The cycling benefits are almost as endless as the city and country lanes to explore in the Rocklin area! As a premier family-centered community, Rocklin offers everything you want for your family, including fantastic options for bike riding or cycling, as I'm told it's called by for whom this is a passion. Whether you’re a beginner to this activity or someone who's made it a serious life commitment, Rocklin is a place with cycling options for everyone.
Routes for All Levels of Fun
In leading with the right food, I need to say I'm not a seasoned cyclist. In fact, I’m a second-time beginner. I rode years ago in my high school years and haven't touched a bike again until 2019.
I won't say how many decades I didn't ride a bike but suffice it to say, that "s" at the end of the word "decade" belongs there. So in choosing where I ride, I always keep in mind that I want a wide bike lane that’s not too congested, and it needs to be on the road not heavily traveled. Sound like a challenge? Well, not if you ride in Rocklin. Of course, disclosing my find increases traffic there but hey, for those with the same taste as mine, I'll gladly share. Disclaimer, I rode the less busy part of the route and then doubled back. I didn't ride the full route written about here.
Rocklin's 12 Bridges-Sierra College route is gorgeous!
The section I rode is in the 12 Bridges area between Rocklin and Lincoln. Whether you look to your left or right while riding, the views include open land with lots of birdlife to appreciate. Everything is clearly marked, and traffic moves at a moderate pace. It was a great experience. Now for those that are seasoned riders, the full route is 24.8 miles starting on Sunset Blvd. The route goes down W. Stanford Ranch Rd which turns into Joiner Parkway. From there, it's a right onto Twelve Bridges where I did my ride, and when continuing onto Sierra College Blvd, that part of the ride includes a bit of a grade, but it comes with a stunning few! Now please be careful on Sierra College Blvd part of the ride. Traffic moves very fast, and it's narrow in part of the lane.
This part of the ride isn't for very confident cyclists as there are sweeping, downhill turns. The busyness lets up once you make a right onto Delmar Avenue. This is a small lane tucked away on a road that time forgot. You'll see what I mean when you're cycling there. The houses are very quaint, and there are several mini-fruit ranches on the right-hand side between the road and the railroad tracks. It's charming. The rest of the ride winds through Rocklin's older city streets and eventually ends up on Stanford Ranch Road again. Any cyclist cue sheet will have this route listed as it's a great one and popular for Rocklin cyclists.
Remember to Look Up
To live or visit Rocklin means to experience variety. One of the best examples of this is with Rocklin's bird population.
While cycling on Rocklin's 12 Bridges-Sierra College route, you'll see so many birds that you'll think you've entered into a sanctuary for our feathered friends. While all birds have their share of beautiful features, one that’s my favorite is the Red-shoulder Hawk. For those of us on the west side of the country, we only see one of the five subspecies found in the United States. The other four are divided by our species by 1000 miles!
The Red-shoulder Hawk is easy to distinguish from other hawks because of their long banded tails. Red-shouldered Hawks have brownish heads and backs, reddish breasts, rufous shoulder patches, and black and white flight feathers. In flight, the Red-shouldered Hawk is seen making sharp turns due to that tail’s long feathers. Sometimes mistaken for a Red-tailed Hawk, the Red-shouldered Hawk is smaller in size-about the size of a crow.
If you cycle Rocklin's 12 Bridges-Sierra College route in the late winter and in the spring, be prepared for an extra treat when you sight the Red-shouldered Hawk. These beautiful birds are monogamous and pair together at around age two. They remain together during courtship and nesting year and year. The communication between them is magical. Courtship lasts about 18 days, and during this "circling flight" and "sky-dancing" displays are performed. In their circling flights, pairs soar together with their wings spread, and their tails fanned. The male and female soar toward and away from each other. One member of the pair sometimes soars higher and then dives down onto the other. Males "sky-dance" by repeatedly making a steep dive and then soaring upward in a spiral. It's such a beautiful ritual to see. Red-shouldered Hawks are particularly vocal before incubation, and they repeatedly call while engaged in courtship flights.
The Red-shouldered Hawk is very territorial and with good reason. Nest success depends significantly on the timing of nesting, food availability, and the amount of predation in their area. The list of predators is long: Great Horned Owls and raccoons pretty on eggs and young. Red-tailed hawks and other raptors prey on eggs and Red-Shoulder Hawk's young. The incubation period lasts five weeks, with the female brooding the nestlings continually for the first week of their lives and less time in subsequent weeks until their ready to fledge. The exciting thing about this is that the clutches (bird term for the eggs to baby phase) hatch asynchronously because the egg incubation begins before all the eggs are laid. The male is responsible for bringing food to the nest up through the first week of the young's lives. After that time, both parents hunt for food. The young leave when they're approximately 45 days old. And the cycle starts all over again the next year.
Cycling is an excellent activity with enormous benefits.
Families often cycle as one of their favorite family activities. Keeping bicycles protected and organized is often a difficult task. Using self-storage for your bicycles is a great way to protect your investment and making cycling an easy thing to do. As your neighborhood self storage facility, Stanford Ranch Self Storage, has unit sizes for every need. Our state of the art storage facility is a great place to keep your bicycles stored in an environment that’s not only organized; it's optimal for your bicycle’s integrity. Stanford Ranch Self Storage is open and practices social distancing, so please come by and see what we can offer you for your self storage needs.
Cypress Self Storage Is Now Open
We are also excited to announce that our sister facility, Cypress Self Storage of Oakley, is now open for business. Located in the City of Oakley, California, Cypress Self Storage is also perfect for cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts. Located in the Delta Area, there are so many fun outdoor activities to enjoy in Oakley. Cycling and boating are two of our favorites! Oakley is not too far from Rocklin, and could make a great day trip as wwell. Want to store your outdoor gear? Stanford Ranch Self Storage, Cypress Self Storage, and all of our Smart Self Storage facilities are here for you!
