Auburn, Calif., Feb. 12—The weeks prior to the C&E 37th Sweetheart Run were filled with some of the heaviest rain and back-to-back storms we have seen here in Northern California in decades. The reservoirs are at capacity as to what they can hold and how much they can release, rivers downstream are spilling their banks and crews are working around the clock to repair levee breaches. We all have ridden in the rain, but it does put a damper on things; the road is slicker, you must watch out for the painted lines on the street, and do not get on the brakes, or lean over in a turn going across a manhole cover—wet steel is very slippery. Don’t get me wrong, we desperately need the water, and I sympathize with my friends, and those who live in climates of ice, snow, and freezing temperatures that keeps their bikes parked most of the winter months, but here in the land of fruits ’n’ nuts we are used to getting our throttle time on a regular basis. With all this wild weather I was starting to wonder just how wet the run was going to be, and to what lengths I would need to go to keep my camera dry.
