Outbound

Nine-year-old Jordan Freer succeeded in her swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco on Memorial Day.

How do you get nine local teenagers – the youngest relay team ever to participate in Race Across America – ready for a 3,000 miles long bike ride?

TOP PICKS AMERICAN RIVER--Flows are now at 2,000 cfs, and shad have arrived all the way to Sailor Bar. The river is wadable, but it's still easy for waders to get into trouble if they don't use extreme caution. Wear a belt and shoes with good felt soles, use a wading staff, and better yet wear those non-intrusive safety suspenders. Champagne and chartreuse colors work best for spin fishermen as well as for fly tossers. A few more striped bass are showing up, as well. Throw swimbaits or soak crawdads and sardines.

"Fred Beckey's 100 Favorite North American Climbs" Other Provisions are Dry Dudz and the 5 Hottest Outdoor Sports in 2011

A girl from the tiny community of Lotus in El Dorado County hopes to make a big splash by becoming one of the youngest people to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco on Memorial Day.

In advance of the Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer recreation season, a life jacket trade-in will be held today at Kohl's store locations in the Sacramento region.

Experiencing a historic run – from the Big Sur International Marathon to the Boston Marathon to the Peachtree road race in Atlanta – is rewarding.

Sacramento ranks second in the nation on public access to parks and government investment on those parks, behind only San Francisco.

For years, the organization behind the counterculture festival Burning Man has been urging participants to live year-round by the ideals espoused during its weeklong occupation of the Nevada Black Rock Desert.

Not much beats running past redwood trees, along creeks and within a canvas of oak and manzanita groves.

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These tables are provided by the California-Nevada River Forecast Center of the National Weather Service and are based on normal dry-season meteorological and river-release conditions. These conditions may change and affect both the magnitude and timing of tidal stages in the Delta. As a result, various tide forecasts are updated daily in river bulletins. These bulletins are issued jointly by the California-Nevada River Forecast Center and the California Department of Water Resources at cdec.water.ca.gov/rivforecasts.html.

Most Tahoe National Forest campgrounds – even those in the high country – have opened in time for the Memorial Day holiday.

AMERICAN RIVER-Flows started to drop back, to 6,000 cfs over the weekend, as Folsom reached the full mark, and flows are likely to drop more in the upcoming days and weeks.

John Zisk continues the fight that his father, William, began in court and at Roseville City Council meetings after the council voted in 1973 to seize family property for a bike trail.

Democratic Sens. Joe Simitian and Noreen Evans have rolled out a proposal aimed at keeping gates open at more than 50 California state parks set to close this summer.

Steven Tiller, the Sacramento carpenter-turned- designer whose bike storage rack could be poised for big things, has begun the manufacturing process but is still working out many details.

For the casual "flower peeper," it might appear that the wildflower season has come to an end - or never happened. They want to see vast carpets of flowers that include every color and species. But to the wildflower photographer, the season is still in full swing. The limited growth of flowers cut us back in quantity, but not variety.

AMERICAN RIVER-Flows continued to climb, to 7,000 cfs last week, as Folsom approached the full mark, and inflows exceeded 10,000 cfs as snowmelt peaked in the warm weather.

The need was there – the land, too, and plenty of it, with acres of green grass, basketball courts and even a garden – all surrounded by chain-link fence.

Work on the famed Rubicon Trail intended to improve environmental protection and recreational opportunities should be allowed to proceed, the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday.

The recent rains -- and then sunny days -- in Northern California have been kind to the wildflowers, but also to the grasses that can crowd them out. Here are some best bets for wildflower viewing and photography this weekend in the Sacramento region.

May is Bike Month in the Sacramento region, an invitation to try bicycling one day.

Wildflowers are benefiting from all the rain of the past few weeks and many species are finally making their appearances. The weather this week should be clear, perfect for wildflower viewing and photography.

Vernal pools – temporary wetlands that fill in the rainy season and then dry out by late spring – are in full bloom and should be into May. Dozens of plant and animal species call these spring pools home. The small plants form colorful patterns that change week to week. The critters are small, but support larger animal life. Tours at Mather Field's vernal pools, which offer a good idea of what's thriving in there, will be held the next two Sundays. To reserve a spot, check at www.sacsplash.org.

The driver of a small black sedan honked and leaned out his window one recent cold, windy Sunday. "Go ride on the sidewalk!" he yelled.

When a blue-and-white flag is lowered from a boat in middle of Folsom Lake, it's one minute to regatta race time.

Sacramento residents can look forward to cooling off in public swimming pools this summer.

A fundraising campaign to keep city pools open this summer has gained momentum in recent days, but is still short of its $1 million goal.

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