Although this ride begins at the usual location - mile 13.5 of the American River Bike Trail - it quickly exits the trail at Rossmore Bar Park, after only four miles. Rossmore Drive (photo below) is short and affords eastward views of dredged river rock.
You next bike through Rancho Cordova; as urban cycling goes, this is relatively safe.
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Soon you arrive at the Folsom South Canal (photos left & above), which will treat you to six miles of water views and to both silence (berms block most sounds) and solitude (very few cyclists).
Exiting the canal, carefully cross busy Hwy 16 and cruise southward to Florin and Eagles Nest Roads.
Then bike west on Grant Line Road; note vineyards on the left. Visit Sheldon and turn left on Wilton Road.
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On the west side of Wilton Road, note an interesting display of farm equipment (photo above) and an attractive vineyard (photo below).
Now take pastoral Green Road to Dillard, Lee School, and Tavernor Roads.
At length you will return to Dillard Road: note the orchards (photo left) on your right.
You will exit Dillard Road onto Hwy 16 and visit Sloughhouse with its locally famous corn fields.
After a short hill you will pass Sloughhouse Road and then take the same route back to the start as that in the Sloughhouse Loop.
Grant Line Road carries a lot of traffic to and from Sacramento County's landfill. I have experienced several flat tires (nails) on this section of road, so be sure to carry an extra inner tube and a patch kit.
Look to the east: on clear days the Sierra Nevada Crystal Range can be strikingly visible (photo right).
Turn left onto Douglas Road. Until relatively recently this road was undeveloped; you now will pass housing subdivisions (we're losing our bicycling habitat.). As you near Sunrise Blvd you often will hear gunshots from a nearby gunnery range. The next section (Sunrise Blvd) is unsafe for cycling except on the sidewalk, which - fortunately - is wide and usually free of pedestrians; do NOT bike on Sunrise Blvd itself!
After Sunrise Blvd you will return to White Rock Road, which takes you to Kilgore Road and a revisit of your outbound course.
