The Wildflower Century - Chico, California, 2015 by Dave...
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  2. The Wildflower Century - Chico, California, 2015The Wildflower Century - Chico, California, 2015
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Album-2021-01-19-2229
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The Wildflower Century - Chico, California, 2015
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Yosemite, Selected Images, 2014
Route 66 - 2015
Navajo Country - 2014
A Ride Up Stelvio Pass, Italy
The Un-Yellowstone/Teton Photography Tour, 2013
Clover Avenue Elementary School
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Homage Galleries
It's Hip to Be Square
Indian Country Galleries
Holiday Festivals of Los Angeles
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California Galleries
Mountain Home - Photography Amongst the Giant Sequ
The Oregon Galleries
An August Ascent of Mt. Sill
The Tidelands of South Carolina
Yellowstone Country - Autumn, 2007
The Magic of Autumn - Yosemite, 2006
Sierra Nevada East Side - Autumn, 2006
Zion, Bryce and Las Vegas - A Photography Tour
Death Valley Haikus - Winter, 2007
Yosemite in Winter - 2007
Emigrant Highways - San Joaquin Valley, California
The Glory of Yosemite - Spring, 2007
Winter in Yosemite - 2008
Death Valley 2008
Yellowstone Country - Autumn, 2008
Mono Lake, Bodie Ghost Town and Autumn Colors - Si
Autumn in Yosemite, 2008
Route 66, California - Barstow to Amboy - 2008
Route 66 - Barstow to Amboy, California - 2009
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Land of Fire and Ice - The Cascades and Northern C
Return to Steinbeck Country
Point Reyes National Seashore, California - Previe
Rapha Continental -The Navajo Nation Ride
Beyond the Snapshot: The Point Reyes Peninsula
Yellowstone Country 2009
Yosemite in Autumn - October, 2009
Sierra Nevada East Side - 2009
Indian Country and the Southwestern United States
The Southwest - Canyon Lands and Indian Country, 2
The Mother Road - Route 66, 2010
Family Camping Trip Galleries
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Sierra Nevada East Side - 2010
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IPhonic Imagery
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City of Angels - Photojournalism
Oregon Photo Tour/Ken Rockwell Homage - 2012
Here are photographs from the Chico, California, Wildflower Century, held April 16th, 2015. It's a challenging ride I've made most of the last 15 years. It's a ride that validates, if only to myself, that I'm still alive still able to make my mind and my body take me beyond my ordinary level of comfort.

Chico sits on the eastern edge of the Great Central Valley of California. I spent some time there as a student at the state university and I consider Chico my second home.

As usual, I made the ride with my brother, Dan, and two good friends, Silas and Richard. We all had to come a considerable distance and I think we'll probably make the same trip next year.
The Scenery on the Way to Chico
Photo: Dan Wyman
Making Friends
Dan makes friends with Willy at the home we stayed in the night before the ride.
Dawn Arrives in Chico
Start of the Ride - Silver Dollar Fairgrounds
Early Morning Ride on a Tandem
A couple team up on their tandem at the start of the "Wildflower Century," in Chico, California. The ride takes cyclists into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and out across the Great Central Valley of California.
Pedaling Toward the Day's First Climb
Riders approach Humboldt Road, which offers the first climb, a somewhat annoying climb at that, over a rough road.
Riding into the Sun on Humboldt Road
Gaining Altitude on Humboldt Road
So Many Riders!
At the Top of Humboldt Road
Cyclists from Chico Velo, the club that sponsors the Wildflower Century, arrive at the top of the first climb.
Atop Humboldt Road
Cover Shot - Chico News & Review
The cover photo is one I made a few years ago on the Wildflower ride. I'm honored it was chosen for the annual bike issue of the CN&R this year.
Riders and the Steve Harrison Memorial Arch
At the Honey Run Road Covered Bridge
My Friend Silas on a Mountain Bike and a Cyclist on a Recumbent Bike
Relaxing on the Road
Out of the mountains, now, headed for a rest stop at the edge of the Gold Rush era town, Oroville.
Pealing Up Table Mountain
There's not much shade and the grade is mostly up and steep on the way to the summit of Table Mountain. It's a beautifully brutal part of the ride.
Climbing Table Mountain
Dan and Richard
The top of Table Mountain - actually a vast, volcanic plateau - is close.
The Summit of Table Mountain!
A Rest Stop, stocked with water and food, awaited us atop Table Mountain.
A Short Video of Me atop Table Mountain
Having just spent a few minutes photographing riders approaching the top of Table Mountain, I was more than fresh enough to pedal hard the remaining yards to the top.
Cycling along the Top of Table Mountain
The Fantastic Descent Along Cherokee Road
We Rode Past Plenty of Wildflowers along the Higher Reaches of the Ride
Cover Shot - Discover Chico
I had the pleasure of winning another cover photo, this one for the Discover Chico publication. That's my brother, Dan, in front of a cluster of lupines on Cherokee Road.
Cyclist with a Wildflower Jersey
Steaming Full Speed Out of the Mountains
Put the Bikes Away - the Ride is Over
End of the Road
One day my bike and my body will be like this old truck. We'll be out to pasture. Before that happens, there are more rides to enjoy in this amazing reality we're privileged to experience.
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