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Bikehikers Lodi Grape Festival Ride, 9-20-03

The ride starts on the second floor of the Lodi Parking Garage, Pine and Sacramento Streets. The start time is 9:30.

If you'd like to visit the Grape Festival, (an old time County fair without the animals but with Grape murals, (what's a grape mural you ask?) but are worried about your bikes, you're welcome to bring them to my house and leave them in the back yard. We'll be home, probably sitting out in the back yard so it's no big deal. Here's a link to this year's Grape Festival so you can see what's going on. Make arrangements at the ride, I'll give you my address and how to get there. We live in the Heart of Downtown Lodi!

Lodi Grape Festival

The Grape Festival Ride

This ride will take you through six San Joaquin valley towns, (seven if you take the longer ride). Each of them has their own flavor and all were once centered on farming. The Harold Store where the first rest stop is designated at mile 29.3, marks the smallest of these, and Lodi, the start/finish point, the largest. 

As you ride north from Lodi to Harold you'll notice a definite change in the environment with orchards and vineyards giving way to alfalfa, clover and oat farming along with dairies, horses and cattle. Your nose will experience a variety of smells as well from the odor of fermenting grapes to the not too subtle smells of dairy ranching. In addition to the usual array of barnyard livestock, you might even spot a llama or ostrich while on the ride.

More than a few of the homes along the route are spectacular and have well manicured yards. Some of these are newly built homes of gentlemen farmers while others have been there for decades. If you're a barn fan, you'll see plenty of these as well, some freshly built and some well past usefulness.

Most of the ride is flat and the few hills encountered are easy to climb. Wind is not generally a problem in the morning but it can blow, and if it does, it usually comes from the west. Most of the roads, with the exception of Kettleman, Elliott, Twin Cities and Lower Sacramento,  have little traffic, however, some are fairly narrow. Most are in good repair but have some bumpy stretches. People travel at speed down these country roads but are usually courteous and will give you a wide berth. Large trucks hauling farm equipment or produce are common and if traveling over 50 when they pass, will create some heavy wind buffeting.  Just be aware, keep to the right and if in a group, don't hog the road.

Have a GREAT RIDE!

See you there,

Jerry