Last night was an amazing meandering ride from Downtown through Midtown for the 1st Annual Bikeramento Crawl.

Set the scene of a moving banner from sanctuary to sanctuary in the light rain. It all begins with the religious experience of a cup of mojo at Temple Fine Coffee & Tea.

The loose Bikeramentans gather and awkwardly introduce themselves to the team. It’s to be expected. Who are these bike-crazy folks, these Spokes People, who believe that they can influence city planning and have fun doing it?

Ah….soak up that caffeine. A fine whiff of a single origin espresso parting the perfect foam of that cappuccino. David Barton shows up with the sharp photographer for Sacramento Press. And the adventure begins.

The energy builds, spreading the word to random cyclists biking over for meetings and everyday items, creating a chance run-in with Panama Bartholomew of the Planning Commission.

Australia, and barista extraordinaire from the emerging Chocolate Fish Coffee down the street, check.

Scotland, skydiver and cyclist, check.

Eco-activist, check.

State workers and Bay Area transplants, check.

Gear up to travel over to Brew It Up where Sacramento Press opens the tab and buys the ragtag Bikeramentans a round of beer. Mmmm…house-brewed Vanilla Stout. More creative capital joins the crew. We hear whispers of city-wide capture the flag driven by online clues.

Off we go into the wild night yonder, hustling to Butch N Nellie’s Coffee House at 19th and I Streets for Muddy Dublins, Guinness with a shot of espresso, and Dublin Floats, Guinness with 2 scoops of chocolate gelato. It’s a mad nightcap as a large group adds on to the fun and night lights flicker onto the bikes, like quirky fireflies amidst the dewy darkness.

Onward to DeVere’s Irish Pub. It’s our poor waitress’ lucky draw, her first night on the job serving Bikeramento. A flawless delivery as Sacramento Press hurls a round of Washington Apples for the 20 of us gathered, followed by a roundhouse of beers and a few small plates to soak it all up. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” as we toast our sponsors.

Time slows down as we enjoy the jovial sounds of a full crowd. The lamb sliders linger on the tongue and bid us adieu into the rain once more.

Last call to Rubicon Brewing Company on 20th and Capitol Avenue next to The Waterboy Restaurant. We run into friends, associates, and more Bikeramentans. Thank goodness for open-faced meatloaf sandwiches drizzled with mushroom gravy. Another crowded house on a wintry Tuesday night, the perfect ending to Crawl home for bedtime stories and foamy dreams.

The Bikeramento Banner travels from post to post like a wise, wandering gypsy at home wherever it lands against the cityscape, signifying the temporal nature of each stop combined with the cyclical energy of moving forward together as an evolving urban wheel .

It’s 10 minutes to the next event, the bicycle flash mob on Wednesday evening. Find the answer online at Bikeramento.org.