up the hill, past Plymouth, past Omo Ranch, to 88. With the wind at their back, and averaging over 26 MPH, they decided to keep going. Some would have said it was a beginnerís mistake to ride the wind the first half of the ride and not be able to make it back. But this was too much fun, and the way back home was down hill! They kept going, reaching Kirkwood about 1PM. Had a terrific lunch at the deli near the base of the ski area, and then headed home. The climb up the first hill was not too bad because the crest of the hill sheltered them, but the headwinds going down must have been in excess of 45 MPH. What should have been a 40 MPH descent was less than 8 and that was while peddling. But the day was meant to be special. A group of about 14 Harley Davidson motorcyclists came along and took pity. They slowed down to provide a windbreak to the beleaguered cyclists and pulled them all the way back to the Omo Ranch turn off at speeds ranging from 15 up the hills to over 45 on the downhills. Only once did they panic, but the Highway Patrol Officer just kept on going. At the Omo Ranch turn off, the wind had died down and the shelter of the trees made for an easy descent down to Plymouth and back to Ione. Those of you who stayed home missed a very special day. More information about the day's events to come from Chuck and Steve. This report submitted on their behalf by Joe Isuzu. |
| 10/22/2000 | 50 | Ione to Pardee | Chuck and Steve | As Joe Isuzu said, if no one shows up who will know what you really did on the ride, but the truth is, we had a great day doing the top half of the Pardee Party route in reverse. Very little wind and a great ride. (CG) |
| 10/21/2000 | 70, 30, 20 | standard coffee + | Gene, Jeff (Stockton), Joyce, Gail, Ed | Finally someone believed my Erma rule about "first one to Sutter Creek buys coffee." Thanks, Jeff, for the cappucinos. Good thing it was only me and Gene. Joyce and Gail (guess what?) rode their own ride, doing the Willow Creek loop. I found both my attitude and momentum tanks with barely a fume between them, so I enjoyed the long (free) coffee in Sutter Creek and then turned back, while Gene and Jeff continued (strongly, if their earlier riding was any indication) to Volcano and Daffy Hill. Gene promised to buy a computer to send in a report. Jeff said he knows only how to play games. "Bob," (it's an inside joke) the British guy who lives in Sutter Creek talked with us a while at the coffee house and promised to come out and learn how to ride more than 40 miles without bonking. Gene/Jeff got really fired up, it turns out, and rode to Red Corral, Pine Grove, Jackson, Stoney Creek, and back for 70 miles. (EH) |
| 10/15/2000 | 67, 50* | Ione,Stoney Creek,Jackson Butte Mt, Taboud, Acqueduct,Volcano ,Daffodil Hill Shake ridege | John R*.,Karen*, Larry H, Steve H. | There was a definite autumm chill to the air as only four intrepid riders cruised out of Ione at eight in the norning. We were rewarded as we headed out Jackson Valley and up Stoney Creek by absolutely no traffic and crisp sparkling clear skies which continued the entire route. At the waystop in Jackson John and Karen decided they could postpone their golf date for an hour more to take the tour around Butte Mountain. Steve and Larry decided to continue on up as the day was beautiful and they were feeling so strooong! After a quick descent into Volcano which was like a ghost town compared to the day before with the Chile Cookoff. We had to go on and do the daffy hill and shake ridge for the whole nine yards. On the wayt we solved most of the worlds problems including Sacramento Zoning (non-existant} and the middle east (that one took at least three miles) A truly glorious day for the few! (SWH) |
| 10/14/2000 | 61, 55* | Buena Vista, Coal Mine, Campo Seco, Pardee, Stoney Creek, Jackson, Jackson Gate, SC, Jackson Gate, SC, Ione | Ray, Al, Gene* | You could not ask for a nicer day to ride a bike. Other than a little morning chill at the start, the conditions were perfect. Having such a small group of riders allowed for deviation of the regular Saturday route, since the flurry of emails warning of Chili Crazed Subterranean Aliens from Space were out to explore the area around Volcano. We opted for the ìsouthern routeî to Jackson. Having not finalized any real plans to meet with Sarah and Jerry, only knowing the general route they were going to take, we set out for Buena Vista and up Coal mine to Camanche. Hardly a car to be found. As we passed the store at BV, I noticed S&Jís big ole Suburban in the parking lot. Gene pointed out he had never gone up Coal Mine, only down. Which we agreed would be a lot more fun. At the intersection of North Camanche and BV Road (where I have memories of ìvulture circlesî, pavement and bleeding), we were still deciding on the route. I suggested we loop down to Campo Seco and up Pardee to Stoney Creek. Not knowing when S&J left, I figured if we were going to see them, it would most likely be on the backside somewhere. It had been a while since I last rode up Campo Seco. I didnít remember it to be that hilly, it probably didnít help that Al was in the racing mood. Funny how you can tell when someoneís in that mode. The pace picks up and gradually builds until you get to the point where you say, ìletís see who cracks firstî. Youíre sprinting up each hill, but not a full blown sprint, because you know thereís another hill right after this one. The legs burn, the heart pounds, it takes everything youíve got to catch that next breathe, then suddenly you see the gap begin to emerge. And slowly the rubber band stretches, and the gap gets bigger, until it finally breaks and youíve vanquished your opponent (or in some cases, youíre the one who gets 86íd off the back). Ahhh, the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat! Al and I agreed it was much better to give than to receive, pain that is. As I was savoring my vic! tory on the momentary downhill that followed, I was nearly laid waste by the Demon Hound that lay in ambush at the bottom of the hill. Oh yes, I met this Devil Dog once before going in the opposite direction (last time Larry H. was behind me and almost took us both out). On the backside, we cruised quietly until we arrived at the stop light for the Pardee Dam. Just as we got the green light and started across, who should we happen to see, but S&J! It was a welcome sight to see them, but decided that a one lane bridge would not be a good place to hold this little reunion. They were out with a neighbor (George) riding the other direction. Glad to see them back out here, as itís been before the DR that they were out here last (yeah, after all those weeks and weekends in Jamaica, Tahoe, the coast, etc. ñ donít you guys ever work?!! Where can I get a job like that?!) As we said goodbyes and started off for Stoney Creek, we gave them warning of Cujoís ambush at the bottom of the hill in Campo Seco. To which they politely invited their neighbor George to get a head start. After that long recovery, the race up Stoney Creek was inevitable. It was another 184+ heartrate, cat-and-mouse game most of the way up. Thankfully, we happened upon someone Al knew from City Bicycles in Lodi, otherwise we both would have been toast. We chatted with him for a while before leaving him at the high school. He said he would hopefully join an Erma ride sometime in the near future. Looking for snacks, we drifted over to the Raleyís in Jackson for a little break before heading to Sutter Creek. While on Jackson Gate, the pace started creeping up on the incline just before the highway, significant because this is the last time we saw Gene. When we got to SC, we waitedÖand waitedÖand waited. Still no Gene. Finally decided to go look for him in case he got a flat or something. Back up the highway, past the car dealership, and back down to the hill were we last saw him. Still no Gene. Back to SC, still nothing. Even though we didnít find him, ne! ver let it be said that we Ermaís donít go looking for our own if they donít show up. Somehow he must have slipped by us in SC and we didnít see him, so Al and I raced (again) back to Ione. At the stop sign, guess who was in the car waiting for us. Gene. Heíd been there for a while, and thought we blew past SC, so he did the same. We just missed each other. Oh well, what can you say? Anyway you look at it, backtracking and all, it was a great day to be on a bike! (RC) |
| 10/7/2000 | Sat, 40 : ? **: Sunday 43: *60: ** 37 (None entered) | Sat. Monitor Pass : Sun. Ebbetts Pass |
Jim & Penny, Carolle, Steve M, Steve H, Dave B, Karen, John, Joyce*, Gail*; Sunday: Jim, Carolle, Steve M, Dave B, Karen, John R, Todd, Diane, Michael T, Dave N*, Larry H *, Pat and Marggie** | What a perfect 2 days of riding in Alpine County! Can you believe our stroke of luck with "Mother Nature" being such a sweetheart by holding off on the rain until we were able to enjoy one more glorious weekend of riding in such perfect surroundings? Markleeville was quite the busy metropolis this weekend with the Alpine County Fair, the photographers enjoying the aspen in their splendid fall colors, the perpetual Harley Davidson crowd, and quite a number of cyclists taking advantage of such wonderful conditions. The Sat. ride found the Erma Gang riding Monitor Pass. Larry H. decided to go to the fair instead of riding since belly dancing was the feature attraction!!! Actually he wanted to wait for Dave Neff to arrive later in the afternoon so he could "kick his butt" or something to that effect during Sunday's ride. This was Steve M's first experience in riding in the Markleeville area and judging from the way he rode, he must love the place. Way to go Steve! He'll be looking forward to The Death Ride in 2000 for sure! On this day we experienced how the mental side of cycling plays such a big part in our form. This day, we had set out to do just 1 or 2 passes and our brains "knew" this and we all wondered how we could ever possibly do 4 or 5 passes in one day. At the top of Monitor our thoughts shifted to the hot springs but we ventured down the east side just far enough so Steve M could get a look at the spectacular view and see first hand what challenge awaits those that descend and then must turn around and climb once again. The downhill was a thrill as usual and the ride back to Markleeville was made more enjoyable by some new pavement. We enjoyed a fine lunch in town before heading back to GHS. Todd, Diane, Michael T, and Dave N. arrived on Sat. to take part in the second day of riding while Janet, Gail, and Penny enjoyed their Sunday by hiking, reading, and relaxing. Even "Noel" enjoyed the activities of the weekend except maybe her experience with avocados. Saturday night's potluck was a complete success thanks to many excellent entrees, conversation, and lots of laughs ranging from ghost and bear stories to Jim's tales of "barking spiders". Special THANKS to Gail and Larry for being such a fine hostess and host!! Sunday's ride, The Main Event .... Ebbetts and Pacific Grade. Another perfect day for a ride with Steve M, Dave N, Dave B, and Michael T setting the pace while the rest of us took it a bit easier. At the top Dave N and Larry lobbied heavily to convince everyone that we should all head for Pacific Grade. Michael T and Dave B had already headed down but the others, still locked into "one pass mode", found reasons why we would also head down the hill.....like we were short of water since the campgrounds were closed.... good timing!! Just before leaving the summit a bee landed on Steve M's riding shorts. Guess where it decided to land? You guessed it! Carolle came to the rescue by delivering a not so gentle low-blow that inspired "The Don" to "sing" about "slow hands with an easy touch". After Steve recovered, the return trip was a pleasant one and we met Pat J. and Margie on their tandem heading towards Ebbetts after getting a rather late start. Hopefully their ride was as enjoyable and that they will submit a report. While leaving GHS , KB and JR ran into Dave and Larry coming up "Grover Hot Springs Pass" and Larry, a bit winded, told us that Dave "really pushed" .....no surpize there!! It was good to see Larry enjoying himself and in good riding form and that his ailing back was feeling "just dandy". We'll hear from them about the Pacific Grade portion of the ride later on I hope. What a fine trip and thanks to all for making it so enjoyable. We'll have to do it again next year......before and after The Death Ride. (JR) |
| 10/2/2000 | 100, 45* | Sierra Century route from Ione | John B, Ed*, Cheryl* | coming... |
| 10/1/2000 | 72, 35* | Ione to Mt. Aukum/Fiddletown Loop | Cheryl, Ed, Carolle, Karen, John R, John H, Chuck, Larry H, Al* and Joel* | Good turnout for what was intended to be a quick ride, hoping to be back in Ione by 1 o'clock, and still log quite a few miles. All went well to Mt. Aukum but there "Murphy's Law" was kicked into action. The first omen of trouble to come was when the bathroom in the store overflowed just a tad. Our buddy who works in the store was very good natured about the incident and had fun blaming Karen for the mishap! Before starting the return trip John H had intended to retrace the route back but after the "pit crew" helped him repair a flat, rear tire of course, he decided to join us by returning via Fiddletown and then up and over Ostrom Rd. On Bridgeport School Rd. the "flat-tire demon" raised HER ugly head and struck JH's rear tire again. The "crew" changed the tire in about 8 minutes, and we were once again underway with the thought that all would be smooth sailing the rest of the way home. We were wrong because Murpy's Law really hit full stride on Forest Home Rd. and Irish Hill Rd.. After having about 6 flats and discovering that John had a broken axle, it was decided that JH should "park it" and wait for help in the form of Chuck's AAA Roadside Assistance" to return and give him a well deserved ride back to Ione in an air-conditioned van. Sorry John you had ALL the flats today but just think, you will have flat-free rides the rest of the year!! Oh, take Chuck's advise and mention to Merrill that all you need is a new bike, preferably a REX, to solve all your future bike related problems!! She'll understand!!! Despite all the little problems on this ride it was still great to be out riding with such good friends and I'm sure we all are looking for our next ride together. (JR) |
| 9/30/2000 | 20, 50* | standard coffee (sort of) | Scott*, Steve, Ray, Ed, Gene | Most of us lingered over coffee and talk in Sutter Creek to say goodbye to September. What a great day to hang out on bikes and on the porch. Everyone seemed in the same mood, except maybe Gene, who only reluctantly left his big chainring on Sutter-Ione Rd. And maybe Scott, who was more energetic and more determined to log miles than the rest of us, so he's the only one who did the full ride. And Gene, who is still fired up over his performance at the Senior Olympics. He showed off his medals as well as his strength on the ride. Steve had grapes to pick. Ray had Olympics to watch. I had to make up an excuse as I went along. We also had a musical ride: Steve's bike was going "ding ding ding"; Ray's developed both a "creak" and a "click." As I was making fun of their noises and pointing out how silent my Rex was, my foot suddenly was pedaling air instead of bicycle. I looked down and there was only a spindle sticking out of the left crank arm. My pedal body had fallen off and was still clipped to my shoe. I slipped it back on the spindle while Ray laughed in disbelief at what he was seeing and Gene was asking me what was hanging from the bottom of my shoe. That was all the excuse I needed to ride back and relax. A chief topic of conversation on the ride up was Scott's Italian wild boar sausage, which, of course, led to a detailed discussion of the virtues of pig snot as a natural congealing agent as well as which wine goes best with unmentionable animal body parts. Lots of medical discussion on the way back, with Steve explaining some heart and head conditions. This may start a whole new tradition: riding for pure fun. (EH) |
| 9/24/2000 | *72, ** 33 | Ione to Jackson, St.Creek, and Plymouth | John R*, Michael T**, Steve H** | With the conditions for riding as near to perfection as possible it was too bad that more Ermas weren't out riding. Maybe some were, but they didn't start in Ione because it was just the "3 Muskateers" in the person of Steve , Michael, and John R. that showed up. It was great to see Michael back with our gang and he has "rededicated himself to cycling" and even has a new look to go along with his new found dedication.....shaved legs! So watch out, he is definitely serious and is riding very strongly. The ride up to Jackson was really pleasant and quite void of traffic. Steve had a bit of trouble with his rear deraileur but with a little guess work on which way to turn the adjustment wheel he got it dialed in pretty well. In Jackson we headed for Sutter Creek via the back roads and checked in at the coffee house to see if Cheryl and Ed happened to be getting a late start and might be there.....especially since Ed's coffee stop was cut short on Sat.!! However no one was there so we pushed on to Ione. Steve and Michael had "stuff" to do so they ended their ride while JR pushed on as the "Lone Erma" to Plymouth. While consuming a well deserved Gatoraide in Plymouth "The Don" was "entertained" by the locals of "beautiful downtown Plymouth" and especially by the attire of 2 teenage girls that will no doubt be voted "most likely to conceive" by their junior year of high school!! Great ride and hopefully next Sunday there will be more riders out to enjoy the best time of the year to ride. (JR) |
| 9/23/2000 | 50 | standard coffee | Dave B, Jim & Penny, John R, Karen, Scott, Mike C, Chuck, Ed | Scott and I were joined by Dave B and the others after their warm-up around Five Mile Rd. Because of that warm up, I couldn’t keep up on Sutter-Ione. As usual, JR's panties were in urgent need of ironing, so Jim, Penny, and I didn't see anyone until back at the parking lot in Ione. But J-P and I had a fun ride, talking all the way, mostly about their Whitney Classic experience. The heat, the wind, the sense of accomplishment, the dawn light on the peak of Whitney reminding Jim of Doug. A fun, casual ride topped off with birthday cake in the park at Ione for Dave and Jim. (EH) |
| 9/17/2000 | 66, 50*, 43** | Irish Hill, Plymouth, Shenandoah, Mt. Aukum, Fiddletown | Pat**, John H**, Chuck, Al, Dave B, John S, Steve, John R, Karen, Carolle, Cheryl*, Ed*, | With the HOT weather in the forecast "The Mt. Aukum Loop" was a good one to ride in quite a few miles without having to contend with the heat wave later in the day. The 66 miles went quickly and the heat wasn't really noticeable until we got back to the parking lot in Ione. Pat and John H. arrived early enough to do a little warm-up out to Buena Vista before we all headed for Plymouth. In Plymouth PJ and JH had to head for home for some afternoon family plans while the rest of us pushed on. Cheryl and Ed dropped the peloton by turning around near the flower farm while the rest of us pushed on to Mt. Aukum. After having a Gatoraide we headed for Fiddletown and encountered one or two dogs that took exception to our visiting the area but other than that all went well. The ride down from Plymouth to Latrobe Rd. was the usual "race." The "boys" were ahead of the "girls" when all of a sudden a group appeared rapidly in our mirrors and all of us guys thought it was Karen and Carolle finding some serious "go-go" juice and bridging the gap. We were wrong ....it was just 4 or 5 young-upstart racer types that blew by without a word. Steve and JR showed their common sense and didn't try to hang on but the other less wise raced on. Dave B, leading the pack I hear, had quite a fast ride back to Ione and they must have since Carolle, Karen, Steve, and I never saw them again until getting back into Ione. Another good ride and hope to see you all on Sat. to celebrate "The Big Three Birthday".....Penny , Jim and Dave B are the 3 honorees! (JR) |
| 9/16/2000 | 50, 46* | standard coffee loop | Chuck, John B, Bob (SCOE), Gene, Bruce, Todd (Pine Grove), Ray, Al, Ed* | I don't know what happened on Sutter-Ione since I was late and my bike had a flat, so I drove to Sutter Creek and met the group there. But I do know that Ray, Al, and Todd arrived well before everyone else, in a very fast time, and they were very very sweaty. John brought out Bob from his office for his inaugural Erma ride. He originally planned to turn around in Sutter Creek, but kept on and did the whole thing, including Rams Horn. He's been riding only on the flats until now. Welcome to texture, Bob. When someone asked Ray the color of his new Pinarello and he said, "Red and yellow," we started a Dr. Suess-like story about the velo fellow who could not be mellow because he rode a red and yellow Pinarello, etc. If you have verses to suggest or other words that rhyme with Pinarello, send them along either to me or the mailing list. We had a long-ish, relaxed time at the coffee house, tried to sell Todd a long-sleeved jersey and gave Gene a new Erma jersey to wear at the Senior Olympics next week. We also reminded him of that most important element for a racer to remember: zip up for the cameras. He and Bruce turned back at Sutter Creek. The rest of us pushed the pace a bit going to Volcano, took another relaxing break, chatting with each other and passersby (while I fixed my second flat). Then Rams Horn #1 for Bob and then we railroaded down Shake with Ray as the engine all the way. Back over Sutter-Ione, Al, Ray, and I powered the "power bumps." I turned back at the highway and rode back to SC. It was one of those great-to-be-alive-and-on-a-bike-in-the-hills days. (EH) |
| 9/10/2000 | 83, 61* | Willow Creek, SutterCreek, Volcano, Charleston-Rams Horn(Chuck and Larry), Red Corral, Jackson, Jackson Gate | Chuck, Larry H, John R, Karen, Jim & Penny, Steve* | Nice things happen when you are with Erma. If your chain breaks climbing up Irish Hill, there are members of the brigade to help. If you want to get a workout going up Sutter Creek, there is always someone to challenge. If you want to plan for a great day of Skiing with the Erma gang this winter, just ask Steve. If you have wanted to try Charleston without a triple and do it in less than 12 minutes, Larry Hayes will be there to encourage you to within 10 seconds of your goal. If you drop your 68 inch Crescent wrench out of your tool kit on the steep part of Charleston, Larry will just keep on riding knowing you would not want him to have to stop and carry it up the hill for you. If you have always wondered how a Volkswagen Beetle with Ferrari suspension would do down Rams Horn, Larry can show you, if you can keep up. If you want to stop in Red Corral for a Gater Aid, the group will be happy to join you. If you like a fast descent down Irish town road, Karen will gladly show you how to run the curves. If you want a wonderful pull down Clinton to Jackson, just jump on with Penny and Jim. If you think you are riding pretty strong and want to test the group, John will show why he is the Don. If you want to have a wonderful day in the Sierra foothills, ride with Erma. Thanks everyone for another wonderful day. (CG) |
| 9/9/2000 | 50 | Standard Coffee Loop | Steve, John B, Ray, Dan, Anita, Gene, Ed, Cheryl, Loyd, Brad, John S, Larry C | Do yourself a favor and don't stay off your bike for a month. That was my situation on Saturday. Cheryl had nearly as skimpy a training record, but it didn't show as much in her riding. Luckily, it was a comfortable, social ride, except when a thorn got into Ray's undies on the creek road and he had to rush up to Volcano for surgery to remove it. Loyd and Brad didn't stop for coffee, being on tight "wife-lines." But John S filled the gap by joining us there. Larry Crawley, out for his last big ride before Whitney, started early, doing Irish hill loop and catching us on Sutter-Ione. He kept going too, forging on through Volcano too and heading beyond what any of the rest wanted to do, aiming for 100 miles on the day. We tended to take breaks and talk whereever the opportunity arose. At Volcano, Rosie came by with two tuna sandwiches that "someone gave me," as she said. So whom does she ask to SNIFF them for her? Of course, the vegetarian of the group--me. I tried to take a polite little nose-swipe at her bag and otherwise distract her attention. Other big news: Ray's bike stayed in one piece. John B is recruiting for the Death Valley Double in October. Gene is headed to the Senior Olympics at the state level in a week or two in hopes of qualifying for the nationals. Good luck, Gene. Dan drove from Modesto to be in the FOG (fast-old-guys, to use a quote from JB). He finds the company "intelligent," which does not reflect well on Stanislaus County. John S told us of photos in which he could wear a skin suit and was ahead of the pack in a race, a sure sign (as he says) that the next stage will be standing on the sidewalk during races muttering to anyone who will listen about how he USED to race. Ray announced no plans for any intimate ceremonies, in fact avoiding even raising any topic that ever appeared on the Erma mailing list. Steve told about the effects of the recent rains on his zinfandel crop. Anita showed off what her new LeMond can do and couldn't wait for a mountain biking and cocktails weekend coming up. Ray and John B were the only ones who could not think fast enough to avoid having to look at our Grand Canyon photo album. And thus ended, reluctantly, a quintessentially Erma Saturday Coffee ride. (EH) |
| 9/3/2000 | 101 | Ione, Stony Creek, Clinton-Tabeau, Red Corral, Volcano, Lockwood Junction, Fiddletown, Mt. Aukum, Plymouth, Irish Hill!! | Larry, Jim Gray, Chuck (100); John Rovane, Dave Brubaker, Karen, Dave Neff, (68), Gail & Joyce (26), Steve & Carol (63) | The first Sunday in September was a special gift to Erma's riders. The air was fresh and clear from the rains, and the temperatures were ideal. We rode the reverse-modified Grand Tour, from Ione to Jackson via Stony Creek, then up Clinton-Tabeau. Carol (Little Red Riding Hood) took the short cut through he woods and Aqueduct to Volcano for some of Grandma's food; (Dave and Chuck as the Wolves) picked up the pace to try and get to Volcano before her via Red Corral, but it did not work, she arrived in Volcano in the nick of time. Having just missed the wolves, and anxious to get home, Carol headed back to Sutter Creek with Steve as her escort, via the Creek Road. While in Volcano we ran into Ray, from Lodi, and his wife. Ray has not ridden in a few years but obviously has the strength, talent and skill to be a strong rider. We waited for him to fetch his bike and enjoyed his company up Rams Horn. What a way to break back into cycling! We hope he is able to join us again. It was a special part of the day to run into Gail and Joyce in Volcano. We rode with them up Rams Horn talking about the important things in life. At Daffodil Hill, Joyce, John, Dave Brubaker, Karen, Gail, and Dave Neff headed down to Sutter Creek, while Chuck, Dave, and Iron Man Jim Gray headed up to Lockwood Junction and a terrific descent to Fiddletown where the dogs were in great distress because we had no bones to share. The trio then headed up again to Mt. Aukum, taking Tyler Road and Lawrence Roads, just to get a little extra climbing. After a short break at the General Store in Mt. Aukum, they headed home via Steiner Road and Plymouth. As they approached Ione they realized they were short of the 100-mile goal, so they added on a quick spin out toward Buena Vista ending up back in Ione with 101 miles for the day. (CG) |
| 9/2/2000 | 50 | standard coffee loop | Steve, Don S (Modesto), Mike Cockrell, John H | Steve Honeychurch, Don Strachn of Modesto went circuit of Shake Ridge. |
| 8/27/2000 | Pat 32, Larry 102 | Chuck's Grand Tour Reverse | Pat J, Larry H | For you late risers, you don't know what you're missing. Sunday’s ride was great. Pat J. and I started just after 7:00. Pat had a 50th birthday party to attend later in the afternoon, so we needed a bail-out spot. We decided to head toward Jackson by way of Stoney Creek. Pat turned around at the school, and I headed for Clinton/Tabeau, with the vision of doing Chuck's Grand Tour in reverse. Up Shake Ridge to 88 and up to Omo Ranch Rd. John R, John H, Jim, Chuck and I did a portion of 88 several years ago; we ran out of water and the traffic was a bitch. The further I went the more I thought about previous encounters of 88: I wasn't concerned about water; I was riding with the Camel-Bak and 2 water bottles. The thought of the traffic really started to weigh heavily on me. I ended up turning around several miles short of 88. The ride down Shake Ridge to Fiddletown Rd. was perfect--not one car. Once in Fiddletown, I took Tyler Rd. over to the store at Mt. Aukium for a little break. The ride back was pretty much uneventful. I pulled the pace line the entire way. (LH) |
| 8/26/2000 | 50, 65* | Coffee loop | Ray, Steve H, John B, John H*, Gene | For the 2nd weekend in a row, we were forced to park in the overflow lot. Not contractors this week, but walkers, as there was a "walking" event staged in "our" parking lot. The ride over to SC was pleasant and social, as Steve and I discussed deep philosophical issues (such as the final outcome of "Survivor" and why they booted all the cute girls off the island, as well as my "take" on marriage since it seemed to be the topic of email conversation lately). The stop at the Coffee house was filled with the usual Saturday patrons, dogs and Jazzercisers -yes, I know what some of you may be thinking, but no, I didn't say that! Back out on the road, Steve's goal to get off the front and stay away until the 8 mile mark was squelched, as John H. decided not to let him get too far away. Steve was reeled in at the 5 mile mark. The water in Volcano is still bad. Going up RH, my bike just had to express further displeasure of being replaced by not letting me shift into the lowest gear - glad I didn't decide to do Charleston. Being a little leery of what else could possibly break (that I haven't already replaced), I thought it best not to do the typical "Bat out of Hell" ride down SR, more like a "Bat out of Suburbia" -still a 19 minute effort, but not letting it all hang out. The last stretch back to Ione was still pretty fast as John B. had excess fuel to burn in spite of the 96 degree temperature. FYI, there are no trees to seek shade under at the stop sign. It turned out to be a great day to ride, at least my bike made it back in one piece. Well,...almost. (RC) |
| 8/20/2000 | 89 | Ione-Omo Ranch-Sutter Creek-Ione | Dave B, Larry H, John H, Todd P | We left Ione at 7:15 in the morning 'cause we just couldn't get it in gear any earlier, yawn. After an exhilirating ride to the top of mountain, we returned in good style before noon! Yep, 89 miles between 7 a.m. and noon. Well, noon Hawaii time, anyway. Take away the miles of water between here and there, the time really was just about 2 p.m., so 7 hours. It was a great ride--cool enough to be comfortable, warm enough to keep loose and drink lots of water, and game enough to make it interesting, deer, juvenile turkeys, adult turkeys, loose dogs, cows on the road, and a car load of young women cheering us on as we let loose some surplus water en masse on the way to Plymouth. Lots of fun, too bad so many of you missed it! |
| 8/19/2000 | 40 | SC,Volcano,Fiddletown,OstromRd,Plymouth | Joyce and Gail | Shared a cup of coffee at "UnderConstruction" in Volcano, nice place and great with a great dog to greet customers. Next time we are doing Hale Rd. |
| 8/19/2000 | *73, **50,*** 35(?) | standard "Edzo Coffee Loop"(except no coffee this trip!) w/Lockwood Jct.-Fiddletown bonus | *Karen, Chuck, Jeff, John R. **Jim and Penny, Gene, John S, Al, John A. Anita, Bob Y. *** Ray | A few of us arrived too late for the earlybird start but quite a bit early for the 9 o'clock departure to find OUR parking lot full!! How rude!! So we had to use the overflow lot....only Jim and Penny and Gene were lucky enough to find spots in the "Erma's Lot". At the appointed time we were all anxious to get riding.... except for Ray's bike which for a THIRD time, let him know how "she" felt about having a sexy new bike headed this way from Italy!! This time she picked on Ray's handle bar stem so Ray had to race off to Bill Tanner's shop in Jackson where he was lucky enough to get it fixed and hook up with us in Sutter Creek. We had quite a few new riders with us today......Bob Yates brought a couple of riders, Tim by way of Pennsylvania, and Jeff a friend of Kevin Sage. Hopefully they had a great ride with us and will join us again soon. Hey Kevin, Jeff told us about your back trouble and we all hope you will mend quickly and come out and ride ASAP!! Some good news to report....it looks like "The Creek Rd." will have a new surface by next week- end. There is a hint of that beautiful smooth stuff just before you reach Volcano so lets keep our fingers crossed that Amador County continues their fine work on Monday. At "Daffy Hill", Karen, Chuck, Jeff, and John R. headed up the hill towards Lockwook Jct. to show Jeff some more great "Erma Country" while the others headed back to Ione via Shake Ridge. Hopefully everyone had a good ride and congratulations to Jeff for doing his longest ride of the season!!!! See you all after the Napa Century!! (JR) |
| 8/13/2000 | 86, 20**, 40*** | Ione-Mt Aukum-Omo Ranch-Sutter Creek-Ione | Dave N, Chuck, Larry H, Penny and Jim, Josh McDonald, Steve H, Larry C**, Scott*** | Well, the chickens were up bright and early, but not many Ermas riders were!Not sure whether the early hour, the heat, or the previous day's ride kept everyone away. However, the dedicated early birds were eager to embark on the Omo Ranch ride (if I had only known what I was getting myself into I would have slept in!). It was an uneventful ride to Plymouth - Larry Crawley joined us there. Jim and I didn't lose too much time and everyone was still at Mt. Aukum when we arrived. That was pretty much the last sighting of the rest of the group. We did manage to see Larry Crawley coming back down Omo Ranch while we were still going up to the school. Dave Neff turned around at the school to come look for Larry C. but found us instead. At that point, we weren't sure we were going the entire way or would turn around at the school. Jim had been wanting to do a long hard ride prior to Whitney and Napa (what was Portola my dear?)so I, in my innocence thought I would be nice and offer to continue on up the road - after all, how much harder could it be -we were half way there, right? I should have listened to him - especially as we were slogging up the hills at a break neck speed of 4mph. That tandem definitely needs more horsepower on the kicker motor. Well, we did finish the entire route - no bands waiting to cheer us on, no balloon arches - just Larry Hayes and Gail and Noel - Larry was patiently waiting for Gail to bring an extra set of car keys and I think silently worrying about us. Does that tell you how far behind we were? But hey - nobody in the Erma's group believes in competing against or racing each other do they? (PG) Just another beautiful day to ride! We had a good time riding a shortened version of the Grand Tour. As always, The road up to 88 from Omo Ranch was great and not too hot. 88 was not a problem; trying to keep pace with Josh was. Only problem was back at the start when we realized that Larry had lost his car keys along the way. Hope Jim and Penny made it back OK. They were not sure which way they were going after Omo Ranch. Wish more could have joined us! (CG) |
| 8/13/2000 | 26 | SC to and from Volcano | Gail and Joyce | Still no water available in Volcano. Nice visit with Rosie. She is totally upset with the water situation. Fun time as usual. |
| 8/12/2000 | 50 | standard Sat coffee route | Ray, Cheryl, Ed, Barbara & Davisites (Jim S, Ann M, Amy, Dan B, Gishi), John S, Al, Steve, John R | A big group with the augmentation of the Davis riders Barbara brought. Dan was the new one, and he said he liked it and would be back, commenting on how nice it was to know some good routes on "the other side of the causeway." Casual ride to Sutter Creek, except for Steve, who had to turn back there and get to some chores. John S and Al took his place, starting in SC. JR caught up with us on Sutter-Ione, after starting as the lone early starter at 8:15. We had a long coffee break in SC (even JR sat down). Ray broke a spoke on the way to Volcano and had to turn back. The heat encouraged everyone to take another long break at Volcano, buying cold drinks and water to refuel and replenish since the water there is now imported from Mexico, apparently. John S and Al did what they could to give Jim some fun on Shake Ridge Road Race. Some of us bypassed the SC stop to get back since the ride was running so late. JR had already escaped, saying that he'd been away from Karen too long already. Cheryl and I found that four weeks off the bike is not a good thing and that hiking muscles are definitely not the same as biking muscles and had to do some anaerobic driving to get to Bear Valley just in time to see the opera, but not in time to see Sarah and Jerry, unfortunately. Oh, yeah, the ride . . . everyone seemed to be happy about the length and route, but not the heat. (EH) |
| 8/6/2000 | 48, 20 | Ione-Sutter Creek-Ram's Horn-Sutter Creek-Ione | Dave B, Chuck, Dave N, Al, Kristi, Yvonne | The 6 of us met at 8 a.m. to ride a long, hilly ride and decided at the top of Ram's Horn to head on in down Shake Ridge Road. Before that, Kristi and Yvonne turned back at Sutter Creek, so their miles were about 20--if they headed right back. Our 48 miles yielded 4,800 feet of climbing, according to Dave Neff's new, fancy-dandy wrist altimeter he won at the Death Ride raffle. Now, Dave has to read the whole instruction manual in all its various languages so he can explain how it works to anyone who just happens to be nutso enough to ride with us AND ask about the elevation gain on our friendly jaunts. So, get busy, Dave. (DB) |
| 8/5/2000 | 103*, **101,*** 86 | Portola Century with slight modification | Larry H*, John**, Karen***, Jim***, Penny*** | Five of us had a fine ride up in Larry's ole stompin grounds despite a not so great start to it all on Friday evening. That "not so great start" was due to a not so great dinner that evening at a restaurant that changed names and menu a few hours before our arrival!! This restaurant went from a menu of delicious sounding pasta and vegetarian dishes to a Mexican quisine that lacked in every way. Service was SLOW, the food was fair at best,and the orders were botched.... fortunately on Saturday, no riders suffered from "Montezuma'a Revenge"! The ride out of Portola started @ 7 and headed out into the high desert with perfect conditions for riding.....cool, but not cold temperature, no wind, no traffic, and tremendous scenery. Who could ask for more!!! Riding into Sierraville we came across the Sacto. Wheelmen preparing to head out for a ride . We would have joined up with them but they were heading in the direction from which we had just traveled. The climbs up Yuba Pass and Gold Lake went by in fine fashion except for a flat on Jim and Penny's tandem....rear wheel of course . By the way, these climbs are a treat when compared to any climbs in the Markleeville area . At Larry's suggestion, we "bailed" on doing the return miles via the desert route and headed for Portola by a more hilly but more scenic route without battling the wind that waits for those that dare ride in the high desert in the afternoon. Hopefully next year the C of C in Portola will see fit to put this fine ride back on the calendar for more to enjoy and after talking with a few of the "natives" I think the word will get back to the organizers. But it not, we'll again have our own century up there next year(not during "Hot August Nights" though*) and will try to encourage more Erma riders to come on up for a fine ride and time in Plumas (Hayes) County. (JR) (* too much traffic on the ride home!) |
| 8/5/2000 | 67 Ray Bob John, 50 others | Ione Sutter Creek Daffodil Hill Shake Ridge Ione | Steve, Ray, Al, Barbara, Ann , Jim, Amy, Bob D, John H, Lloyd | A beautiful day it was with a good contingent from Davis to go up to coffee at Sutter Creek. It was good to see Barbara back on the bike pulling up thoses hills. A casual ride to volcano became serious as Steve tried to put as much distance between himself and Ray who couldn't be denied. It was a very fast train led by Anns husband (I'm sure he has a name but we call him flash) and we picked up a rider who introduced himself as "a professional triathelete". After taking in Volcano's famous drinking water the trip up rams horn was easy. Doing a nice fast paceline down shakeridege was its usual thrill and by the time we reach Ione it was enough -90 degrees-a good day. (SWH) BARBARA: ou've heard of baked Brie? Well, meet baked Babs. After not having been on an Erma's ride for some weeks, I chose to come out on a day that started out warm and just kept getting hotter. And as if the air temperature wasn't enough to do me in, Erma's hills toasted me. But it was good to be back in ErmaLand regardless, and I brought Amy, Jim and Ann along to enjoy it, too. Which they didóso much so that they all got to Sutter Creek ahead of meóbut I had the pleasure of Steve's company while I was slogging it up and over the hills. I needed that double cappuccino (thanks, Steve), and the coffee house even had some of those cinnamon twirly things left. Up to Volcano, getting warmer, remembering why it pays to ride this ride more than once a month or so. Somebody mentioned Charleston, but not seriously, so we headed up Ram's Horn, and this time Amy kept me company. Shake Ridge was the usual fun and gamesódid I mention that Jim seemed not to be able to get enough hill time and did several repeats under the guise of coming back to check on slower riders? Landing back in SC, refilling the Camelbak and soaking the bandana yet another time, I was hoping I wouldn't cook completely before Ione appeared on the horizon. I didn't, of course, though I felt like a baked potato when at last we hit the parking lot. (Actually, at that point I kind of looked like a baked potato.) So to recover, Ann, Jim, Amy and I headed to Erma's, where I had a strawberry milkshake and remembered why doing this stuff is fun. It was great to see everybody, and Erma continues to win the hearts of flatland cyclists from Davis. Thanks, Ermansósee you again next week. P.S. Maybe somebody whose brain didn't approach saute temperature should write an actual report about this ride. . . (BA) |
| 8/5/2000 | 39 | SC,Volcano,Pioneer,PineGrove,Jackson,SC | Gail and Joyce | No water available in Volcano. Hot day. Enjoyable ride for both of us. |
| 7/30/2000 | 65 except for Steve, 50 | Ione-Stoney Creek-Jackson-Clinton-Tabeau-Rams Horn-Sutter Creek-Ione | Dave B, John R, Chuck, Jim, Steve H, Larry H, Josh McDonald (nr) | After a flurry of e-mails a few days before the ride, a few hardy souls (7 in number) assembled at 0700 (that's 7 o'clock in the MORNING for those not initiated to the 24 hour clock). The fear was hot weather. Indeed, the ride to Buena Vista and on to Jackson via Stoney Creek was hot and humid. But, from Jackson all the way back to Sutter Creek the weather was rather moderate for July 30. Josh McDonald is Jim Gray's friend from the phone company. After playing at mountain biking for a time, Jim got him interested in real riding--road riding, that is. So, two months ago, Josh splurged for a LeMond bike and is now a confirmed roadie with enough youth and strength to leave all us "experienced" riders in his slip stream as he effortlessly scoots by us on the uphills. (Dave Neff and Ray--where were you today? Josh was lonely out front on the strange route. He needed you!) Josh may be riding with Erma's regularly. So, let's all welcome him heartily as you meet him over the next few weeks. The ride started at 7 a.m. and ended back in Ione just after 1 p.m. A great ride for all who rode. (DB) |
| 7/29/2000 | 50; 67, etc. | (A) usual saturday; (B) IH, WC*, SC, VOL**, SR | (A) Steve; (B) Ray, Anita (nr):67, extended coffee loop. Jose: 20*. Gene: 40** | Pulled in the parking lot and no one showed up Ray and Joses vehicles were there but I never saw them. Did the ride-got hot 102-got home (SWH) We welcomed back Jose for his first Erma ride since his close up and personal experience with Italian pavement. His hip was still a little swollen and painful, so an easy ride was on the menu. Also back for another ride with the Erma bunch was our pal Anita, sporting her new Lemond Zurich. We got a late start out of Ione and took a leisurely pace over Irish Hill and Willow Creek so Jose could find his pedaling rythym. He decide to call it a day after Willow Creek as the pain was starting to flare up. The rest of us, journeyed on to Sutter Creek, catching a brief glimpse of Joyce and Gail headed downhill back to Ione. Since we left late, we missed any riders on the 9am ride (sorry Steve, got your message!). At Volcano, Gene had lost 2 of the 3 screws that held his cleat to his right shoe and couldn't unclip from the pedal. So he abandoned and went to his son's house for a ride back. 2 riders left. Congrats to Anita for her maiden ascent up Ram's Horn and descent down Shake Ridge. It was an easy ride down Shake as the temperature peaked into the triple digits. The ride back to Ione was even hotter. Good for tire traction when cornering, but way too hot to be on the road. Those cold, near freezing days back in January on the Creek road are all but distant memories now...sigh. (RC) |
| 7/23/2000 | Jim and Penny and Karen 62; Chuck, Steve, Todd (nr), Greg, and John R. 72: Michael and Peter 38: Big John ??(nr): | Ione to Mt. Aukum, Bridgeport/Tyler, Ostrom, Forest Home, Irish HIll | Jim & Penny, Karen, Chuck, Steve, Todd, Greg, John R, Michael, Peter, Big John (Stockton), Lots of SBC riders | Eight Erma regulars were joined by newcomers Todd(Pine Grove by way of Canada!), Greg(Stockton), "Big John" (Stockton....Ray's pal), and a large number of riders from the Stockton Bike Club. Glad everyone came out for such a great day to ride and hopefully everyone had a great day on the road. This peloton rode to Plymouth at which point Peter and Michael had to return to Ione to get home in time for some "stuff" and the SBC riders headed to their coffee place in Plymouth. After the good-byes, the rest of us pushed on but at Steiner Rd. "Big John" had to head back to meet his wife in Sutter Creek BY NOON or pay the consequences!! After reaching Mt. Aukum and refueling for the trek (should be REX) home, Karen, Penny, and Jim decided that they would return to Ione by taking the same route back while Steve H. had a grand idea to take our new friends into some virgin territory (don't get excited Al!) and take them to Fiddletown via Bridgeport and Tyler roads. What a treat we all got because Tyler had just been recently repaved ....like last week!! In Fiddletown Todd and Greg "met" Chatter and Symantha and "The Don" had to reassure a neighbor lady that it was "OK" with the owner of the dogs that they receive doggie treats!!I don't think she was convinced but if "Chatter" could have given her the "flippie" I think he would have!! Heading up Ostrom Rd., Chuck showed some real power (39x21!) and chased Greg up to "Rabbit Hill" at which point Greg told us that this was his FIRST ride in the hills. If that was his first time, it will be fun to watch his progress when he rides the hills regularly. Todd, who has recently moved to Amador County from Canada, is an exceptionally STRONG rider and I feel he enjoyed his ride with us. After chatting with him it seems that even in Canada bike riders have to deal with those that take exception to us being on the road. We arrived back in Ione, after a good sprint on Irish Hill, about 1:30 to find Karen, Penny, and Jim looking so comfortable sitting in the shade having finished their ride about a 1/2 hr. earlier. As Chuck says," just another great day to be riding"!! Thanks to Mother Nature for allowing us to ride w/o having to endure the usual HOT weather that should be in full stride by now!!! Glad to have had Todd and Greg join us for the full ride and hopefully we will be able to hookup with our good friends in the SBC more often. We'll have to get our "leaders" to arrange more joint rides!! (JR) |
| 7/22/2000 | 50 | Usual Saturday | Steve H, Ray, John A | It was a very sparse crowd in the foothills both on their bicycles or in the vehicle unless you were a policeman. Because of the rumored rap event at Lake Comanche all them foothill people stayed behind locked doors to guard thar wimin and chillen and boarded up their businesses. Consequently there were wide open raod without traffic. We had a nice leisurly ride up to Daffodil hill until Ray just couldn.t contain himself or his yellow jersey went to his head and did his rendition of Lance. John and Steve did their own paceline thing till Ray was in sight but "Lance" won the day and we headed home which was good since the mercury was rising faster than our body temperatures would like. Steve stopped by Ermas for a milkshake and Erma and her husband were the only ones working there as their help called in saying they weren't going out with "those people" around! Weird Day. (SWH) |
| 7/16/2000 | 68 | Mt. Aukum Loop | KB, JR, Ken, Jimmy, Ray | Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday TO you. Happy Birthday dear LAR-RY . . . Larry? Larry, where are you? We're celebrating your Birthday with chocolate cake and you're not here! The day began as we pulled into an empty parking lot at 7:50 a.m. Geez, a few clouds and everyone stays in bed - exactly where I was headed back to when everyone else decided to show up. Ray showed off his shattered bottom bracket which caused his SAG in on yesterday's ride. It's unbelievable what he did to that poor thing! We took a leisurely pace (I was hurting after having chased Cheryl all day yesterday - stupid; stupid; stupid!! - I know better!!!) and chatted mostly about the Tour de France and Phil Ligget's great commentaries. JR played Lance, jumping ahead of the group with great bursts of speed; Ray played Pantani, rising out of the saddle to reel "Lance" back into the group; I played the guy who "popped"; and Bone played the guy who was in "a spot of bother" when his turkey sandwich didn't kick in. Jimmy played himself, which was just dandy. The end of the ride was great, thanks to Larry, whose card is now in the mail and whose gift of freshly homemade butterscotch chip cookies were given to Jimmy for riding so well and kicking my butt over Irish Hill. Happy Belated, Larry. We'll try again next year! (KB) |
| 7/15/2000 | 50, etc. | standard coffee, no earlybird | Ed, Cheryl, John R, Karen, Chuck, John H, Ray, Gene, Dave B, Chrissie | First distribution and ride with the new jerseys. It was great to see essentially (all but The so-called Don) in an Erma's jersey, but at least he was wearing a Farmers Tan one, which has a side order of Erma. A couple of riders rode for the first time in full short-sleeved Erma gear: Cheryl, Ray. Nice to see them in full membership at last. And those new sleeveless ones looked so good on Karen and Cheryl that Ray wanted one so badly he turned up his sleeves to simulate one (and help eliminate his farmers tan--with apologies to Bob). Casual riding was the trademark most of the time, with a comfy coffee stop while JR and KB still refused to sit except with the dogs by the bakery. Chrissie joined the group for coffee and the Volcano loop and proclaimed "no racing," so guess who was the first to attack on Shake Ridge? You guessed it. I won't mention who was also the first to "explode" right after that. Chuck and Ray were the main aggressors on the day, riding strongly, at least until Ray's bottom bracket went all wobbly (actually it was his Cannondale's BB, not Ray's) and he had to grab a ride to Ione from Chrissie after limping back into Sutter Creek. The post-ride included getting to see Ray's Italy photos and hear more about the experience. I'll get his report online in next day or so. Promise. Photo of new Erma gear on the group to come soon too. (EH) |
| 7/2/2000 | JR, KB and Michael 82, Jim & Penny 75, Joyce & Gail 30 | Ione > Plymouth > Mt. Aukum > Omo Ranch Rd > Perry Creek and return | JR, Karen B, Jim and Penny, Joyce, Gail, Michael T | Sunday's ride out of Ione began with very mild temps (mid 70s), blue skies and a pink blush in all of our cheeks, if not in our hearts. The wonderful weather promised a cool and relaxing ride as we decided to head out to Mt. Aukum and environs. The peloton initially consisted of The Don, Karen B, Gail, Joyce (I've-been-sick-with-a-virus), the choo-choo train of Jim and Penny, and Michael T. Soon after the start Gail and Joyce headed off on their own journey [Ione, Glielich Rd, Willow Crk, according to JS], leaving the remaining five of us as we pointed our handlebars in a somewhat northerly direction toward Plymouth. As is usual, discussions were varied and sliced through many topicsónot the least of which was the fantastic July 2 weather we were having. Hope sprang eternal that our good fortune would carry over to next weekend's Death Ride in Markleeville. On a section of Carbondale Rd we encountered 3 dogs off to the side of the road barking and yapping at us and passing cars. No words needed to be spoken that these three would have loved to give chase to spinning cranks with feet attached. However, sensing we were a bit more intelligent than the dogs, we slowed our cadence, gave them hardy commands and directives and moved on without incident. (I had recall of Al's encounter with the infamous dog a week or so ago and did not want to recreate that situation). Once we got beyond this episode, our pace was actually quite relaxed, though on the up hills Penny's exclamation sounds (eh! Eh! EH! sounding almost euphoric) were heard from the front to the rear of the peloton and it did provide a bit of comic relief from some of the more arduous climbs. Accompanying these sounds, our ears caught the ubiquitous chickedy chick, chickedy chick, chickedy chick as her Softride tandem saddle bounced up and down with its hypnotic drone. We stopped in Plymouth and a lively discussion ensued about Michael's small rear cog and the possibility he may benefit from a 26 rather than his current 23. Numbers, gears and ratios were bandied about in high tech bicycle fashion, but ultimately no decisions were made. When Mt. Aukum market arrived we welcomed the moments of respite while we replenished our food and water supplies and took care of the proverbial 'natural acts.' Climbing toward Omo Ranch Rd we discussed options of travel that would give us the miles we wanted, but would also make the journey for Jim and Penny and little more enjoyable and less hilly. JR, Karen and Michael decided to do the Perry Creek loop for a few extra miles and hills and less traffic, while the Train headed back to Mt. Aukum where we all convened once again. As we began the journey toward Plymouth/Ione, it was warming up a bit, but now we had a cool southerly wind in our faces that continued to keep us in a very comfortable zone. Heading into and out of Plymouth was a windy challenge, but the windbreak provided by the tandem eased our ride as we spent most of the time descending toward home. Karen pushed JR and Michael and pulled Jim and Penny up the rollers of Forest Home as we now headed for Irish Hill. After enjoying the descents of Irish Hill and entering Ione, JR and Karen wanted to feed a bone to a dog named Packer. Michael, Jim and Penny decided to join them as JR served up this little treat for the dog that is always on a chain and has little human contact to speak of. We then rolled down the hill into the parking lot, content with a long day's ride completed! (MT) |
| 7/1/2000 | 30-117 | Standard coffee extended to Sierra Century route | 117: Ray, Chuck; 100: John B, Cheryl, Ed; 64: Steve; 50: Kristi (new), Yvonne (new); 30: Chrissie | More report to come, I hope, but for now: • Ray & Chuck wanted all they could get and started earlybird. • Ray was not only dressed in full Italian regalia, including Super Mario's helmet, but he was drinking Italian drink mixes from Italian drink bottles. Next week we probably won't even be able to understand him. • The truth: Cheryl requested the 100-mi ride and did Slug Gulch for the first time and found it relatively easy (unlike me this time--go check out the slime trail I left). • Kristi and Yvonne (Jose met Kristi on Rams Horn during Sierra Century and invited her to Erma rides) showed up for their inaugural Erma ride and they might even be back . . . • The car show was on in Volcano, so a crowded town and a gauntlet of show cars to ride through to get out of town. A great colorful (lots of pink) free show. • A dark green Jeep Cherokee license 2JFC799 stopped in front of Chuck as he rounded high-speed curve on Fiddletown Rd. Apparently a beligerent woman, but no one could figure out why or what she was trying to do. She might have just been massively confused or had a mini-stroke or a series of senior moments, but watch for that car and license. The woman works for the city of Sutter Creek, according to a rider who recognized her. • Ed caused a lot of delay by losing his oil pan on Slug Gulch and spending about an hour looking for it before finishing Slug with no oil in his engine. • Chrissie met us at the coffee house and told us about the Friday "race" in which she and the other two (nameless) participants rode half way to Volcano and turned back, promising each other that they wouldn't tell anyone. • Yvonne couldn't shift into her triple, so we tossed Chrissie's White Lightning all over the drive train and it seemed to work. • We actually saw a small boy on a bike drop his grocery bag at the Mt. Aukum store, breaking a carton of milk, so we had that rare opportunity to tell him not to cry over it, but unfortunately, he didn't cry. The owner of the store gave him another carton of milk so he wouldn't get in trouble at home. • Ray got to tell more of his Italian adventures, probably for the 50th time. I think that's what tired him out toward the end. Or maybe it was that hot dog he inhaled at Mt. Aukum. We almost lost him when he smelled barbecue on Shenandoah School. • The discussion at Mt. Aukum store devised a scheme for using hot dogs not only as boots for bad tires but to replace tubes entirely. The scheme calls for using Ballpark Franks so that the road friction plumps them to fill the tire. We also estimated that the amount of grease produced would be just right for lubing the drive chain, although we haven't quite figured out how to keep it off the braking surface. JB is working on a plan now and Chuck will offer a special insurance deal. • JB and I plan an Erma excuse note page on the web so that any Erma riders can pick an excuse and print it out if in trouble for riding too long (such as today) on an Erma ride. (EH) |
| 6/25/2000 | 51 (58-Michael) | From Turtle Rock Campground to 395 & Back | JR, Jimmy, KB (both sides Monitor), Michael (front of both Monitor/Ebbetts | For a complete change of Erma pace, there's nothing like a weekend away with friends . . . and, of course, a great ride. We all camped at Turtle Rock Saturday night and all but one of us even slept - my recurring and overpowering fear of becoming a midnight snack for Smokey and his buds kept me on alert in the darkness. Larry Hays and his trusty dog Noel saw us off Sunday a.m. @ 7. Larry and Gail "camped" in their very comfortable looking RV and had to head for home, despite our begging him to ride with us (Misery loves company, as the old saying goes). So, we 4 headed to Monitor Pass and JR's nemesis, the Wicked East Side. Well, whoever of you say that Monitor Pass is ugly, you just must be riding too fast to appreciate it. I think it's the most colorful and scenic of all the passes. Climbing up the West side, I saw more wildflowers of every possible shape and color imaginable - some large and hard to miss, but some so tiny it was a wonder God made something so beautiful, but so small. Also to behold, a mama marmet and her babe out sunning on a rock at the summit. Penny, the BEST sag person of all time, kept a watchful eye on us and even took good care of complete strangers in need of water and provided photographic services for the multitude of motorcyclists sharing the road with us (and not a rude one in the bunch - although they were quite loud). If the view from the top of Monitor doesn't take your breath away, then I don't know what would. I love flying down the backside and seeing the roadway snaking along far, far below me and knowing, with some anticipation and not a little fear, that, God willing, I'll be sweating my way up that same stretch of road within the hour. I love looking out over that huge green/brown valley so very far beneath me and wondering how it was carved so beautifully from the earth (some prehistoric ice flow or perhaps a massive earthquake?). But most of all, I love to see the rows and rows of mountains, each a different shade of blue/gray, depending on their distance, and the final range caped with snow, all ready, like huge sets of waves, waiting to crash in upon that green valley! Next time you're there . . . LOOK!! We did a quick turnaround at 395, as the day was heating up fast. Penny, our little angel, was waiting near the top with cold towels for our faces and cold water for everything else. We discussed heading to Ebbetts, but quickly dismissed the idea when we noticed the huge, dark and potentially wet looking clouds coming our way. Back in camp, munching on pasta and gatorade to the sound of thunder in the distance, we visited with Michael who split with us mid-ride. Quarter-size drops of rain indicated the end of our luncheon and the beginning of the mad frenzy to toss bikes, tents, picnic baskets, etc., into the back of the truck and head for home. We missed riding with many of our standard Ermans . . . but then, you all missed a great weekend in Markleeville!! (KB) |
| 6/25/2000 | 65: Steve Ken Ray 37: Gail Bob Jim | Marlete,Jackson Valley,Stoney Creek,Clinton,Butte Mountain,Clinton,Tabeaud,88,Volcano-Pioneer Road,Creek Road to Sutter Creek and back to Ione | Steve, Ken S, Ray, Gail, Bob (from Patterson), Jim Baker (from Stockton) | BONES: We were all cheerfully greeted by Ray fresh? from Italy where he had climbed multiple passes that were 24 miles uphill and 18% grades. Ray regaled us how the Italiens REALLY know how to put on a bike ride. How about a 3000 person mass start with everyone wearing magnetic anklets to record their times over the 110 miles ride?. Back to reality Steve thought we should do Stoney Creek and get some climbing in. After arriving in Jackson GailBob and Jim saw the light (and the heat) and headed to Sutter Creek. As we headed up Clinton Ray said "Where does Butte Mountain go?" so we headed up to find out.. Back on Clinton- Tabaux we stopped at Lake Tabaux and admired the ducks while Ken gave a history lesson on the early California flumes. There is a good mountain bike ride on one around the lake according to Ken, Then on up to Pioneer and the screaming downhill on Red Coral where Ray hit 49 mph-those Italiens got to him. After Ken gorged himself on a Turkey sandwich Ray and Steve did a fast paceline down to Sutter Creek almost impaling themselves x2 on a. a backing up truck who saw us and continued to back in front of us and b. a on the hood of a 97 Caddie who veered all the way across the double line and kept coming at us until the last second. Scarrier than Italy guys! Bring on the Death Ride-we're ready! (SWH) THE BONE: Since none of the leaders were there Steve picked the ride. Gail,Bob an Jim left ahead of us figuring we would catch them. We started with a nice easy pace out Marlette and then on Jackson Valley. So easy in fact that Gail, Bob an Jim were waiting for us at the intersection of Jackson Valley and Coal Mine Road. We rode together till we got to Stoney Creek. Once on Stoney Creek Ray, Steve and I had to go up the Hill faster than the rest of the group. I decided to stop at Pardee with Ray and Steve. Figured the rest would stop there to. They just rode by. Caught Gail an Bob after about three miles. Ray caught Jim just before the High School were we stopped to regroup. Jim,Gail an Bob decided to cut over to Sutter Creek and then go back to Ione. Ray, Steve an I decide to continue into Jackson and stop at the park for water. Once on Clinton Ray started to asked about Butte Mountain Road. So we decided to do it and call it Ray's option. Butte Mountain Road was nice with one long climb and a few rollers. Came back out on Clinton which took us to Tabeaud Road which then came out on 88. We turned right on 88 and headed up to Pioneer-Volcano Road. Nice down hill on 88. Once we started to climb Ray took off an I followed. Ray was nice enough to let me hang on his wheel for half the climb. Then pulled for awhile. At Pioneer-Volcano Road we regrouped. I got dropped on the downhill into Volcano. Once in Volcano I ordered a Turkey sandwich the rest got some drinks. We decided to head down the creek road since Steve and I had to get back. Caught up with Ray an Steve at the rest rooms in Sutter Creek were they told me about the red Cadallic that was on the wrong side of the road. They were wondering if the driver was asleep since he when onthe wrong side of the twice before he got back on his side of the road. Head back to Ione. Nice ride back till we to downhill on 124 going into Ione were Ray an I had to go Flying down. We managed to hit 35 miles an hour. Once back in Ione Ray's computer showed we had done 5000 plus feet of climbing. Ray an I would like to do Charleston, Hale and Slug Gulch all in one day but we cannot decide were to start. Anyone else interested in doing it? (Ken, The Bone) |
| 6/24/2000 | 50, 67 | Standard coffee route + earlybird | Gene, Al, Chuck, Dave N, Ed | (photos at: http://ermasdiner.com/photopages/062400/) CHUCK: This ride report is about Dave, Al, Ed, Chuck and Gene. Al was given every opportunity to write the report. His declination gives license to tell the story at Al's expense. You may want to hear his side of it when you see him. The nice thing about riding with Erma's is that every ride is a learning experience. Today was no exception. The first lesson learned today was, don't provoke "Fast Eddy." We had just come off Irish Hill onto Carbondale when we ran into "Fast Eddie" and a couple of his friends. If Karen had been there, she would have cautioned to leave well enough alone. She has had run-ins before with "Fast Eddie" and knows just how fast, and mean, he is. Today he was on the inside of the fence so Al figures he can egg him on a bit. He hollers at him and sprints up the fence line all the while taunting Eddie. At the end of the fence, Al is spent. He has been counting on the fence and expects Eddie to come to a screeching halt. But Eddie has been provoked and decides to slide under the fence going right for Al. Al has the body fat of a maple leaf in November, so Eddie goes down the line, teeth bared, hair standing on the back of his neck, looking for a cyclist he can sink his teeth into. Turns out none of the riders looked that good to him, so he decided to wait until next week when the selection may be better. Another lesson learned: don't let Al taunt strangers, even if they are on four legs. We rode on to Sutter Creek, with Gene chalking up another victory on Soap Box Derby Hill, where we met up with Ed. We enjoyed the usual wonderful ride up to Volcano. We were enjoying the rest and cool refreshments when the best-looking red Cannondale we have seen since Ray went to Italy went by. Past experience with red Cannondales lead us to believe a fast pace line was in store for us if we could catch up. Dave and Chuck took the short cut up Charleston. Ed, Gene, and Al took chase up Rams Horn. Ed and Al caught up in time for a fast pull by the Cannondale down Shake Ridge. Chuck and Dave were surprised by such a fast pace line, but finally caught up at 45 MPH. Al felt he should be polite and try and some of his best lines just to get acquainted. "You don't sweat much for a fast girl" "You are pretty fast for a girl" "You come here often?" From then on, it was catch me if you can, sucker. As we slowly motored back to Sutter Creek, we concluded that another lesson for the day was not to let Al talk to strangers. (CG) ED: Four earlybirders, Dave N, Chuck, Gene, Al, joined me in Sutter Creek, as I cooled my feet, sipped espresso, and listened to the Celtic music from the farmers market. After refueling and catching up on news, especially Dave's experiences on the Terrible Two, we took off at a moderate pace, staying together to Volcano, still talking and joking all the way, this time the key topic as the wildlife of Florida, of which Chuck has vast and sordid experience. We found out that Chuck has a well-hidden cruel streak. And be sure to ask him about the story of the sheriff who wanted to blast his service revolver into the entertainment center to kill a snake that had taken up residence there. Don't forget to ask about the "6 million" baby spiders that he ran Carol into while he was steering their canoe. Chuck was probably giddy with anticipation of doing Charleston for the first time, which might account for his chattiness, if not his imagination. We'd been in Volcano just long enough to tend to our needs when a couple on bikes rolled past without stopping. The man of the couple said hello as they headed toward Rams Horn. The woman just kept rolling and looking at her front wheel (she must have known Al was there). One of the disadvantages of not having a woman on an Erma ride is that Nature abhors a vacuum and tries to fill it, so the all-guy group took off, inspired by the chance of riding with a woman and possibly meeting new riders. But Chuck was not to be swayed from his resolve and Dave joined him on Charleston (after the Terrible Two, Charleston is just another road for Dave). Gene's acquaintance Dan showed up and asked directions and we invited him along to do Rams Horn with us rather than his earlier plan to do Indian Grinding Rock. Some day, he'll thank us, if he ever tries to climb Grinding Rock. Al and I took off from the base of Rams Horn to push the pace since we had some rabbits out front to chase. We kept it up until we saw the triathlon-aero-barred woman ahead of us. She was struggling a bit on the hill, but looked very strong in general. So "strong," in fact, that someone in the group recommended that we make her red & black triathlon outfit part of the standard Erma uniform. I told Dave that it would have to apply to all, and he pointed out that he wouldn't look so good in it, to which I responded that no one would be looking at him anyway. OK, here's the lesson-to-be-learned-from-this-ride part: Al pulled up along side the woman, who seemed from the start not interested in chat or even recognition. He tried to give me a lesson in how to impress a woman or at least to chat up a woman on Rams Horn. I'm not sure he's perfected the skill yet. Pointing out that it's a tough hill as you're passing someone is not a good start. Pointing out that she was doing well was even worse. Al had gotten himself into one of those conversational holes. I saw no way to help him since she was now in a mode of just wanting to shut up and ride as hard as she could up the hill. Al then realized what he'd done by passing her and worked as hard as he could to stay ahead of her til the top, which he managed to do. As we were strolling along the top of Shake Ridge, waiting to hook up with Dave and Chuck, the woman blasted by us in full tuck on her aero bars without a word. Her husband, with whom we had chatted a bit more successfully, tossed us a kind word and general invitation to hop on as he came by, so we hopped on. As we approached Chuck and Dave, I circled my hand in the air to signal them to turn around and hop on too. They did. So this peloton roared into the first big downhill stretch. The couple was not as familiar with it as we were so they slowed for the curves, which helped Chuck and Dave catch up. We powered and jockeyed and pulled and sat in all the way down Shake, trading pulls to some extent (except for me, since I was enjoying the rare sensation of sitting in behind someone bigger than I am and a little afraid since my cleat had popped out of my pedal once already). The Tri Woman blew by us a time or two (a la The Don), thinking apparently that she could power faster than a paceline of mere men. Each time, we (including her husband) powered back by her, until she couldn't hang on going up the rollers. It was a major treat to find out that the rough part of Shake Ridge was repaved so it's now smooth as a lycra-covered butt. Dave attacked at the beginning of the final set of hills. I tracked him down on the first one, and we rode together out front to the top of Chrissie's home hill. Dave's computer registered a max speed of 49.5 mph down Shake. We waited there for Gene, who said he had dropped Dan like a bag of dirt back on Rams Horn (I may be paraphrasing a bit). We took some photos at Sutter Creek before heading out for the final leg, pushing the pace here and there along Sutter-Ione until the final glide past the Diner and into the parking lot. I agree with Chuck about Al. He should not be allowed to ride without a chaperone from now on. (EH) |
| 6/18/2000 | 70, 30 | Standard coffee route, long and short | Steve, Ed, Larry C | Three pops rode on Father's Day, and all three did different rides. Steve did a modified earlybird by starting from his home on Bell Road and riding to Ione, having to hurry to make it in time to catch Ed. Ed was the sole Ione starter and dawdled just long enough for Steve to show up and encourage him to do more than just ride to coffee and back. Just after we settled in to a double-cap and a mocha at Sutter Creek, Larry C rode up, having parked in Sutter Creek and planning, as a Father's Day gift to himself, to ride Charleston (his first time). He took off toward Volcano, itching to get rolling. I was so slow drinking my capuccino that Steve took on aspects of The Don to get us rolling (or maybe he just had to get to the restrooms). Steve set a fast pace for the first half of the creek road and I obliged for the second half. We caught Larry just before the final little climb, so we all got to refresh together briefly at Volcano and ask Larry why he really wanted to do Charleston. It was for Death Ride psychology. He wanted to be assured he could climb Pacific Grade comfortably. Steve and I told him that Charleston was tougher, but that made Larry all the more determined. We'll have to wait for his report to find out about his experience. Steve and I took off to Lockwood, took the express train down to Fiddletown, took the slow train over Ostrom and around Steiner. There I said goodbye to Steve since that was his starting point and I had the unique experience of riding Shenandoah School, Old Sacramento, Forest Home, and Irish Hill by myself. Not much incentive there, especially with tired legs under me, but I relaxed and enjoyed what heat there was; it was only in the 80's, unfortunately, and pedaled steadily home to a lonely parking lot but a cooler full of goodies. The temperature could have been a bit higher, but all in all a good day to be in the hills and a great workout. (EH) |
| 6/17/2000 | 85, 92, 106 | The Grand Tour (also see special report on Shriners Challenge race) | John H. -85, Kevin (from Stockton) -85, Bill (from Stockton) -85, John R. -92, Larry H. -106 Chuck G. -106, Ken S. - 106 | The name "Grand Tour" describes todays events fully. Kevin and Bill from Stockton joined the tour for this special pre-Death Ride event. We hope they will return for more Erma rides! Could not have asked for a better day! Thanks to all who rode! |
| 6/11/2000 | 50-94 | Plymouth, Old Sacramento, Carbondale, Irish Hill, Five Mile, Marlette, Jackson Valley, Stoney Creek, Clinton, Tabeau, Pioneer-Volcano, Charleston, Hale, Fiddleton, Tyler, Brigeport to Mt Aukum, Shenandoah, Steiner, Schoolhouse, Shenandoah to Plymouth | Ken S (94), Larry H (77), Karen (77), John R (77), Al (77), Michael T (77), Jerry (77), Sarah (77), Steve (38), Michael C (35), Cheryl (50), Ed (50), Jim & Penny (40), Gail (40), Ken K | Alarm clock goes off at 5:00 am. Turn it off and think I'll go back to sleep. 5:10 am, can't sleep guess I'll go do the ride after all. Arrive at 7:03 am in Plymouth. Everyone all ready to go, but Larry H. tells me Larry C. is coming. Emra's group leaves and I get ready. 7:10 I'm ready but no Larry. While I'am waiting I notice it's kind of cold. Decide to put tights on and arm warmers along with Jacket. 7:14 no Larry, decide to start figuring he's gone to Ione instead. It's cold going down Old Sacramento Rd, even with everything I'am wearing. Get to Latrobe and do Carbondale Rd. It's still colded everytime you go faster than 20 miles an hour. Leave everything on when I turn onto Irish Hill. Do the first three little hills and find it still cold everytime I do a downhill. Get to 104 an notice my average speed is 18.8. Turn onto 104 and then onto Five Mile Road. Push it hard till I get to the intersection of Five Mile and Marlette. It's how 8:07 and I see no Emra's riders ahead so I decide to ride into Ione since it's got to take at least 9 minutes to go to City Hall and back. Figure I'll meet the group coming down Marlette. Does not happen. Get to Ione and there gone! Must have just missed them at the intersection of Five Mile and Marlette since they said there doing Stoney Creek for sure. Fly down Marlette and out to Jackson Valley. Reach the Wishing Well at the bottom of Stoney Creek and see I've average 18 miles an hour for 31.5 miles. Ride up to Lake Pardee and go into the park to get water and take off the tights, jacket an armer warmers. Still no sign of the other Emra Riders. I've got to ride more, just not in that good a shape. Pull everything in my bag and jersey pockets. Have two Gu and some water. Start back up Stoney Creek thinking Larry H. must have that rabbit back in him or I'am in really bad shape. Get to Jackson and go to the Health Food store to by some Gu since I only have two more with me. Get five more Gu and some water. Pardee Park water is real bad tasting. Leave my tights and arm warmers at the store since my bag and jersey pockets are full. Head on up Clinton to Tabuea. Nice ride up to Lake Tabuea. Still a little cold. Arrive at the lake and see that it exactly 50 miles. Still no sign of the Emra's riders. Well I'll find them in Volcano for sure. Get to Volcano at 12:00, no one there! Boy those guys are fast. Go in an order a turkey sandwich. What did you think I was going to do? Ask Sally if you been there yet. She tells me you left about 15 or 20 minutes ago. Well I'll eat the sandwich and take the Charleston short cut to Hale since John wanted to show the new comers a special treat. While I'am eating Joel Lesch and Susan drive up. Ask them if they had come down Ramshorn. They had not. Though maybe they had seen the group. Start up Charleston. Glad it's not a hot day. When I get to the top I stop and take a few pictures. Then continue on over to Shake Ridge. Go on down to Hale. Some special treat John R. The pavement is pretty rough. A real ball buster of a ride. Then you hit the up hill climbs which do not seem all that bad after Charleston. Get before the water crossing I see where some one has ridden a road bike a long the soft shoulder. You can see moisture in the track yet. Well they can not be to far ahead. Get to the water crossing where the creek flows accross the road, but do not see any wet tracks on the other side. Maybe I will not catch them to Fiddletown. Reach Fiddletown but no Erma Riders there. There are some people playing tennis there. Ask if you guys had been there yet and if so which way you had gone. They tell me you left 20 or 25 minutes ago headed to Fiddletown. Figure some of you must of gone to Mt. Aukum for the miles. Go up Tyler Road thinking this is not bad after Charleston and Hale. Of course the turkey sandwich has finally kicked in and I'am feeling real good. If I feel this good when I get to Mt. Aukum and some of the Erma's gang is there maybe we can go do Slug Gulch. Arrive at the Mt. Aukum Hardware and no one is there. Go buy some peanuts since I'am hungry again. Just do not get any mileage out of a turkey sandwich anymore. Since no riders are there a give up doing Slug Gulch and head back to Plymouth by way of Shenandoah Road, Steiner, Schoolhouse and then back on Shenandoah Road to Plymouth. Arrive in Plymouth at 3:30 and all the cars are gone, boy those guys are fast. I need to get out and ride more. Anyone want to do this ride next Sunday and we could throw in Slug Gulch. If anyone is wondering Slug Gulch is a lot easier than Charleston. Next weekend I'll try to get to the start on time. Ken S. (The Bone) SARAH: What is it with these Ermas? We were under the impression that the Sunday ride was the "more leisurely" of the weekend rides, and arrived at the park in Plymouth in the wee hours of the morn to the greetings of John &n Karen, Larry & Michaels. A promise of more Ermas to meet in Ione at 8:00. Less than fresh after two days of riding at Tahoe - Friday biking around the Lake with a Truckee loop and Saturday a brisk mountain bike ride, we were ready for a ride, but feeling heavy legs and lack of sleep for Jerry. Off we sailed on that exhilirating downhill with rollers out of Plymouth.....a bit brisk, and kept the long sleeves on, but off they came in Ione where the sun was already warming the day. Greeted lots of Ermas in the parking lot, and regrouped to head for Stoney Creek with a quick stop for John to feed one of his many canine pals along the way. We've never come into Buena Vista from upper Jackson Valley Road and enjoyed that stretch, sucked up at one point by a blazing tandem (Hello, goodbye Jim & Penny) pulling out ahead with a spinning Ed hanging on. I said "Let's go catch them" and pedaled like crazy, but alas, our efforts were futile. We formed our own pace line and sailed through Buena Vista with a turn toward Stoney Creek. Finally caught the tandem as the hills began, and Jim & Penny said, "See ya!" Stoney never lays down for you.....up, up and more up, with a fair share of downs to almost make you forget. Cheryl very strong on the hills - tweaked knee obviously working just fine as she powered on up to the school ahead of the pack. She said later she enters a meditative state to get up these stretches.......hey, it works! Quick stop at Jackson school for the mechanics to adjust Michaels toe clips. Stop in Jackson for refueling and pit stop. The group split - the conscientious ones with chores & obligations to attend to headed back (insulation to install - come on Mike!) Ed & Cheryl had visions of the Sutter Creek Coffee Shop to entice them so promised to hammer hard on Jackson Gate. Steve with family plans. The rest of us went on - new territory for Jerry & I - up Clinton Road to Tabeau. This was such a great road, absolutely no traffic and lots of shade & beautiful country to enjoy. We have decided that John R. joins the Ray C. school of "Speaking with Forked Tongue." His promises of "just one more hill," "After you get to the top of this one, you've got it made" moved us on. Well, we did have that one made, but there was always another one!!! Turned onto Highway 99 and took Pioneer/Volcano Road to next rest stop. Near assault by a spunky 10 lb. mutt at the turnoff who tried to move us off his road as we spun by. Another new road for us - what a rush going down!! Rest stop in Volcano and chatted up Rose and decided where to go from there. John R. anxious to show "the new guys" Hale Road, but vetoed by those who described it as quite bumpy. Jerry & I just wondering how we were going to crawl up Rams Horn Grade, and prepared by taking on a Payday and Gu. Larry feeling the effects of a hard workout. He said, "It's been a long time since I bonked," but even bonked he took on Rams Horn with style. Karen in her way-cool bumblebee attire buzzed up the hill with little effort (so it seemed to us bringing up the rear) with John, and we regrouped to enjoy the fantastic sail down Fiddletown Road! Larry rode back with Al, Jerry & I and we enjoyed the fine company, scenery & the "Batmobile" - a step back in time red & black convertible with fins coming at us up the road! With John along, of course a stop in Fiddletown to visit his favorite mutts, and I even remembered to bring doggie bones to share with Chatter & Samantha. Could it be....was it possible.....Plymouth was a mere five miles away? John, he of forked tongue, said, "We just ride down to Plymouth now" and we had visions of this effortless sail to our car. When he made reference to "it's just over the hill" we were clued into the idea that going over a hill meant just a little more up, and so it was! Again, we were on uncharted territory, since we usually ride out of Fiddletown up Tyler Road to Mt. Aukum. Even little hills, at the end of a long ride, hurt a little. Plymouth still looked sleepy at 1:30 when we arrived at the park, and great to realize we didn't have to make the final push to Ione. Jerry's altimeter watch recorded 5700' climb which we felt proud of until the comment was made: "Only 10,000' more vertical and we have the Death Ride." Sobering comment. Shared cold grapes and stories in the park, and then took our leave. Another great ride with a fine bunch of riders/friends and the opportunity to get to know the Erma's better. Jerry marvels at the stamina and energy of this group, and the individual kindnesses & interest shown to all. Thank you Larry for turning back on Clinton Road to move the little snake to the side so it wouldn't get squashed. What a guy! We may have moaned a bit, but this group is taking these two riders to a higher level, and showing us again the joy of riding with people who appreciate the gifts of energy, stength & health and enjoy a good challenge. Looking forward to our next "Erma Challenge" and doing some Death Ride training in the mountains. (Sarah) |
| 6/10/2000 | 70, 67, 50 | Standard Long/Short Coffee Route | 67: John H, John B; 70: Cheryl, Ed; 50: Steve, Barbara, Ann Melli, Jay Bauer | Well, the day started off with waking Ed up with a cup of coffee at the bed side; he was very grateful. What a beautiful day in Buckhorn. As we decended the hill toward Ione we saw clouds! All of a sudden, I thought we are going to have rain on the ride. The clouds went away by the time we hit the park; thank you, oh guru of bike weather. Now for the real bike report. We saw Honeychurch heading out of town as we approached. Where the heck were you going Steve? The pace started out easy and steady, we kept it that way all day except for the little spurt when Steve and I had to chase down some yellow jerseys thinking it was the early bird group ahead of us. It turned out it was Cindy and others from the Sac Wheelmen out on their club ride. Happy Birthday Cindy!!! As we hit the valley on Sutter-Ione, the cows in the corrals and one frustrated stock dog locked in the pickup seranaded us as we passed and started the climb out (Chuck, you missed a whole bunch of cow pies to decorate your bike). Ed had Ann convinced that she was going to have to buy us all coffee in Sutter Creek if she was the first to arrive so she let us beat her into town. We had a nice stop at the coffee shop with music (JR, you missed In Voice) playing at the farmers market. Just as we sat down to indulge in the java juice the two Johns showed up. Guess what? They weren’t in a hurry and had some coffee too. The pace line was nice going up the creek road with JB and Ed keeping the pace moderate--everyone enjoyed the beautiful scenery and sounds of the creek. Volcano was buzzing again with cyclists from all over. We all set out together up Rams Horn except JB--he did Charleston (JB, you only have to do it 3 more times to catch up with Ed.) I did my daily meditation while climbing the curvy quiet road staying ahead of everyone else--I wasn’t trying to show off--really. At the top of Rams Horn, Ed and I went on to do the long loop while the rest of the group headed back down Shake Ridge to Ione. We took it easy all the way back enjoying the air, scenery, wildlife, and the quiet. It was a great ride. (CDY) |
| 6/4/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | . . . and on the day after the Sierra Century, they shall rest. |
| 5/29/2000 | 55; 45 | Sutter Creek, Volcano, Irish Town, Clinton, Jackson Gate | John B, Cheryl, Ed, Chuck (25); Joyce & Gail (45) | A special last-minute addition to the calendar turned out to be one of those perfect days. We took our time all day, remembering why we ride and why we have holidays. Someone had to pinch me before I realized that John Burge was really there and I wasn't dreaming. The temperature stayed at a dreamy level all day (well, it could have been just a touch warmer for my taste). JB and I slipped slightly ahead while chatting and caught a couple of Kevin Sage's co-workers from Stockton. At the coffee house, we all wanted to stop and sip and eat and laugh for a while, so we did, making up for having missed the coffee ride on Saturday. Unfortunately, Chuck started feeling the hard Sunday ride a bit too prominently and decided to turn back on the creek road, so we got to Volcano without him. The three musketeers sat and refreshed at Volcano, greeting the Stockton guys and some other cyclists and watching cars with burning brakes come off Charleston. We all wanted to ride the hill on Volcano-Pioneer and do Irish Town partly because we just wanted to and partly to stay on roads that we thought would remain relatively free from homeward traffic, so we encountered mostly moderate traffic except for our jog on Hwy 88. We encountered rush hour in, of all places, Clinton. The run down Irish Town and Clinton gave us a chance to stretch our pushing and pulling muscles with everyone taking a shot here and there, especially Cheryl, doing some long pulls and not wanting to relinquish front position on Clinton Road. Sutter-Ione was a similar proposition, except that Cheryl attacked on several hills and shouted something about "attitude" as she shot by each time. We ended the ride feeling overjoyed that we could ride in such a place on such a day, pushing and sightseeing as we felt the urge, ending feeling refreshed and enthusiastic for the rest of the day and the rest of whatever comes after that. We missed having Chuck along for the whole thing. (EH) JOYCE & GAIL did (guess what?) their own ride: Our ride began at 8am in Plymouth via Shenandoah Road. We took a water stop in Mt. Aukum, where we sat and chatted with Ernie a 94 year old gentleman who had cycled from Placerville. We had met him before years ago and had often wondered if we would ever meet up with him again. Gail, of course, took a lot of pictures and a lot of notes. She is a true journalist. Gail and I then continued to Fairplay, stayed on Fairplay Rd to E16 (Gray's Corner) then took Perry Creek to Slug Gulch. We made the climb on Slug Gulch, chit chatting about triple cranks and wondering "it is time?" Of course down hill on Omo Ranch is a "jam" and we flew back to Plymouth. Fun ride, fun time. (JS) |
| 5/28/2000 | 89 | Ione-Plymouth-Omo Ranch-Sutter Creek-Ione | Dave B, Chuck, Steve, Larry C (60), Ray, Al, Jose (79), Michael T | Also see Michael Thurmond's special report via the events page (http://ermasdiner.com/reports). Started about 8:15 with a really great day. At Mt. Aukum, Larry Crawley turned back. Jose suffered from the dehydration and cramps and abandoned at Sutter Creek. Ride was great overall! (DB) |
| 5/27/2000 | 50, 67 | Saturday Usual plus Willow Creek for the early birds | Steve H, Peter, Ken S; 67: Al , GENE | At 9 A.M. the temperature was already rising; it looked like I would be all alone but promply at 9:05 Ken pulled in, as did Peter, and we went off to Sutter Creek. After waiting around the coffe house, we went up to Volcano, trying to beat Ken's best time, but this was not to be the day. Gene's son came out of the store wanting to know what we did with his father, who soon pulled up with Al, who was sweating profusely trying to keep up with the seasoned veteran. After climbing to Daffodil Hill, Gene discovered his helmet was on backwards for the ride and after turning it around his pace quickened significantly (senior moment?). The paceline down Shake Ridge worked very well--unless you were dropped--and we were glad to get back to Ione and rehydration (SWH) |
| 5/21/2000 | 45 | Plymouth via Michigan Bar, Carbondale, and Forest Home. Return via Irish Hill. | Ray, John R, Larry C, Steve, Michael T, Joyce, Gail, Bob | Looking at another hot day, I was excited to hear we were only headed to Plymouth. Especially after a really long, hot ride yesterday. The pace was very casual as we decided to bypass Irish hill and take Michigan Bar/Carbondale. I was looking for an easy spin, as was John (who let Karen sleep in after her successful completion of her first DC). The ride up was a pleasant as the ride down. Very uneventful except for Steve's flat. Got in by 11:30, well before the temperature hit the red zone. As it always turns out, it's much better to ride than to mow the lawn! (RC) |
| 5/20/2000 | 30-100 | Standard coffee + Lockwood | 50: Peter S, Bob D. Jim Thompson, Steve, Mike Thurmond, Ralph ?, Eric Fry, Bob from Patterson, Ralph _; 70: Dave B; 37: Anita, Jose; 67: Cheryl, Ed; 97: Sarah, Jerry; 100: John R, Chuck, Ray; 30: Dave the helmetless guy | PETER: Today was the first truly baking day of the year - and we felt it! Started with the best intentions to make 70 miles, but found the radiators were a bit plugged and not efficient at dissapating heat. In other words, we wuz sweating & hurting! Dave the helmetless guy turned back somewhere before Volcano. By Daffodil Hill, only Dave B. was still willing to pull that 70, so we parted ways and snaked down Shake Ridge. A few cramps here and there, a little lightheadedness, but beautiful all in all. And man, that Erma's milk shake at the end did taste good! (PS) STEVE: By 9 A.M. the mercury was already rising fast, and the early bird group had already hit the road. so we quickly mounted and rode to the coffee house promptly. On arrival we were greeted by Joyce and Chrissie who were parading their dogs (pets-not feet) for the local populace. After waiting and sipping ice coffees, it was decided to not wait as the "other" group would surely catch us. Addendum: we were so stealthy we even saw a bobcat on the way up! After pouring more fluid down, we proceed up to daffodil hill, where Dave went to Lockwood but those of us heat-challeged sped home down Shake Ridge to Ione, where we saw that Ed and John etc were not back--must have been a serious ride. (SH) DAVE: Dave Brubaker separated from the group at top of Rams Horn and went on to Fiddletown to get 70 miles. He did it, dehydrated and all. (DB) ED: Lots of dogs in Sutter Creek when we got there. One of them was attached to Chrissie who was having coffee with Joyce. We had stumbled onto the Mutt Strut. JR was excited. Ray bought a t-shirt. We stalled so long we missed Peter, Bob, Steve, Dave B, and others apparently, who rode the standard 9am route, whereas Ed and Cheryl decided to see how the other half lives by riding the earlybird event for a change (and because they had to be back early). We separated from the rest after a long, cooling rest stop at Volcano since the temperature was in the 90s, we separated from the rest at Daffy Hill and rode moderately back to Ione. The others went up and up and haven't been heard from again--yet. Report to follow from that group when they arrive. (EH) CHUCK: After saying our goodbyes to the standard route crew, we headed up to Lockwood and sailed down to Fiddletown where John had a date with a couple of real dogs. Then we took on the climb to Mt. Aukum over Tyler while it was still cool enough to be enjoyable. The rational was that we needed to get the miles in this week in preparation for the Sierra Century. (Ray needed the miles to be sure he could best the Italians on his vacation the first part of June.) We turned on the misters and cooled down with some gator-aide and peanuts at Mt. Aukum Hardware before heading to the vineyards and Steiner Road. As we passed through Plymouth we realized that we were going to be very close to one hundred miles for the day, so rather than return over Irish Hill, we took Michigan Bar, then road past the intersection to Ione and took the road to Buena Vista to the top of the first just to be sure we had the 100+ miles. As we rolled into Ione about 4 PM, so proud of our 100 miles, we realized we had only made half the pedal strokes for the day as those Erma riders on the Davis Double. Way to go guys! (CG) SARAH: Our second ride with the Erma's group, and Jerry & I can't figure out whether these guys want us to tag along or are trying to kill us! Enjoyed the ride from Ione to SC with cool temps, nice rollers and fine company. No donkeys today, and the peacocks stayed on their perches to beat the heat. Ray won the "coasting" contest down the big hill, but no one else was coasting, so no record. Heating up by the time we reached Sutter Creek, where we saw mutts of every shape & size. A Rottweiler mix came out of the ladies restroom wearing a full tuxedo, and the park was full of prancing pooches and proud owners. Jose & Anita turned back here after a quick stop at the Coffee House while we went on up the cool, shady creek road - enjoying the miles and listening to John's canine tales. I have found a fellow dog lover! In Volcano, enjoyed a long, relaxing refueling stop on Rose's bench, getting to know the Erman's (Barb's term) a little better. Felt honored when we were asked if we wanted to order an Erma's jersey (of course!). Have we arrived? Discussion of how far to ride today - decision deferred to top of Ram's Horn Grade to see how we fared. Once there said good-bye to Cheryl & Ed (things to do today) and went on with the Fiddletown madmen who promised good times if we continued. Ray uttered his first of many "Just one more hill, and it's a little one!" By Mt. Aukum Jerry decided that Ray spoke with forked tongue. Met John's significant others (Chatter & Sabrina) in Fiddletown, where we traded dog bones for sloppy kisses for awhile. Pit stop in the park and a ride down the scary slide and yet another GU to prepare for the hills ahead. Promises of real food & drink at the store lured us on. Beautiful ride - such an isolated stretch of road and plenty of shade to combat the ever-increasing temps. Trip highlight: Sitting in the misters at Mt. Aukum store eating salty things and drinking cold Gatorade. Tried to find a taxi to return me to Ione, but the only vehicle in the parking lot an ancient pickup with a badly leaking radiator. Figured I might make it back faster under my own power. On to the wineries and lovely Steiner Road, which we had never ridden. Things really heating up now, and Jerry needed to stop to douse his head in a farmer's yard faucet to cool core temperature down from 118! Revived, we pedaled on while the trio revised ride plans to avoid Irish Hill, which they must have thought might have done us in by this time! We could tell they were determined to make this a full century with the temps hovering at nearly a full century! Ione appeared like a welcome mirage and we heard Ray, John & Chuck holler that we could turn off - they were going on a few miles to get their century. We pulled into the parking lot at 97.5 miles thinking only of our cooler full of iced stuff to eat & drink, shaking our heads in amazement at the drive of these cyclists! We were there, cooled down, applying iced wash cloths to our necks when they arrived, quite smug and satisfied at going the distance! John remarked he actually had 100.6 after circling the parking lot a few times! So, once again, (now that it is over) a great ride with a truly fine bunch of cyclist/people who made us feel welcome. We are so impressed with the hospitality that Erma's riders show - they want everyone to have a good time and a great ride, and someone always hangs back to be sure everyone OK. Thank you so much Ed & Cheryl (good to get to know you better), Ray, John & Chuck. We will return...... (Sarah Solberg) |
| 5/14/2000 | A: 62; B: 35 | A: Plymouth, Aukum; B: Buena Vista, Stoney Creek, Sutter Creek, Ione | A: Jim & Penny, Joyce, Al, Karen, John R; B: Cheryl, Ed | The A and B rides split at the end of Marlette. B ride (also known as the "We did that yesterday" ride) headed off toward Jackson Valley, Pardee, and Stoney Creek. Thanks, Mom, for keeping everyone busy with brunches and things and off the roads. The best traffic since the Super Bowl. We wanted to get a combo of moderate/short ride but with some climbing, so the shorter route up Stoney fit perfectly. As usual, the vistas along Stoney are every-changing and spectacularly bucolic, this time improved by the presence of more wildflowers than I've ever seen before, especially the huge fields of yellow flowers. (But nothing compared with the gigantic stand of star thistle along Old Stockton Road; they must really love those sewage ponds.) We were delighted to finish while it was still morning and we could get back to chores while we still had energy to tackle them. (EH) After saying goodbye to Cheryl and Ed at the junction of Marlette and 5 Mile Rd., the 6 of us had an enjoyable ride to Mt. Aukum. Like Cheryl and Ed experienced, the traffic was on the light side except for the sections at Hiway 49 and Shenandoah and Hiway 16 heading back to Willow Creek. On the way to Plymouth Joyce wasn't sure if she had time to go to Mt. Aukum since she had to get back in time to get to a Monarch's game. However "The Don" assured her that we would be back in Ione by 1:30 ..... and we did!! In Mt. Aukum while we refueled, one of the "natives" asked us if we had ever ridden with a rider who lives in Mt. Aukum and who is 94 years YOUNG !!! And I thought Gene is remarkable !!!! The ride back to Ione was fun with the Jimmy and Penny doing a fine job of pulling us along. It was a totally fun ride with good mileage without big climbs so thanks to all who rode. The weather was actually just about perfect but all agreed that it is about time to feel WARM and not to have to be concerned with rain. Good luck to those who are doing the Davis Double....we'll be thinking about you as we do a ride for "normal" folks on Sat.!! (JR) |
| 5/13/2000 | 37, 50, 67, 70, 86, etc. | standard coffee route extended via Lockwood | Ray (86), Larry H (86), Chuck (85), John B (67), John R (67), Gene (67), John S (67), Dave B (50), Bob D (50), Peter (50), Michael T (62), Ed (70), Cheryl (70), Larry C (?), Sarah & Jerry Solberg (67), Barbara (50), Ann Melli (50), Jim Sharp (50), Jim Thompson (Peter's neighbor) (62), helmetless Dave (22), about 80 Wheelmen (everywhere), and a bunch of triathletes (in Plymouth) | Where would I start, and how (as Prufrock says) should I presume? Will someone send in a report, some mileage info, and some names to help out. Today was a lot of people and a lot of confusion. More people than ever rode more options than ever. Adding to the confusion were 80 Sacto Wheelpersons on most of the same route. Barbara's friend and fellow DBC rider Jim Sharp stopped to help some wheelers and was occupied there for about 40 minutes, long enough for Ann and everyone else to wonder and worry about him. Bob Dahlquist shaves one leg, because he's only "half serious," according to him. Barbara offered a modification that was heard variously as "half-assed" or "half-fast." John Burge showed up and rode very well and was talked into doing the Davis Double by Barbara, who said she could whip his ass on Cardiac, according to a peloton rumor. But rumors were wild and rampant in the peloton this day, so hard to know what to believe. Ray is worried about Barbara's mileage while he's in Italy and tried to put his rides in Italy on the Erma calendar so he could get Erma miles for them. Ed and Cheryl were there instead of on the north coast for T.U.C., ensuring that it would be a beautiful ride for Steve and Mike Cockrell (see their reports). Cheryl gave instruction in adjusting chestware: "Just bend over and shake 'em into place." Peter was there looking chipper and dapper in his Farmer's Tan jersey and brought out a friend, Jim, who rode a mountain bike and got lost. We saw lots of Rex bikes among the Wheelmen, including some pretty spectacular paint jobs, but no pink flames. We found out that Larry Hayes' "pink dog" is "fading," but we were afraid to ask what that meant (from a conversation between him and Cheryl). The ride down Fiddletown Road was as enjoyable as last week. Ostrom was pretty. Shenandoah was fast, so fast my jacket flew out of my pocket, but did not cause a crash. The headwind pulls out of Plymouth, over to Forest Home were such fun that Ray and Ed competed for the lead. What else? Someone say something. (EH) |
| 5/6/2000 | 87, 71, 67, 37 | standard Sat + Lockwood, Fiddletown, Ostrom, Sheandoah | 87: Ray, Chuck; 71: Cheryl, Ed; 67: John R, Karen; 37: Jose | Many friends and relatives ask why I ride, why I ride in the hills, and why with Erma. Some think it strange that I have a career managing risk then spend my weekends taking risk. I don't have the enigmatic answer of a mountain climber to explain what I do. I enjoy the conversation, the camaraderie, and the support of friends who try to accept each other without judging. I enjoy the rural roads of Amador County. This weekend I remembered a little more about why I ride, and why with Erma. The parade on Sunday provided a glimpse of the good that we share and extend to others. But Saturday, Saturday provided that feeling that comes from being fit, in control and pushing the limits of risk where everything falls into place. Going down from Lockwood to Fiddletown, all distractions disappeared. The ride was worth doing for its own sake! Thanks John, Jose, Karen, Ray, Cheryl and Ed for another wonderful day. (Chuck) |
| 4/30/2000 | 62, 100 | Modified Pardee Party w/Plymouth Loop Added | (100): Karen, John R, Cheryl, Ed, Dave N, Mike Cockrell; (62): Dave B, Chuck, Kevin W, Larry H, Larry C, Jim & Penny; (36): Pat; (??) Gail, Jerry | Any day riding is a good day and this day was particularly fine as many Ermas showed up for the 8 a.m. start. The oohhing and aahhing over PJ's new Rex allowed the tardy Erma's time to prepare for the day, although I was my cranky self, and being urged on by Larry H., started yelling "Let's Go!!!" at about 8:10. Gail was in full photo-mode and drove along, ahead and behind taking, what I can only assume to be, hundreds of pics. I'm glad I don't have to pay for her developing bills!! I thought I had picked the route, but come to find out, didn't, as we deviated from my suggested Pardee Party Loop. Also unplanned was the race-pace set early by The Rabbit (who was NOT planning on riding the full 100) and Neff (who could do the full 100 with one leg tied behind his back), but they were good sports and either pulled or waited patiently for us "moderate" riders (namely: ME!). After watching in stunned silence while Jerry attempted to commit suicide by running a stop sign at a very busy intersection with on-coming traffic CLEARLY visable (bad form, Jerry), we never saw him again . . . that is until he showed up hours later at Erma's, where a couple of us were "feeding"!! After returning to Ione, our smaller group watered up and headed to Plymouth. I was tempted to dangle "golf" in JR's sights and bail, but not with my first DC mentor in attendance . . . ride, ride, ride, miles, miles, miles . . . OK, Dave?? As I was bonking up Irish Hill, I heard an explosion which was music to my ears . . . JR (ahead of me, naturally) blew his tire right off the rim. Whew . . . now I could relax and head to Plymouth at my own pace without trying to play catch up for 15 miles!! Once in Plymouth, I headed directly for the mini-mart and a Dove Bar . . . Oh, the joy of ice cream!!! Filled with fat & sugar, I was able to pull on my favorite part of Old Sac, despite a little headwind that forced all the smart ones to stay behind me, although I know they could have easily ridden faster. Back in Ione, thankfully, I was very sad to have missed Jimmy & Penny who had brought a cake in belated celebration of Gail's BD last week . . . was it chocolate??? My March attempts to plan an All-Girls BD Ride (Cheryl, Joyce, Gail and yours truly were all within a 5 week span of eachother) never worked as the 4 of us have not been on the same ride since early March. Oh well . . . the best laid plans . . . Happy Belated to Gail!! Onward to Erma's Diner for chow & lemonade! Great day; great ride. Thanks to all! kb |
| 4/29/2000 | 50/67 | Standard Dafo Hill + earlybird (also see Ray's Wente RR report) | (50): Larry (Yolo), Jerry(?), Ed; (67): John R, Karen, Al, Gene, Kevin S, Bill (Stockton) | Now this is more like it. No rain for the first time in three Saturdays. Not only that, but it was sunny. And warm. My first start without leg warmers--that's how warm! The turnout was a little thin, probably scared away from two days of riding by the century tomorrow. Jerry pretended that he had brought the wrong shoes so he could drive to Sutter Creek and start from there with coffee. That left me and Larry, who was on his second Erma ride, brought out by Michael Thurmond. We met Jerry there and had plenty of time for coffee and pastry on the porch, leaning and loafing at our ease, as Walt Whitman says. And then there was Al and Kevin and Bill and JR and KB and Gene. And we were off, across the creek where the rubber duck races were underway, leaving town to the sounds of jazz coming from the festivities in the park. Al insisted on pushing the pace to Volcano, despite my efforts to slow him down. I did a memorial look at Charleston since Ray and John S were off racing today (we'll get a report online as soon as it comes in). We hardly recognized the top of Shake Ridge in sunlight and dry pavement, but we did our best to remember how to ride dry. We had our one-redneck-per-ride-on-Shake encounter at the bottom of the long downhill but got around that obstruction with just a few selected vocalizations from a few of us. Probably just as well that Jerry wasn't there then. We tore through SC to get back to the diner for a photo shoot by Gail with ERMA herself. We had to wait since Russ said they were off shopping or something so we ordered and ate, drank, made merry and were assembled under an umbrella when Erma and Gail arrived. We talked and posed for Gail. Gene insisted on bumping burgers with me (chests, that is), and that got recorded on film. We agreed to a group photo shoot in front of the diner on the Sunday of the parade. (Be there or have some really bad photo of your inserted digitally.) I think this was the first time that Kevin and Bill from Stockton both joined us at the same time, even though we've ridden with them several times in the past. They have both been training, obviously. Everybody is moving smartly into mid-season form. (EH) |
| 4/23/2000 | 66 | Ospital Loop | Cheryl, Ed | I didn't want to do it. Get up and start riding so early, that is. But once I got to sunny, if chilly, Ione, I was glad and looking forward to a longish ride in training for the T.U.C. Without any other riders and without anyone (you know who you are) urging us to conformity with the clock's minute hand, we rolled leisurely out of Ione on Easter morning at 8:20. As usual, on Marlette, we were glad we went with warmer clothes. But the day warmed and so did we. It was one of the prettiest days of the year so far, even though the grass is starting to brown, most noticeable on the rolling, open pasture land along Ospital's big rollers. We opted to stay low and ride the "moderate" rollers, but those of you who've done this route know that it's not moderate if you push the pace at all, which we did. That made the headwinds on the way back over North Camanche and Jackson Valley all the more noticeable to leg muscles that wanted a hot bath more than a bike ride. But we rolled into Ione in good season and good humor, especially glad to get off the bikes since we did the ride with only two stops at Burson going and coming (where the church people were very friendly and let us use the restrooms inside while they were hiding eggs in the park)--and to get something to eat and to sit down in the sun a while. A great, if quiet, Erma's ride without the usual raucuous, pace-pushing, joke-telling, gossip-sharing bunch, but we made up our own stories to compensate and pretended everyone was there with us as I recounted our second Shake Ridge rain ride in a row to Cheryl, making her glad she's a Sunday rider rather than a Saturday rider. And then off to hot showers and Easter dinner, both made all the more delicious by today's ride. Happy Easter to all. (EH) |
| 4/22/2000 | 67, 50, ... | standard Sat plus earlybird | (67): Dave N, Ray, John R, Karen, Chuck, John H; (50): Ed, Michael W, Steve (new), Bob D; (45): Dave B; (40): Jim & Penny, Joyce, Gail; (37): Gene, Jose; (20): Steve H; (17): Luis | What a scattered day. All seemed normal--and then Bob Dahlquist cruised in--low-riding, head back, hand draped over wheel, 'tude in one hand, brew in the other. We agreed to cut into our coffee time to wait for him since he has such a pretty . . . bike. The six of us found Joyce and Gail ordering in the coffee house. Jim and Penny joined us at the table as we waited for the long-riders to appear and for JR to start urging us on to Volcano. They didn't. We hung out at the restrooms for while talking with Kevin and Bill, who started at Buena Vista. Then we took off, not knowing for sure whether the early group was in front or behind. We rode together (Steve H had to return to family obligations, which he seemed to relish and not wait to participate in--is that what you wanted me to say, Steve?). The five remaining rode together until "Fabio" began to split us up, but we all finished fairly close together. We had time before the early group arrived to hang out for quite a while with a big family party of bunnies. They were all dressed as bunnies on one kind or another. The one bunnie who originally drew Michael and Steve over was the tall pink Playboy bunny. At first, Michael kept himself under control by telling himself that it was a man (she was very tall and very robust). She posed for many shots, including showing her "tail." Steve's digital camera got a hi-res workout. I told him that all photos taken during an Erma ride are the property of The Diner. We'll see if he shares. On to Rams Horn, or Charleston for those whose insecurities force such actions (you know who you are). Just starting down from the top of Shake Ridge, it happened again: RAIN. This time it didn't stop part way down. It lasted. So we raced, including scattering around a Jeep that stopped in the middle of the road in front of us on a DOWNHILL. Michael, Dave, Steve, Bob, and I kept on going to minimize our time in the rain, traversing Sutter-Ione very quickly and then powering home to get out of those wet clothes. The rest of the staff dribbled in. Fred gave a demonstration of how to pedal. He also took video on Chrissie's hill and promises to make us a copy to show us how to improve our pedaling technique. By the time the drenched riders arrived at the Ione parking lot, the weather was perfect, sunny, warm. We got a bit of everything--whether we wanted it or not. (EH) |
| 4/16/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out--but see report on Wildflower Century on same day |
| 4/15/2000 | 67, 50 | standard coffee route (also see Dave's Devil Mtn report) | John R, Karen, John H, Chuck, Gene; (50): Ray, Cheryl, Ed, John A, Steve; (20): Al & friend | 4/15/00 Saturday (Tax amnesty until Monday). The early group was off from the parking lot at 8:30 on the dot. John H, John R, Karen, Gene, and Chuck. We warmed up on Irish Hill, a Rovane favorite, then Willow Creek and to Sutter-Ione. Met up with Ed, Cheryl, Steve, John, Ray after a sidetrip to Karen's client "who didn't know anything." Caffeine must be a performance enhancer as it was a "chase" for some of us up to Volcano. You leaders know who you are. Lots of conversation and social exchange periodically. Pictures in route by Ken (can't wait) Volcano was hopping with a Street Faire. Ed tried to fit a framed picture of some mountain scene into his jersey and failed. John R almost bought a "waterfall" to remind he and Karen of our recent traverse of Sutter Creek. None of us seemed to have much loose change on us. Ram's Horn was manageable in the cool weather and the scent of Bear Clover is starting to waft over the ascent. We had no idea of the pleasures of the road awaiting us as we lollygagged in Volcano. John R was convinced that the Chief Weather Guy had to be right about his forecast for no rain today Rain ''.'.'.'.'.'.'.'' on Shake Ridge. This was not far from Charleston where we reattached to Steve and Ray who have numbed pain fibers in their legs (heads?) after climbing this obvious "short cut." Several miles of bike washing saved us from having to clean up our trusty steeds and our socks were properly pre-washed for our laundry. Dry roads followed into Sutter Creek via Gopher Flats with little teasing patches of sun to humidify our wetted clothes. We went straight to the barn via Sutter Ione with no one suggesting "an extra loop." A Weterful time was had by all. 5 hours 65 miles for the early crew. (JH) Congratulations to John Alvarez for his first (and maybe last and only) ascent of Charleston. He's one up on Fred! (RC) |
| 4/9/2000 | 27, 47, 64 | Michigan Bar-Carbondale-Forest Home-Old Sac-Latrobe-Willow Creek (soapbox)-Sutter Creek-Willow Creek-Irish Hill | (64): Dave N, (47): Ed, Ray, (27): Carol, Karen, John R, Pat, (8): Steve | Several Pardee partakers turned out to spin the stiffness out of their legs, including four of the six hundred-plus group: Karen, JR, Ray, Ed. PJ, JR, KB, and Carol had plans and went straight back after Soapbox Hill (Willow Creek). Ray won the honor of being Lead Bottom for a Day (but didn't beat the records held by Ed (single) and Jim/Penny (tandem). PJ fell a mile or two short of his goal of crossing the bridge, when he and Karen couldn't make it over the first hump. Dave, Ray, Ed continued to Sutter Creek for coffee, where they lingered as long as possible so that Ray could digest the berry pie and whipped cream. No one was tempted by the cocker spaniel pups being given away next to the dog bakery. After a brisk ride over Sutter-Ione Rd, paced by Dave, he went on to get in a few more miles as Ray and Ed gratefully headed for the barn while still feeling human. Though it started out somewhat cloudy, it cleared nicely into a warm and happy day with lots of mild-paced chatting and reminiscing about Party Pardee. Oh, yeah, and Steve had a knee problem that turned him back "at the pig" on Five Mile Road. We hope it heals completely by next Saturday at least. (EH) |
| 4/2/2000 | 71*, 88, 33**, 43*** | Ione,Pardee,Stoney Creek,Clinton,Tabeau, Red Coral Volcano,Sutter Creek Ione (with option of Irish Hill) | (88): Larry H., Dave, (71): Steve, (43): Jim, Penny, Gail, (33): Pat, Ed, Cheryl, John, Karen, Michael, Larry (new) | It was a beautiful warm day as we all waited in the parking lot for Ed to show up in his pajamas after The Don's warning about starting on time. Off to Pardee via Jackson Valley with a number of stops for adjustments and such. At Pardee the group split as some people had obligations and others were injured. The infamous "A" group proceeded up Stoney Creek to Jackson and then up Clinton and Tabeau to Pine Grove. There the best tasting frostie freeze awaited us except for the purist Larry. Down Red Corral to Volcano was a fast descent but the descent to Sutter Creek made us understand why some bikes have shocks! After a "shortcut" through the Sutter Creek cemetery we raced on down to HWY 124, where Dave and Larry decided they hadn't had enough pain yet so proceeded via Willow Creek to Irish Hill then home--I hope. A good day, a hot day, a full ride. (SH) Steve, Larry H and Dave N left the group at Pardee. Stony Creek, Clinton and Tabeau were spectacular and a little cooler the higher we climbed. We decided we need to head up that way more often. Steve and Dave topped up their tanks with a Frosty cone at Pine Grove. That could easily become a tradition. Steve was initiated on the downhill version of the Sutter Creek-Volcano road. He'd had enough when we reached the highway and returned to Ione. Larry and Dave added Willow Creek and Ray's Hill and were appreciative we could ride the latter without racing it. We stopped at Erma's for a soda and were treated to a display of Ione's finest in action when the Fire and Police Depts. responded to a car fire just down the street from Erma's. Lots of miles and a good start on a tan. Doesn't get any better. [DN] |
| 4/1/2000 | 73, 62*, 38**, 21*** | Ione, Ray's Hill, WCreek, S. Creek,Volcano, Pine Grove, Jackson, St.Creek | Ray, Al, John S. Karen, John R, Gene* , Jose**, Luis (new)*** | April Fools Day turned out to be the warmest day to ride in 2000!! The temperature at the start was such that no one even considered starting out with cool weather gear. Obviously Edzo wasn't there! The "early- birds" started on time and enjoyed the warmup by riding Ray's Hill and Willow Creek Rd..On W.C. Rd. the usual "soapbox derby event" was not the usual length due to swirling winds that seemed to be in our face all day. Al said there was a tailwind at some point but I'm not sure at what point that happened! When we arrived in Sutter Creek we looked for the late starters but there was not one rider to be found. We spotted Steve's SUV but not him .We missed his company but hopefully he had a good ride. Today's ride was a "survey ride" to check out the popularity of daffodils at the top of the infamous Rams Horn Grade. In Volcano it was quite evident from the number of gas guzzlers heading up "The Horn" that there still was an attraction up in Daffodil Hill. So we headed up Volcano-Pioneer Rd. and then down Hiway 88 into Pine Grove , down Irishtown and Clinton Rds. into Jackson. After a visit with Bill @ Jackson Family Sports we moved on to Sutter Creek. When we got to Sutter Creek, Gene , who had a long ride on Friday, wisely decided that he had enough riding for one day. While he rested and had a sandwich the rest headed back to Ione . (When we got back to Ione, Karen drove his van back to SC hoping all the way that she wouldn't get pulled over by the over zealous Ione PD since she did not have her license.) Heading down Ione-Sutter Creek Rd., a bumble bee, about the size of a Boeing 737, decided to sting "The Don"!!! The bee "paid" the ultimate price! On the way down Hiway 124 Karen showed the form she had ALL day by leading everyone out! But not to be outdone, Ray chased her down and continued where KB left off!! As usual it was a great day to be out on the bikes with a great bunch of friends! Thanks. (JR) |
| 3/26/2000 | 40 | Irish Hill-Plymouth-Irish Hill | John R, Karen, Chuck, Ray, Steve, Chrissie, Ed, Larry C, Jim & Penny, Cheryl, Gail, Joyce | Another fine spring day greeted a good turn out of riders for a Sunday Ride, especially after a fast and furious ride the previous day. After milling about the parking lot for a good 30 minutes, which included an impromptu ceremony to present Chrissie her well deserved recognition for Most Improved Rider as well as sharing top honors in the Sandbagging category. The route for the day took us to Plymouth. It was a friendly, sociable ride as I mostly stayed in the back talking with Jim and Penny about the lack of green vegetation in Arizona and a $65 artichoke. Upon pulling into Plymouth, the usual "butt-kicking" banter was in progress. (Hmmmm, wonder who that could be?) Anyway, still feeling pretty good, and not too tired from yesterday, I wanted to "warm up" on the way down from Plymouth to Carbondale in preparation for my "butt-kicking" which was shortly to come. The rapid descent was followed by a faster than usual, maximum heart-rate pull on the flat. With the "STOP AHEAD" sign within 150m, I was thinking "only a few more seconds, and I could pull up", just then a brutal attack by Dave came up on the left and took everyone by surprise. I debated whether or not to try to chase , but finally kicked-in what fuel was left to grab his wheel. It was just enough of a lead-out for Ed to reel Dave in as they sailed through the Stop sign. The short recovery over to Irish Hill found Steve being a Good Sam to a stranded rider, and picking up a Rio Strada rider (forgot his name) along the way. That small social visit, allowed Dave, Chrissie, Karen and Cheryl to get off the front with a good lead. When I realized it, I picked up the pace as I rode by Ed (who was learning about magnets from Bill McClaskey, Rio Strada rider we met on the way) and told him "They're not waiting!" It was a time-trial pace as I tried to catch those rabbits. I caught Karen and Cheryl about 3 miles out, who were engaged in their own separate cat-and mouse game. It's difficult at best, to catch Dave or Chrissie riding alone with a head start, but to try and catch both of them working together is impossible. When they weren't in sight with a mile to go, it was a lost cause. As I came around the last corner, they had just turned around at the intersection. Not the photo finish I had hoped for, but a good workout nonetheless. As we returned to the parking lot, the consensus was that nobody was interested to do the Pardee/Camanche loop. So we called it a day. A really good day. (RC) |
| 3/25/2000 | 53/70 | Saturday deviant: Sutter Creek-Jackson-Stoney Creek-Pardee-Campo Seco-Camanche | (53): Ed, John B, John A, Steve, Michael T; (35): Barbara, Ann (new); (30): Bob D, Michael W; (20): Jose; (70): David D, Gene, Ray, Larry H; (52): Karen, John R; (17): Bruce; (8): Cheryl (is that everyone? Miles right?) | Spring is here. Look at that turnout. We avoided Daffy Hill by riding to coffee and then straight to Jackson and down Stoney Creek, around Pardee, through Campo Seco, around North Camanche, down Curran, and back. That was 53 miles. The early birds added their 17 miles before coffee. JR, KB, Bob, Michael, Babs, and Ann had to cut it short by riding straight back from Pardee. Jose was there for the coffee and company. Bruce did the early bird only. Cheryl rode from Sutter Creek til she met us on Sutter-Ione and then had coffee with us before leaving for work. The standard race down Stoney was broken up fairly quickly, with Ray, Michael W, and David taking off ahead of everyone else. There's a hill outside Campo Seco with my name on it now, right Ray? Ray and I had an interesting push against each other on the last hill on Buena Vista Rd, tying each other at the top after pushing each other way beyond what we wanted. After a long stop at Camanche, we pulled together in a pace line back home. Beautiful day, fine scenery, especially the lush green and new wildflowers. We all participated in Michael T's honeymoon ride on his Mondonico (so far, so good). (EH) |
| 3/19/2000 | 67 | Mt. Aukum Run | JR, KB, Dave N, Dave B, Larry H, Jimmy, John H, Steve, Larry C. (40) and Chuck (40) | Saturday's sunshine was hiding behind some occasionally ominous looking cloud cover, but there was no threat of rain, as we arrived in Ione. JR/KB honored the missing Ed/Cheryl by pulling in exactly at 8, only to be out-tardied by Larry C., who arrived fashionably late @ 8:10. After apologies to Larry H., who had time to change his cleats while waiting for us, we were off like a turd of hurdles. With the tandem MIA, we quickly discarded the idea of riding the Pardee Area. Also dismissed quickly were the Stoney Creek to Jackson (Dendelion Days) and Rams Horn Grade (Daffodil Hill) routes due to heavy tourist traffic (been there, done that on Saturday!). So, we headed towards Mt. Aukum, one of my favorites. Larry C. and Chuck turned back at Plymouth, citing asthma and corned beef & cabbage their respective reasons. I wish I could report all kinds of fun and memorable occurances during the ride, like the previous day, but all I really remember is having a great ! day riding with a bunch of great friends . . . yes, the usual Erma ride!!! Thanks guys!! kb |
| 3/18/2000 | 65/51/20 | Standard Saturday route Irish Hill warm up | Al, John S., Ray, Karen, John R., Chuck, Gene, Jose (51), Brian (20), Gail (30), Joyce(30) | John S, and Al arrived before 8AM just to be sure they were in on the day's festivities. We took the Irish Hill warm up route were the peleton met up with Gail and Joyce who started in Sutter Creek and were riding the route in reverse. After clicking away several rolls of film with Gail, we tested out the soap box derby hill and headed for Sutter Creek. We knew that it was nearly a full moon, but we did not expect to see it in the bright of day, or sticking out of a car window. We are still debating if "mooning" is an act of aggression or affection toward bicyclists? Without Ed and Cheryl we could not gather enough votes to stop for coffee, so up Sutter Creek we road until confronted by a wonderfully friendly and lost dog. You know John R. was not about to leave him (well the truth is the dog would not leave us). We tried to get the man on the side of the road to take him, but he refused saying the dog showed up a few days ago and it was not his. The dog followed us up the hill for 3 to 5 miles. Often at speeds in excess of twenty miles per hour when Jose agreed to ride back down Sutter Creek to see if he could find someone to take the dog. The last we saw of the dog he was romping down Sutter Creek with Jose. We later learned that a driver almost hit the dog. He was so angry that he got out of their car and threatened to beat Jose up. Jose convinced him that it was not his dog, but the angry driver would not offer any assistance in getting the dog to safety. A little further down the road Jose found a nice couple that agreed to ta! ke responsibility for the dog and work with animal control to use the dog's tag to locate the owner. Thanks Jose! In Volcano we were treated to a cacophony of migrating geese circling a mile above our heads. The ride up Rams Horn and down Shake Ridge was one of the worst ever with traffic snarls at Daffodil Hill, speeding mobile homes, and octogenarians hugging the white line. Someone should remind us to stay away from Rams Horn during daffodil season. We made it back to Ione and promised to do it again tomorrow, but not Rams Horn. (CG) |
| 3/12/2000 | lots + Banquet | Irish Hill-Plymouth-Mt Aukum-Shenandoah | John R (78), Karen (70), Larry H (78), Dave N (1), Dave B (1), Al, Ray (78), Jerry (78), Bob D (21), Bruce (21), Barbara(28), Chuck (53), Steve H (49), Ed (50), Cheryl (50), Larry C (60); Jim & Penny (60), Victor (60), Gail (1), Al (1), Fred (1) | A foggy day greeted the "early birds" but the sun was a bright and beautiful sight to see by the time we reached Irish/ Ray's Hill. Perfect route to get some good miles on record ....especially for Larry C., Jim and Penny,and Victor who for various reasons haven't been able to get in the miles this season. After a short stop in Plymouth we headed up to Mt. Aukum and then turned around and headed back in the same direction. At the Shenandoah and Shenandoah School Rd. intersection we met up with Cheryl, Ed, and Chuck. To get back in time for the ban- quet we joined up and headed back to Plymouth anxiously looking forward to meeting Barbara somewhere along the route. As we turned off Forest Home Rd. onto Carbondale Rd. it was exciting to see a lone rider in a NEW Erma's jersey heading our way!!! It was BARBARA and were we all glad to see her on the road once again! After a short "reunion" we got back on the bikes and it was uplifting to see BA having such a good time !! Barbara was "treated" to the usual "race" on Irish/Ray's Hill that was a photo finish between Ray and Ed.... No surprize, unless Dave N. had been there instead of being back @ Loretta's getting everything ready for a fantastic banquet. Getting back to the "race", Chuck is going to mark the official "finishing line" so there will be no question as to where the race ends from now on. Back in Ione we had a GREAT banquet thanks to the hard work of Dave Neff!! Special thanks also to Gail for her photography and to Chuck for all the great computer work on the awards! Also Special Thanks to Erma and Russ for the coming to the banquet and for so generously paying for our meals!! The only downside to the fun event was that we couldn't have held the event at ERMA'S DINER . LOTS of laughs and awards and it was too bad that Chrissie and Ken weren't in attendance to have received their special awards that they so deservedly earned. Glad you did so well at the Lighthouse Crit. Chrissie so we'll save your award for later. THANKS again Dave we all had a GREAT time!! (JR) |
| 3/11/2000 | 45/55 | Sutter Creek, Ione, Comanche, Pardee, up Stoney Creek to Jackson, Jackson Gate to SC and SC/Volcano Rd | Cheryl, Ed, Peter, Michael (new) | It was a late start because of my yoga class. The "unofficial" early-bird riders (see JR's report below) were at the start, so we all rode off together down Sutter/Ione Rd. There was lots of discusion after the first group rode off to Ione about which direction we should go. I wanted hills and something different from Sunday's ride so when Ed, Peter, and Michael said they wanted hills too, I went for it. It was a beautiful day with lots of wildlife to show off the route. Michael had never ridden up here. Each time we came to a turn with new scenery, Michael exclaimed what a great place to ride. He says he will definitely be back.The lake was full with lots of goofy guys floating around in tubes fishing. Ed was his usual zippy self getting up the hill with ease while the rest of us tried to stop our legs from cramping (Chrissie, where were you to give Ed a challenge on the hills?). We stopped at Pardee for water and to stretch, hoping the cramps would go away. Then I remembered my secret potions in my pocket (I guess inversion yoga doesn't help memory). I took a bunch of stuff and my legs came back to life. Peter and Michael did the sightseeing thing as they rode along, enjoying all the green hillsides and the wonderful fresh air. We still could not keep up with Ed, so he rode slow for us. We got back to SC, Peter and Michael were done. I wanted at least 50 miles, so Ed and I rode up the creek road to get the final miles to make it 55 total. I was a great ride, my favorite route of all. (CY) [also see Steve's "events" report on the Land Park Criterium, where he, Chrissie, and Ray raced on this day] Since a few on us didn't have the time to go to Sacto for "A Day at the Races" we (Karen, JR, Jerry, Gene, Bruce) were able to do a last minute "other" Sat. ride. Perfect day to ride and for once we didn't have to check with Doppler before setting out!! Good warmup by riding out 5 Mile Rd. to Buena Vista and returning to Ione via Lake Amador. Back in Ione we dropped off the any jackets or arm warmers we didn't need any longer, yeah sun !!! Once again we headed out Marlette and towards I. Hill, soon to be Ray's Hill, and back over Willow Cr. before going up to Sutter Creek. In Sutter Creek we met up with Ed, Cheryl, Peter, and Michael. We all headed back to Ione where the late starters headed out for more miles while Karen had to head for Mace Meadows to keep the GNP growing!!Great ride, great weather, and great fun too. (JR) |
| 3/5/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 3/4/2000 | 50, 67*, 68/83**, other*** | Standard Saturday Coffee Ride + earlybird, etc. | Ed, Gene*, Cheryl***, Chrissie***, Gail***, Jim & Penny***, Bruce***, John S**, Al**, Ray**, John R**, Karen**, Larry H**, Dave N**, Dave B**, Chuck**, Carolle | Chuck, Dave B, and I started at the standard start time and caught Gail, Jim & Penny, and Bruce on the way to the coffee house. There we had a pleasant sit in the sun with our treats until the earlybirds arrived. Some stopped and chatted a while and others disappeared up the road. Gail talked Jim&Penny and Bruce into climbing the extra Pine Gulch loop before heading back (aiding in their recuperation from the flu and hernia surgery, respectively). Gail tried out her new Nikon on everyone who would sit or stand still long enough. At Volcano, Cheryl drove up after yoga class without a skewer for her front wheel and had to drive to Jackson for a replacement, eventually reuniting in Sutter Creek for the ride back to Ione. Chrissie, Carolle, Gene, and I went straight back on the standard Shake Ridge route from Daffodil. The others disappeared again in the direction of Lockwood, and have not been heard from since. (EH) The extended ride went to Lockwood Junction and back to Ione via Fiddletown, Plymoth and Irish Hill. Dave N, Karen, Larry H, John R, Ray, Al and John S ended up with 83 miles. Dave B, and Chuck had 68 miles. Chuck, Dave, John R, Karen, and Dave B headed directly to Ermas to recover a few of the lost calories before heading home. The lament heard as everyone headed his/her separate way was, "I sure hope it rains tomorrow." Guess everyone had had enough. (CG) |
| 2/27/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 2/26/2000 | 50, 67*, 30** | Standard coffee route + earlybird | Ed, Cheryl, Gene, John R*, Karen*, Ray*, Chrissie**, José** | The three standard riders (Gene, Cheryl, Ed) were a bit slow starting and even slower riding (thanks to Ed mainly). By the time we got to the coffee house, Ray was there already, Chrissie and José were starting from Sutter Creek for reasons of their own weakness (or preference), and John and Karen had decided in favor of riding instead of sociability. The rest of us had a long coffee, Ray drooling and fantasizing the whole time over the berry pie (which will appear later in this narrative, traveling in a Range Rover to catch up with Ray). During our coffee session, Chrissie gave us a lurid (and perhaps a bit paraphrased) version of what John and Karen said in explaining why they were leaving without even seeing us (examples: John hates you; Karen said you're not strong enough to ride with anymore). It's always fun to hear Chrissie's take on life, kind of like a Disney cartoon with an attitude. The ride to Volcano was steady, but too steady for some, who dropped off the paceline when we hit the slopes, but all regrouped and renewed ourselves with Rosie in Volcano, breaking up the party when it started to sprinkle. Chrissie put on her rain jacket and scolded the rest of us for being wimps about the rain. Fortunately, it was just a sprinkle that ended soon. After giving Chrissie, José, and Cheryl a headstart going down Shake Ridge, Ray, Gene, and I took off in pursuit, with Ray doing all the pulling (at his insistence, I think). We caught them before the zigzags but they put on a spurt and hit the hills just before us, with Chrissie attacking and then backing off a bit. Then on Mama Bear, she attacked again. Ray asked me whether we were going after her, and I said "of course"--for Chrissie's sake. So we caught her and summitted First Mama together. Ray attacked on Second Mama, hitting the curve and the base of Papa Bear just ahead of me. I took my cues from him since I didn't have a lot to spare, so when he tried to power in his big chainring and had trouble shifting to small under power, I passed him. Chrissie placed herself perfectly for a good view from the base of the hill. When she reached the top she once again showed her affection and respect by telling me how much she hates me and pointed out to Ray how hard I was breathing to make him feel better about having made me work so hard. Back in Sutter Creek, Ray talked José into buying him a slice of that pie and driving it to Ione so Ray could have it for an apres-ride treat and give him enough energy to get to the crab feed tonight without being too full. José passed us on Sutter-Ione Rd just before Ray caught up to us, making his trip between SC and Ione in only 28 minutes total, thanks to trying to catch up with the rest of us. All in all the weather cooperated and made for a nice riding day finally. (EH) |
| 2/21/2000 | 72*, 65**,1*** | Ione to Mt. Aukum | Karen*, John R*, Gene**, Steve H.**, John H.*** | FIVE very fortunate riders showed up in Ione to nearly per- fect conditions for riding. Unfortunately ONLY FOUR riders were able to leave the parking lot to enjoy a fine ride to Mt.Aukum. Why only four? Well John H. had a stroke of bad luck and is now a member of Chuck Gray's "Anybody Have An Extra (blank) Club ?" ..... JH brought everything needed for the ride except his helmet! The ride moved along at a steady pace and we arrived in Mt. Aukum in almost record time thanks in part to the "facilities" in Plymouth and Mt. Aukum being closed. Upon pulling into the parking lot in Mt. Aukum we were greeted by Peter S. who was also out for a bike ride ....but on his DUCATI motorcycle! His real bike had spoke problems so he decided to take the "company car" out for a ride. As usual the trip down from Mt. Aukum was a good reward for some earlier hard riding. Even though we had only a few riders , that didn't stop a little race on Irish Hill. We all felt fortunate to have had such a fine day on the road and look forward to next week and a better turnout of Erma riders. (JR) |
| 2/20/2000 | 50, 30* | Irish Hill, Plymouth, Willow Creek, Sutter Creek, Ione | Kevin S., Joe (1st time), Dave N., Ed*, Chrissie* | Overcast day but no rain, so hey!, let's try it. Kevin must have enjoyed himself Saturday because he was waiting in the lot for his second Erma ride in 2 days when I arrived and brought Joe along from the Stockton area for his first time. Ed then Chrissie showed and the 5 of us set off on loops that never took us too far from Ione in case we needed to beat a hasty retreat. Ed wasn't his usual stuff having ridden hard Friday and Saturday. (When Chrissie came back to get me and we got to Latrobe Rd, both of us were ready to turn back. She talked alternately about being exhausted and then about riding our to Buena Vista and back to make 50 miles. I just talked about getting back to my car. By the time we'd fought our way back over Forest Home and Irish Hill and Five Mile Road--all with strong headwinds and a few drops of rain, we both just headed to the barn and were glad to get there.--(EH)) Kevin, Joe and Dave waited in Plymouth for no-shows E & C, then headed back via Willow Creek. Since the skies looked good, we decided to head for the coffee house in SC. I personally recommend the berry pie. On the way back, John, Karen and Jerry were headed up the road, getting a late start. The rain held off but the wind picked up and made for some challenging downhills. The conversation included Kevin's upcoming cycling vacation in Italy, Joe's European excursions, Kevin's running years and favorite! stock tips (a subject dear to us 50 year olds). Thanks guys for the good company and hope to see you on another ride soon (and I'll let you know how that stock fares). [DN] |
| 2/19/2000 | 50, 67, 30 | Standard Saturday route with Irish Hill warm up for the Early Risers | Ray, John S, Al, Jose, Kevin Sage (1st time), Ed, Chuck, John R, Karen, Dave B, Joyce, Gail, Steve, Chrissie | We had another perfect, spring-like day in the Pre-Sierras. The early birds started out at 8AM and took the Irish Hill route to warm up before hitting the climb to Sutter Creek. We met up at the coffee house where John Rovane led the discussion group in the technical elements of communication. This was Kevinís first ride with Erma. He will definitely be back for more lively discussions at the coffee house. (If he does not return, we know why.) John Rovane bolted away from Sutter Creek. No one I talked to knew why we were pushing the pace so hard. I figured it out when we caught up with the group of riders who started out early from Sutter Creek. Should have known. Joyce said something about Charleston, but Steve convinced us it would not be healthy. Guess Ed, Ray, and John Staderoli did not hear him. It was the usual race down the mountain. Kevin convinced everyone that he had ridden a bike before, and hard. We look forward to his return! We celebrated our triumphant return to Ione with burgers at Erma's where we contemplated tomorrow's weather, discussed Gail's 20th ride with Cycle Oregon, and shared fries. Thanks John and Karen for the cool Colnago cap and "zines." (CG) |
| 2/14/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 2/13/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 2/12/2000 | 30 | Sutter Creek, Volcano, Rams Horn. Shake Ridge, Sutter Creek | Steve, Chrissie | While mere mortals cringed in bed or by the fireplace, Chrissie arrived early in Ione, hoping a real man would show up to help her get her training miles--and Steve did. After waiting for others to show up--unsuccessfully--they decided they would drive up to Sutter Creek so they could start where the weather would be better. WRONG! We slogged up Sutter Creek-Volcano Road, which was quite beautiful with the rushing waters and more rushing waters. Chrissie let Steve lead into Volcano, where one of the locals offered her candy. After a brief stop to put on chains (only kidding), we proceeded up Rams Horn, where at the top there was significant snowfall all along the road, which was truly magnificant. At the top we could truly identify with Ernest Shackleton and his expedition and left promptly down Shake Ridge with caution, or as Chrissie says "I'm not racing today." A beautiful ride down ended at Sutter Creek, wishing that everyone else could have enjoyed the total body sensation of the real "Rain Riders." (SH) |
| 2/6/2000 | 68, 60*, 40** | Irish Hill-Plymouth-Fiddletown-Aukum-Shenandoah | John H*, Jim G*, Dave B*, Larry C**, Cheryl, Karen, Chrissie, John R, Dave N, John S, Al, Steve, Ed, Larry H | Even though the groundhog saw his shadow in Pauxatani, you couldn't tell in the foothills as the weather was the best of the whole year, which brought out 14 riders. Starting out on 5 Mile Road, Chrissie announced she wasn't racing that day, which put everyone on guard as she paced the group out to Irish Hill. Larry H. and Steve took the group out to Latrobe and then a group leisurely pace up Old Sacramento to Plymouth for the "comfort station" stop. Disaster struck as the bathrooms were closed again due to vandalism. (Why does vandalism always strike in Plymouth?) Karen allowed as we should get going to Fiddletown where "the bathrooms are always open." Dave Neff and Al powered us up to Fiddletown where "zut alors!" the bathrooms were locked. There was a fine pancake breakfast if you happen to be driving a Model A but no bathrooms. Ed and Cheryl were busy buying special water in the general store for their secret mixtures as John, Karen, and Chrissie took off. Dave B, Jim, John H, and Larry Crawley stuck to their original plan to climb over Ostrom and head down Shenandoah. The sprint over Tyler was a spirited one as Steve and Al tried to keep Dave in check but alas the last hill was too much as he was not to be denied. After filling up at the store and discussions about the size of Chrissie's shadow from Al, it was time to head home--except for Al with the never-ending apple. Ed and Dave set a blistering pace that John S. and Steve tried to match but to no avail. Then through school road where everyone gave Chrissie a head start but sheer power (i.e.: Ed) sometimes beats craftiness. Down to Plymouth and then Irish Hill where Cheryl was handing out her magic potions and then John R, Dave, Ed, Chrissie, and Karen took off. Karen managed to hold off all the other riders as the front four did their thing. After a winding-down spin to Ione, we all agreed this was a good day. (SH) |
| 2/5/2000 | 50 | Standard Saturday Coffee Route | Gene, Cheryl, Chrissie, Ed, Dave N, Steve, Ray, John R, Karen, Chuck | [We collected and lost people as we went along. At the start in Ione, the temperature was warm (Dave rode with bare legs). The wind picked up and the temperature dropped as we rode, but the threat of rain remained a threat only. We traded Gene for Chrissie in Sutter Creek where we had leisurely coffee and Chrissie was waiting, having chosen to sleep in. Gene decided that his legs weren't up to par and turned back. We picked up Cheryl after her yoga class back at the end of Shake Ridge. She and Chrissie rode back to Ione with the group.] At times a chatty but otherwise uneventful ride to Sutter Creek where that changed with Chrissie waiting for us at the coffee house where she was plotting out her spring race plans. Ed, Ray, and Dave said they'd join her at the Land Park Crit (11 March) and Chuck said he's thinking about it. (There; now you're committed Chuck.) Ray said he's going to be slow today because he replaced his 700x19 tires with 700x23 and was carrying a CO2 bottle for flats and had the tread on one wheel backwards. Yeah, right! To be so "slow". Maybe it's the pop-tarts. (My advice: Switch to Twinkies.) We didn't make it out the door without several inciting remarks about butt-kickings from you know who. Fresh Chrissie paced us at the start to Volcano, leaving John and Karen to follow at their leisure. All fine and good until Mr. Slow took off with Dave trying to stay close and nipped him at the stop sign (twinkies beat pop-tarts). Steve nearly started a riot in Volcano when he asked Chrissie whether Christine (23) from last Sunday's ride was Chrissie's daugther. But Steve's faux pau was tame compared to Chuck's reply to Chrissie's jest up Rams Horn that she was 5 months pregnant with "That explains everything" before he wisely sped out of harm's, but not verbal, way. At the crest, Ray continued his feed on pop-tarts. The inevitable race down Shake Ridge was up for grabs with Ray and Steve doing pulls (I believe). Dave grabbed the lead on Mama Bear with Ed right behind and passed him near the top only to lose out on the climb up Papa Bear. Keep those 23s and backward tire right where they are Ray; and keep up the diet. On the return leg out of Sutter Creek, a trio of horses wanted to join in and matched pace across their pasture. In the parking lot, lots of compliments on John's new truck and "See you tomorrow"s all around. (DN) |
| 1/30/2000 | 20 | Joyce's Annual Tonzi Mtn Bike Ride | Joyce, Gail, Chrissie, Christine, Steve, Ken S, Ed, Richard, Cheryl | A surprise turnout for a rainy day. Everyone piled on the rain gear and warm clothes and headed out from Joyce's house. We had a few stops right away with Joyce having to fix her derailleur up the big hill on Sutter-Ione. She really just wanted to bail out, but the gang wouldn't let her. As we forged up the hill, the wind and rain whipping our faces and eyeballs (some of us forgot glasses). Ed, Steve, Cheryl, and Richard decided to go ahead to try to do the loop twice. Paine Rd is where the pavment ended. Yahoo: dirt and puddles--now we could have real mountain bike riding. We saw a couple of old homesteads with narcissus everywhere, lots of cows, calves, and a herd of horses, lots of wind and rain. It was great. We were all soaking wet so it didn't matter when we came to the 3 creek crossings. Everyone rode through those without a problem. After the last creek crossing, we had to start our climb out. This is where the gale force winds started. We were tough (I only whined for a short time) & made it to the top without the granny gears. Back at Sutter-Ione Rd, Richard and Steve went back to the coffee house to warm up. Ed and I decided to backtrack until we caught up with the others. What a BLAST we had on that downhill with gale force winds at our back! We almost made it to the first creek crossing before we ran into Ken, who told us there had been a crash and he was going to get the van. Christine had lost control on the first downhill, not realizing that her brakes would not work well when wet. Her crash looked bad, but she was not injured. Christine refused 2 rides from Judy as she forged on walking and riding when she could. Meanwhile back at the farm, Ken's van would not start, so he missed his chance to be the knight in the shiny van to save Christine. Steve had to pull Ken's van with his 4X4 to point it downhill so Ken could get the thing started, and he did. By now everyone was arriving back at Joyce's all in one piece and happy to be able to put some dry clothes on (except Chrissie; she didn't bring any???). We all had coffee, tea, and muffins thanks to Joyce's friend Judy. It was a great ride, lots of fun getting all wet and dirty. (CY) |
| 1/29/2000 | 50 | standard Sat route | Chuck, John R, Karen, Victor, Dave N, Ed | The Don and Karen got an early warm-up before heading up the hill to get their dancing legs loose for tonight's theater performance, in which they both have starring roles in 20's costumes. No flats or mechanical breakdowns slowed today's ride, just a lot of casual conversation and a sumptuous coffee break despite The Don in Sutter Creek. Lots of banter, especially about Twinkies and lard as a possible athletic drink along with Dave's new sideline profession of cleaning MacDonald's grease screens for the salvage rights. The Don searched everyone for stomach calmers and raced down Shake to get to the restrooms. Victor felt his lack of riding for several weeks. Chuck is coming back into form. The Don is steady as ever. Karen complains and kicks butt. Dave is strong from his commuting and bike trail deer-stalking (he and his daughter had a narrow escape in a collision with a deer on a moonlight ride). To everyone but me, it was a warm day. Another sunny, spring-looking day in the foothills made better by a ride in which we all stayed together pretty much and had fun both with the riding and the banter. (EH) |
| 1/23/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 1/22/2000 | 50, 20*,40**, 30*** | standard Sat route with deviants | Joyce****, Gail***, Jim & Penny (tandem)**, Chuck, Chrissie, Steve*, Bruce (new), Ray*, Jose*, John R, Karen, Ed | What at turn out for the "Rain or Shine" special ride. Fortunately, my resolve (to ride rain or shine) was not put to the test, although I did have my mountain bike along just in case. It was a clear and dry day, so we rode the standard Saturday route. Karen got her flat du jour out of the way on the highway just out of town. Ray waited for the quiet and scenery of Sutter-Ione Rd. Ray had Kings tickets and had to head back after coffee. Jose and Steve went back with him. Joyce and Gail headed for Jackson after coffee, as usual doing their own thing. The rest of us rode to Volcano, where Bruce decided to head straight back. I knew there would be trouble when even Chuck was engaging in sandbagging along with Chrissie. Sure enough, all of us raced down Shake Ridge, with The Don taking the bulk of the pulls. Chrissie attacked at her hill but used the excuse of a missed gear shift when she was not first up the hill. Jim and Penny finally showed up, having had freewheel troubles. They had to stop at Sutter Creek and wait for JR and Karen to drive their truck to them. Chuck, Chrissie, and I pushed the pace on Sutter-Ione. I was glad to be back in Ione after two days of pace-pushing rides. But at least we got them in on beautiful days in the foothills with clean air, varying cloud and sun formations, and great vistas to the Sierra and the Valley. (EH) |
| 1/17/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 1/16/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 1/15/2000 | n/a | n/a | n/a | rained out |
| 1/9/2000 | 71 | Plymouth-Fiddletown-Mt Aukum-ret | Cheryl, Ed, Ray, Dave N, Larry H, John R, Steve, Karen, Chuck | Fog and gloom, but not bad cold at the start. We were warmed and cheered not by the weather but by the company and the riding. At Plymouth, we decided to head straight for Fiddletown (taking the hill-less route for Cheryl's sake). Of course, from there, The Don drags her and us over Lawrence just to test the screws and bolts on the Erma bikes. At Aukum, Larry got the "Let's ride to 88" out of his system. On the highway, we passed a former relative of The Rabbit, but Larry refused to be identified with that carcass in any way other than a diner (appropriate for an Erma's rider). Ray got a little excited and dragged me and Dave along with him down to Steiner. Then we realized that Steve was no longer with us, so we backtracked and found him with two flats and one good tube. Erma teamwork and Ray's CO2 got Steve back on both wheels relatively quickly (The Don thought we were using geologic time as a reference). After Plymouth, Ray got excited again and pulled us down to Latrobe—"Ray all the way" was our rallying cry. Over the hump of Forest Home was uneventful and social again. And then the Irish Hill Road Race began with a tame group start, focusing on tactics rather than charge-ahead brute force. That pace lasted about 3/4ths of the way before Ray shattered it with a brutal attack. Though he faded at the end, I couldn't quite catch him and the others had sense enough not to try too hard. Big discrepancy on the computers at the end since some did some big backtracking (Steve was stuck almost all the way back to Aukum), but the Erma rule is hard and fast: highest computer goes to everyone, so some people gained five Erma miles just by being out there today. Adequate weather (oh, yeah, we got a tiny bit of rain coming down through River Pines), good ride, great company. (EH) |
| 1/8/2000 | 20*, 50 | The "Saturday Edzo Loop" | Chrissie*, Joyce*, Bob* (Joyce's friend), Karen, John R, John S, Chuck, Dave B, Steve | Even though Edzo was "AWOL," we still did the "Edzo Loop"!! Yes Ed, we really did stop in Sutter Creek and "The Don" had to "insist" on keeping the tradition!! At the start, it definitely wasn't sunscreen weather in Ione but the sun was out and all the riders seemed to be in good spirits. After the stop in S.Creek, Crissie Joyce, and Bob headed home and hopefully Crissie recovers quickly from "the bug".Naturlly Sutter Creek-Volcano Rd. lived up to its reputation for being known as "The Refrigerator" but that didn't stop Peter from giving it a go w/o a jacket!! However "The Frig" eventually claimed another victim and Peter "found" his jacket about 1/2 way to beautiful downtown Volcano. The conditions in Volcano were so perfect that we almost set up camp but finally we pushed on saying good-bye to Rose who was nursing a sprained finger. Commion sence prevailed since no one suggested doing Charleston ....Ray obviously wasn't in attendance!! Well maybe John S. entertained the thought, but only half heartedly!! Heading down Shake Ridge, Karen showed how a couple of mid-week rides will really improve ones form. She really made quite an impressive charge by doing one great pull....until "Mama Bear Hill" slowed her down a notch !!! After a pitstop in Sutter Creek, and not because of "One Bottle You Know Who", the trip back to Ione was pretty routine.....FAST!! It was another good ride with great friends and most of us will be out tomorrow for more of the same. Thanks for the fun!! (JR) |
| 1/2/2000 | 50 | Sutter Creek-Volcano-Rams Horn-Shake Ridge | Chrissie, Karen, Ed, John R, Jim & Penny, Steve, Ray, Jerry, Bob D, Dave B | Here's how cold it was: when I arrived, with my bike on top of the car, the bike bra was coated in ice—not a little frost, but ice. That shielded part of the bike, but the exposed rear wheel was coated in ice too. Half of the spokes had doubled in size, being coated with icicles shaped like spokes. The braking surface was crusted with ice that I had to scrape off. The rear brake was encased in ice. Getting the idea of how cold it was? It was also gloomy-foggy. We assume that the dense patchy fog in the valley is what kept other Sacramento riders away, such as Dave and Larry. With some moaning, stamping of feet and after significant discussion about where to ride (aborting the original plan as too foggy and cold and opting to climb immediately for warmth), we set off for Sutter Creek. Or should I say "Sutter Creak" as we seemed to ride as though we were breaking each joint out of an ice block. My fingers were actually the only parts that were cold—until we started climbing the real hills on Sutter-Ione Rd. By the middle of that road, we could begin to see sun glowing through the fog, and were warmed by just the promise of more sun up the road. By Sutter Creek, we were, as usual, in the middle of a beautiful, sunny day. It was almost warm enough to sit outside for the hot drinks that nearly everyone wanted and ordered (you know who was the only exception, but Karen is getting him trained to sit and behave better now). We chose to sit inside, though, to make sure that all our extremities got warm for the climb to Volcano (the group choice despite Chrissie's and my lobbying for Stoney Creek). Ray paced Steve and me up to Volcano, fortunately keeping my heartrate and breathing rate at a level I could handle while getting over bronchitis. It was a good effort and gave me confidence for the rest of the ride. Lots of discussing going on in the pack on the first half of the road though. Steve climbed Diablo yesterday—significantly behind a British woman who rushed by him and most others because she had to get back down to breast-feed her new baby. Jerry revealed (for those who had not heard it before) that he'd "killed a man" and "didn't know why people get so upset." Chrissie couldn't decide on a platform for the day, so she tried them all: sandbagging extrodinaire as well as announcing to Ray that she was going to kick his butt on Rams Horn. Chrissie also said that GodSmack is a band that she almost traveled to Boston to see. Ray said that he'd go that far to see Alanis Morrissette since he likes her man-hating lyrics so much. Jerry revealed that he's working on a new song: "Nothing's ever happened to me, but I'm angry anyway." John didn't want Karen to get a head start down Shake, but we told her to go ahead and that if he wasn't man enough to catch her, she should dump him. When he showed up, of course, we told him she said that. I won't tell you who caught her and who didn't (you have to be present to win some of the goodies). Chrissie was genuinely pooped and took the low road while we took the high road to meet Jim and Penny back at the SC rest rooms (they went straight back from Volcano). At least Chrissie didn't do what she threatened to do: call Eric from the coffee house. Oh, yeah, this was Chrissie's birthday ride. Her actual birthday was the 28th. So when we got back to Ione, we reassembled at Erma's banquet room and had burgers followed by cake and presents. Chrissie announced that one of her goals for the year is to win the Nevada City Classic. She is sure she can do it. I wish I could buy some of that confidence. She knows she has work to do. She plans to make Stoney Creek a nearly daily routine. Jim and Penny reported that they saw Bob Dahlquist and Dave Brubaker on the road to Volcano. They were the victims of the announced second start time of 10:30, but because of the cold and fog, we changed routes and could not get back there in time. Next time we'll arrange some kind of notification system. Sorry we missed you guys. We thought you might make it back in time for burgers and cake, but maybe you were out doing the 100 miles that we were supposed to do. (EH) Bob and I met some claimed-to-be-riders on a tandem coming down from Volcano last Sunday about noon. Jim and Penney I think they claimed to be. Said something about a bunch of other riders on the hill who didn't want to come down into the fog and cold--even though they said they would! Well, Bob and I rode to Volcano--no sign of those other riders. Then we rode up Rams Horn and down Shake Ridge--no signs there, either. Bob even flatted on the Ridge. We pedaled past Erma's about 3:15 p.m. and saw no large crowd of cars--none behind the Police Station in Ione, either. Found a note saying something about being sorry to miss us. But, we were there, at Erma's, for the party at 3:30, exactly between 3 and 4--the appointed hours. So, we partied--had veggie burger (me), some kind of meat burger (Bob), fries, drinks, and pushed his car to get it started--loads of fun. Too bad you guys missed it! (DB) |
| 1/1/2000 | 50 | SutCrk- Vol-Ram's Horn (Charleston)-Shake Rdg- Gopher | John R, Karen, Ken, Gene, John S, Al, John Alvarez, Ray | Happy New Year! 8 riders decided to bring in the Millenium on their bikes, welcoming John Alvarez from Woodbridge to his first Erma ride. Without any preference for the route, we decided for the default Saturday ride to Sutter Creek, Volcano, etc. A casual pace on Sutter-Ione Rd. looking forward to the coffee in Sutter Creek. As we turned down Eureka St., we were pleased to see the patio umbrellas out to greet us. Unfortunately, that was about it. BUMMER! It's New Year's Day and the coffee house was closed! Plan B was the alternate coffee house around the corner, but I guess it was just not meant to be. It was closed too. So a little disappointed, we bundled up for Refrigerator Road and headed to Volcano. On the way up Ken snapped a couple of photos. Ken and Gene were splitting a turkey sandwich when John S suggested we ride up Charleston on the first day of the year (actually, he mentioned it earlier but I pretended not to hear). Surprisingly, there was actually some interest. Ken had the gears, Gene was curious, and John A was warned by Fred, "Don't let them talk you into going up Charleston!" Part way up the first pitch, better sense came to Gene and John A, as they decided to go up Ram's Horn. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, that better sense never kicked in. So we suffered a little longer, while Ken snapped a few more pictures along the way. Up on Shake Ridge, it was cold, the wind was whipping, and the clouds were getting darker. It was a good, fast ride down as the group stayed intact, at least for awhile. Somewhere along Shake Ridge, Karen flatted. But with a little help, the flat seemed to be fixed fairly quickly. We headed straight into Ione since the weather was looking a little worse. It was the first ride that felt like winter had finally showed up. A great way to bring in the new year, century, millenium, etc... (RC) |