California: It's not JUST the cheese.

Despite all my bitching and complaining about life in Sacraghetto, there are times I am reminded about the positives of this town and of life in California in general.

Today has been a perfect "spring" California day. I place 'spring' in quotations because it was 90 degrees, and where I come from 90 degrees does not constitute spring, it constitutes a heat-wave. Aaaanyway, it was 90 degress (is as I write this) with a brisk but warm breeze. Quite simply, it's lovely. It's the kind of day where the sun warms your skin but the breeze cools it down, while putting much needed extra oxygen in your lungs. One thing you may not know about Sacramento is that it also has A LOT of trees. So, a breezy day in Sacramento also means that the sound of trees rustling in the wind surrounds you just about everywhere.

It just so happens that hubbie and I chose this day to rent bikes and cycle along the American River.

The American River runs down from the Sierra Foothills (north of where Joss' mom lives and where we got married), and splits the Sacramento region in half, north and south, culminating at the Sacramento river near downtown and then (as the Sacramento river) heading down into the Delta, a series of channels that eventually lead out to the ocean through the bay area and San Francisco.

As someone who comes from a place where rivers are places for bridges and barges and entertainment, I've often been irked at the lack of commerce along the American River. It's so pretty I just can't figure out why there aren't more restaurants or boutique shopping areas with a view. I mean, all that real estate and nothing to do on it! Pffft. Today, I was reminded why.

Sacramentans love their river just as it is, and who can blame them? Cycling along the river, you feel like you're in another place entirely. Surrounded by flood-plains, piqued by parks, and hidden amongst the trees, you would never know that the American River bike trail was bang in the middle of a highly populated, metropolitan area.

I have sampled the local phenomenon of the bike trail on foot many a time. The office where I work is located right next to the northern part of the trail and at lunchtime (when it's not too hot or too cold, which can be like 2 months out of the year) I will don my sneakers and head up to the trail for a lunch-time walk. Everytime I get out there I wonder why I don't do it more often. It's so peaceful and rejuvenating. The sound of birds, squirrels running across your path, a russle in the bushes, the filtered shade of mature trees.... it's wonderful. It's definitely the best way to spend a lunch hour. It feels like a mini vacation in the middle of the day. You come back to work feeling refreshed.

So, back to the bike ride. 45 minutes each way (because the bikes were rented and the seats SO HARD I have coochie bruising and Hubbie's little, skinny ass was also worse for wear), passing fathers with sons on their bikes, mothers pulling their kids in little screened-in 2-wheel carriers, girlfriends gossiping side-by-side and passing us, many, many, serious bikers with full Lance-Armstrong garb. The wind in our hair, the sun in our face... I found myself thinking "This is why I love living in California!"

I don't spend enough time outside. The lakes up by my mother in-law's house, the river, some pretty little goldmining towns in the Sierra, Lake Tahoe in summer or winter, San Francisco on a crisp but sunny day.... whenever I take the time out to enjoy these varied places, I find myself feeling glad -and lucky - to live in California.

Hubbie and I are looking for a house in a little community just the other side of the river to where our townhouse is right now (so the South side) and we discovered today that there is a very convenient little inlet from that subdivision to the bike trail. Quite literally, within 30 seconds, we could ride out of our (potential) garage and onto the trail. How wonderful!!!

The commercial says "California: It's the cheese". I say, it's not just the cheese.