American River Bikeway

I call it the American River Bikeway in the way that someone might refer to the Capitol City Freeway or the Dan Ryan Expressway.  It's that sort of way.  Being a bike route, there are more opportunities for a pleasureable experience than on either of these other sorts of "way"--but it is certainly more of a "way" than a "path."  I imagine a bike path and I imagine a quaint, windy route through the woods which allows much leisure and is wholly unsuited to transportation.  This is a bikeway.  

My commute takes me from downtown Sacramento, near the Alkali Flat Light Rail Station, to my office near Fulton and Cottage Way (in the western portion of sprawlsville).  It is a little more than eight miles each way and I have several options as far as route.  The option I use most often is this bikeway. 

This route has no stops.

This route is fairly direct.

This route tends to be free of automobiles. 

Sometimes I have to dodge pedestrians on the downtown end of the route.  Other than that, it is a fairly open ride.  I start pedalling once I cross the River and can roll most of the way to work without touching my brakes.  When I get to Northrop Avenue, almost to the office, I am a little more than ten minutes' ride from my office on mostly residential streets. 

I could ride Fair Oaks Blvd to "J" Street or "H" Street.  Either route is slightly shorter.  On either route, though, I will undoubtedly stop and wait for a traffic light or be threatened by someone operating a motorized, four-wheeled weapon. 

Usually, I take the bikeway. 

I have had jobs where biking to work wasn't a good option.  The commute was a stressful part of the day--I've had situations where I spent an hour on the freeway each day before and after work.  No thanks, no more. 

This morning, during my forty-minute bike commute, I was able to stop for a moment of beauty and silence.

I have worked in some beautiful places.  Even driving to my office at the King Range, on California's Lost Coast, though, I was unable to relax during my commute.  The road was windy and dangerous--mostly dangerous because of unpredictable motorists. 

Someday I may be in a bike-on-bike collision.  If I can have that instead of the altercation with an automobile, I'll take it. 

I almost hit a deer on the bike trail yesterday... that would have been the second time for me.