| High Country |
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Emerald Bay - part of Lake Tahoe. Words
or photos cannot do this place justice... many photos have been taken of
this bay... but you have to be there to understand how beautiful and
breathtaking it is. This is part of the Lake Tahoe Loop ride that
should be published shortly. |
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Loon Lake (in El Dorado National Forest)
looking South towards Pyramid Peak. This photo was taken on a warm late
Spring day in June. The snow hasn't melted completely yet.
Pretty romantic, isn't it? |
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Ice House Road near the summit. This road
has a long, but relatively gentle (7% grade) climb up from Highway
50. Returning back down is spectacular! The rest of the ride
is pretty good too as you can see! |
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Another picture of Loon Lake (this time looking
East). This is a great place to get away from the summertime
heat. At an elevation of over 6,000 ft, it is remarkably cooler than
the lower elevations (generally about 20 degrees cooler than Sacramento). |
Fairplay Region |
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A pasture scene in mid-May (2005) taken along
Dorado Canyon Road. The heavy rains this year (which are still
continuing in May!) contributed to an amazing wildflower show in the
foothills. I don't ever recall the wildflowers being as vivid as
they are this year. |
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Slug Gulch Road - Bicyclist are treated to near
ideal road riding after the second switchback. The more I ride this
road, the more enjoyable it becomes. |
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Wildflowers along Perry Creek Rd. This
photo was taken in May. Another beautiful time to ride here is in
the fall. |
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Descending on Shake Ridge Rd (although
technically in Amador county, most of this loop remains in El Dorado
county). |
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Fairplay Road in May. Like the wildflower
photo above, May can be an ideal time to ride here. |
Pleasant Valley Region |
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Starks Grade Road - about a mile in from the
bottom of the grade - this photo was taken in late November. |
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Butte Creek along Happy Valley Rd. We
hope to document more rides in this area - there's much to
explore here.
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Starks Grade Road in very early Spring.
As you can see, the weather (and riding conditions) can be very
"iffy" at this time! |
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Happy Valley Road - about 4 miles east from
E16. This is a very quiet road that is currently being documented
for a future ride here on this site. The first 3 miles of this road
is rolling hills, then it climbs very quickly out of the canyon. |
Sly Park / Iron Mountain Region |
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Yours truly at Sly Park in June with a new
bike! This is the Easy Racers "Gold Rush Replica"
(or GRR for short). It's an amazing touring bike. I've had
this bike for only one week (and only a little over 100 miles on the bike)
when this photo was taken. |
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Stonebreaker Creek... part of the Consumnes
Mine Loop... you cross this creek towards the end of the ride. |
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Bicycling on the Consumnes Mine Loop... there
is some really terrific Mtn. Bike riding back here - and very few people
do it as it's largely unknown. A great ride, and certainly one that
we love to do every year. |
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Mountain biking on Fleming Meadow Trail.
This beautiful 7-mile trail is new, and a map can be obtained from the El
Dorado National Forest Service - or from Placerville Bike Shop. It
starts at the second dam near Sly Park (Jenkinson Lake). |
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Summit at Iron Mountain Rd (early June).
The road was blocked by a snow drift (road is not plowed). A group
of motorcyclist were discussing whether to try and push through or not. |
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Iron Mountain Road summit view looking
west. Very beautiful country as you can see. This road is
generally light in traffic - even on weekends. A great ride to gain
climbing experience. |
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Bicycling on North South Road in El Dorado
National Forest. This photo was taken on Labor Day weekend!
This road (and other secondary roads that travel through the El Dorado
National Forest) can be extremely quiet - even on holidays. Perhaps
once every half hour a car would pass us. |
Apple Hill Region |
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Terri riding her new recumbent in the Apple
Hill region in early spring. Note the blossoms on the Apple trees
behind her. |
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Thunderstorm at sunset taken in at Apple
Hill. Though the storm looks menacing, it is really closer to the
ocean than it is to us. |
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Cable Road on part of the Ghost Mountain
Loop. Although this ride is mostly paved, Mtn Bikes are recommended
for the few miles that turn to dirt. The bicycling is really ideal
back here... with a lot more to explore. |
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North Canyon Rd. An early fall season ride (October) with some
friends.
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Latrobe Region |
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Latrobe Road in April. Great time to ride
here. Lots of green grass and wildflowers. Spring and Fall are the
best seasons for this ride. |
Fairplay Region |
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This is taken on the way to Fiddletown from
Fairplay. Traffic here is relatively light and offers some ideal
bicycling (with a few short steep hills to boot!). |
Placerville Region |
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Mosquito Bridge across the South Fork of the
American River. This is an old wooden suspension bridge (I believe
it's over 100 years old - but don't quote me on this). The bridge
actually moves and flexes as cars drive across - it's only wide enough for
one vehicle at a time! For bicycling, the descent to get to the
bridge is a wild one, certainly a lot of fun. Though the climb back
out is very stiff - it's a beautiful ride. |
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Bicycling on French Creek Rd - just south of
Shingle Springs (part of Old French Town Loop). This road is very
pleasant to ride on - has little traffic - and is perfect in Spring or
Fall seasons to ride (mild temperatures). |
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Early Spring (February!) scenery on French
Creek Rd... absolutely wonderful. |
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Near Placerville on Big Cut Rd. This
photo was taken in November. I have no idea what type of tree this
is, but it certainly was spectacular. |
Cool Region |
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A family outing on the BLM land just behind the
Fire Station in Cool. My brother was taking his son (both pictured)
mountain biking for the first time. This happened to be Easter Sunday (a
good way to burn off all the food!). |
