For Those With The Speed Gene

Last week, the company I work for had a team building event at an indoor go-cart racing track called Race Place Motorsports (RPM) just off Hwy 50 on Bradshaw Rd. I discovered on the track, I no longer have the "speed gene." I used to own it and had a lead foot, but as the cars raced past me I found I was too cautious and desperately desiring a rear-view mirror. I was firmly convinced my inner child still resided in me, but now I know, it's only the tyke, not the teenager. Oh, well, suiting up and the anticipation was a blast.

So, here I am in all my glory, waiting for the green flag. We made fifteen laps...I think. It could have been 10, because I definitely lost track. Some people were slower than me (I got stuck behind one of them) but most were way faster and a lot more gutsy. I was concerned about flipping over and didn't want to hit anyone. That particular worry wasn't part of the package for several of our group. I flinched as they whizzed by, casually clipping my tires.

Afterwards, we took to the upstairs lounge, reserved exclusively for our company, with about 35 participants. We chatted, gave out goofy awards and partook of a pasta buffet and all-you-could-drink-softdrinks. We were treated incredibly well and photographed from every angle by their on-staff photographer.

A good time was had by all and I would recommend RPM as a group event, especially for a group closer to the teenage years - say in the 20 to 40 year-old range. A couple of us older chicks would have opted for a rousing bowling tournament instead. Again, it was a matter of no longer owning the speed gene.

RPM is located at 3130 Bradshaw Road and you can reach their offices at(916) 368-7223.

RPM Website

Down By The River

On Saturday night, a couple of weeks ago, I left my favorite karaoke spot, Marie Callendar's (closed the joint) and then went down to the river along the Garden Hwy, to a place called Crawdad's, a restaurant and lounge floating on a big barge on the Sacramento River. Getting to it involved crossing an elevated pier bridge and then travelling down to water level by elevator.

(Crawdads - 1375 Garden Highway. Call(916)929-2268 for more information or click here)

It was a tad slow that night, at least at 11:30 (maybe the crowd had come and gone already), but the band played on - Paradox - formed in 1988 by Arden Elicker, lead vocalist. Other band members include Perry Clark (Vocals/Guitar/Keyboard), Greg Atkins (Vocals/Guitar), Christian Wise (Vocals/Drums)and Paul Hawley (Bass). They are regulars at Crawdads and you can see by the picture they inspire the crowd to join them on stage now and then, as these two ladies, not members of the band, demonstrated that night.

What was really fun was discovering that there's a whole nightlife scene right down by the river. The Riverbank Marina, of which Crawdad's is a part, also hosts Chevys and the Blue Gecko. The Gecko had heavy sounds drifting down to the water, too.

The riverside experience is better enjoyed while the weather's still mild, so consider squeezing in a trip before the heavy rains come. Wear your party gear, because that's the mood at Crawdads.

Lake Tahoe Is A Project

My daughter came to visit this past weekend so I took her to Lake Tahoe - for the day. Wow, the day is not nearly enough.

We took the winding Hwy. 50 route, which is stunning in itself, with the twists and turns through pines, tiny outposts of towns and cliff-side views of the lake once you get there.

Once we arrived we headed straight for Pope Beach. Tall pines stand like sentinels along the large-grained sandy beach. Ducks and geese clamored for the attention of the very few people populating the stretch of shoreline.

It was rather cool, but I ventured into the water, while Vanessa, my daughter who lives in Arizona, bundled up and read. We spent about two and half hours just relaxing by the immense basin of water that has three bands of color; a brownish-green near the shore, deep turquoise a ways out and in the middle a deep navy blue. The striations were fascinating to me, as they increased with the amount of sunshine that made it out from behind the clouds.

Van read the stats of the lake to me; 1642 feet deep, 12 miles wide by 22 miles long. It is enormous and very, very beautiful.

Once we left the water, we drove around to the Nevada side, and gambled for two hours on $20 each. Of course, I'm a gambling wimp and won't lose more than $20 (I also play the penny machines!).

Then our time for the day was up! We didn't get to explore other beaches or Emerald Bay, or the historical sites. I'm planning a much longer trip next summer. A whole weekend might be enough.

We'll see.

Sophistication offered at Horseshoe Bar Grill in Loomis

Loomis, a tiny town north of Sacramento off I-80, is home to one terrific restaurant, Horseshoe Bar Grill, located on the main street of Loomis,at 3645 Taylor Road. The restaurant, an oasis of sophistication in a decidely country village, reopened in June with new management. The general manager, Richard Bruce, was present and visiting customer tables the Saturday my sister Laura and I chose to have a late lunch.

While the hour the restaurant opens on Saturday, 3 p.m., was a little past the time our stomachs began to protest. It worked out fine, because the atmosphere and food was definitely worth the wait.

Laura and I were going to be treated to a homemade meal when we got back to her home (my brother-in-law John loves to cook!), so we kept to the light choices, both of us ordered the mushroom soup and we shared an artisan cheese tray. My raspberry iced tea came in a water goblet, with mint sprigs draped over the lip

If I had it to do over, I would order two bowls of the mushroom soup, which was a broth-based concoction with a several varieties of mushrooms and a taste that sent us both over the top. Dainty diners we were not. The delectable soup tempted both of us to consider lifting our bowls and draining the last of drops or follow Laura's best plan of sucking up the last of it through a pair of straws. But our manners prevailed and we satisfied ourselves with moaning with pleasure.

The cheeses arrived accompanied by proscuitto, salami, pancetta, an olive selection and bits of fruit. Coming from a family of cheese lovers, our appreciation of the blues, cheddars and creams was warm. We were checked on by Mr. Bruce and our waiter enough to make us both feel important as we enjoyed our treats and our conversation, in the nearly empty restaurant. Of course, we had arrived as the bistro was just barely opening.

The menu had a several choices of both cuisine and price range. There was also a lovely wine list.

I highly recommend taking a trip out to Loomis for the food alone, but don't drive too fast. You may miss the short but picturesque little main street and country roads leading into it.

Reservations are a good idea. Call(916) 652-4100 for hours and to make sure they'll save a seat for you!

Remember adventure always lies just beyond your everyday life, especially in Sacramento!

A Step Back in Time - Locke

The first thought I had when I drove down into Locke off the 160 Hwy, was, "Wow, this looks like a cowboy town from an old Western."

The narrow one-way Main Street is lined with two-story storefront buildings, most of which are filled with businesses or are historic sites. Locke was built in 1915, by a group of Chinese businessmen after a fire in the Chinese section of nearby Walnut Grove and remains essentially the same as it was after it's completion in 1920.

You can step back in time for free at the Chinese schoolhouse, which dates back to 1915, but was closed in the 1980s due to a lack of Chinese students. The walls are covered with interesting photos.


There is also the Dai Loy Museum, for a little more time travel, open to the public for a very minimal fee.

One local artist, Chris Spencer, characterized Locke as an artist colony, and the art galleries attest to the talent in town. Spencer shows his art in the "Down By the River Gallery" opened by Catherine Conner Erickson.

The name may be politically incorrect (from a time before there was even such a thing as politically correct), but "Al the Wop's" bar and restaurant is very popular with the locals and out-of-towners, who often ride in on motorcycles.

Locke is worth a half hour drive along the Sacramento river, both for the destination and the drive itself. Take Hwy 160 south and follow the signs. Come prepared to stroll Main Street, perhaps buy a piece of artwork, stop into Al's for a libation or maybe dinner - steak and pasta is their speciality, and definitely for a step back into another time.

Freeport Is Jamming On Sundays

I had the good fortune of being let in on a secret. Freeport, which is about 10 from miles of riverside driving from downtown Sacramento, has its own blues celebration every week. Okay, it’s a smaller scale that the blues festivals, with about 120 people attending last Sunday, but it is cozy and lots of fun.

The Moon River Inn hosts the blues jam from 4-8 p.m. on Sundays through Nov. 2 (or until it starts raining!). You can’t miss the Inn, because it’s right on 160 and there will a number of motorcycles leaning to one side, waiting for their owners to return. The music can be heard from the road, too.

The jam is organized by members of the Sacramento Blues Society and rotates local musicians through sets, so you get a different flavor from each group that takes the mike.

The music is good and the atmosphere very relaxing. You can get fed from the Inn's menu or you can buy a hot dog and chips for $3. Alcohol and soft drinks are available inside the bar or if you can catch a waitress, you can have it delivered.

While there are tables and chairs provided, some of us brought our own chairs and blankets. The crowd was very diverse and ranged from families, to older folks to a few twenty-somethings.

Getting to Freeport is easy from almost anywhere, take the 5 to the Pocket Road exit and drive south on Freeport Blvd aka Hwy 160. You'll be there in a couple of minutes.

So, plan to get to the Moon River Inn before the rains come!

Imagine My Surprise...

…when I found a thriving karaoke scene at Marie Calendar’s! Seriously, would you have ever thought of Marie’s as a place for karaoke? Yet, when my neighbor April told me about it I couldn’t wait to see what it was like and I wasn’t disappointed in any way. The Marie Calendar’s we’re talking about is on Sunrise, just north of Madison.

Like any karaoke gathering, there were those who sang for the pure joy or fun of it, but couldn’t carry a tune (which is the group I belong to). However, the great majority of the singers were quite good, and some were great.

Because the bar serves food, kids could come and listen or sing until 9 p.m., which was a treat. Watching them listen to their folks sing or in the case of one really talented young girl, probably 13 at the most, rock the house with old songs from the 60s and 70s, was really a blast.

The picture of Kid Rock’s brother – just kidding – is actually of Tiny, a 7 foot singer who belted out “What a Wonderful World” in Louis Armstrong’s voice. I had to thank him. He did a great job, and Pete, my wonderful late husband, loved that song the best above all others. We played it at his memorial service. So, watching Tiny deliver the goods, was really great. By the way, he does smile…quite a bit.

Then the trio of singers, April, Curtis and April’s daughter Sophie, was who I sat with and cheered on. April is really a fabulous singer, with a strong voice for songs like those Faith Hill sings. Sophie has a sweet voice and is coming along right behind her mother, while Curtis did George Strait with ease and played with a soprano range at the table when only our group could hear. Actually, I liked the high sound a lot.

In the last hour, two of the best singers in the house, gave the audience the chills. First a tiny gal sang RESPECT with a flair that Aretha would have bowed to and then a young woman who looked too young to have lived enough to understand her rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” sang it like someone who had really been through the pain. She hit and hit it hard.

Lastly, a shaved-bald Joseph crooned “Unchained Melody” with such range and sincerity the women in the bar nearly swooned, at least I did.

There were others, too many to recount here, who really did a great job, but the true joy of the evening was just feeling the love in the house. That’s what karaoke is all about. I fell in love with the atmosphere about ten years ago, when under the spell of eight (count them – 8) martinis I got up and sang Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” and nobody laughed. In fact, when the song calls for a crescendo, they even clapped. And take my word for it, I can’t sing. What bliss is this?

I’ll go back again, soon. Maybe I’ll see you there. I’ll be the one with a ridiculous grin on my face, chair-dancing with gusto. Wait a minute, that’s most everyone there…