Three of my blogs about Gold Country north of Sacramento on Hwy 49, about an hour from Sacramento:

http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/gold...a-grass-valley
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/gall...he-empire-mine
http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/gold...ia-nevada-city

There is a bike trail in Folsom and I think also along the river that runs through Sacramento - the American - which is flat.

Nice job on your blogs, Mme. Perdue. Great photos too. Three things caught my eye: Fred's Szechuan - not the usual name for a Chinese restaurant; Two Room Inn - probably only has two room; and the wisteria covered house.

I'll be there 7-23 to 7-28, Michelle. Thanks Tomsd for the tip on the bike trail.

Thanks Maggi. Yep, Fred's is where I go, an old-fashioned no nonsense Chinese restaurant, so had to include it. I live just down the road.

The wisteria-covered building is actually the back of a commercial building that overlooks the same city parking lot as the mural I quoted, very unexpected to say the least. Glad you liked them.

Some good Thai places in Folsom too. :)

There is a lot of road work in the Tahoe area this summer, so if you decide to do the Tahoe run, be sure to check with CalTrans and the Nevada Department of Transportaion web sites to see anything scheduled for the day you are going, where it is, and what the expected delays will be.

This will be August? Yeah, rain will be extremely unlikely that time of year. Southern Oregon may have been without a drop for 2 weeks, but Sacramento is usually without a drop for the months of June through September - May and October aren't generally particularly wet either.

August in Sacramento is hot - triple digit hot - so we usually seek elevation for the relief. Grass Valley and Nevada City are a great suggestion - scenic, plenty to do and see, and high enough that they are generally about 10 degrees cooler than Sac in the summer time.

>>This will be August? <<

Actually in July -- but same difference :)

We need a GTG! Lunch in mid town? Winetasting and lunch at the Old Sugar Mill?

Maggi - touch bases closer to the date so we can get a group of local Fodorites to meet you!

And so we can make a Plan B in case of rain ;)

I really appreciate the suggestions here. I connected with old friends in the area (they are reading this thread) and they have planned almost all my days for me already - and yes we are going to higher elevations to get away from the heat. I think Grass Valley is on the list. Now I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in a GTG after all :-(

Good to know about the Tahoe road construction site, thanks.

Too bad about the GTG -- but next time :)

Just so you know -- yesterday it was 107 in Sac . . . and 99 in Grass Valley (Unusually hot for GV) . But hopefully it will be cooler when you are here.

Ahh, but I live just down the river. Always 10 degrees cooler!

I hope you have an unusually cool snap while I am there, lol. Nothing could be more uncomfortable than last week, when I was in Charleston for an outdoor wedding. 99 degrees, 80 percent humidity.

Not to worry -- when it hits 99-100F here we get 12-15% humidity. It is an entirely different type of heat and IMO/IME much MUCH more bearable.

Hi janisj, at least my hair will probably look a little better with the lower humidity!

As it happens, it looks like Kal is going to try to organize a mini-GTG on Saturday, July 26th for an early lunch. Hope we can meet up!