Touring * Fitness * Beginner * Artistic *

From Interstate 80, take the Travis Boulevard East exit. Pass the first stoplight and turn left at the next light, into the Solano Mall parking lot. Turn right immediately to park behind the Firestone building next to Travis. The grassy linear park with its many rosebushes awaits just across Travis at the Solano Mall stoplight.

The path between Fairfield and Solano College is a great spot for a workout or commuting between the mall and class. Starting in Fairfield in a garden of rosebushes, a path of 10-foot-wide coral-colored sidewalk meanders peacefully along a wide corridor, landscaped with a variety of trees, grasses, and shrubs. It's in immaculate condition, possibly because local community groups adopt portions of it to maintain. Along the trail's first mile and a half, before it passes under Interstate 80, are two sandlot playgrounds with picnic tables, plus streetlights to permit skating at night. There are also rest stops with benches and drinking fountains, and exercise stations dot the sides every few yards for those who like to stop and follow instructions to do a set of pushups or high kicks. The terrain includes some very gentle hills, and since the path is bordered by lawn, it's a good place for beginners to practice slalom turns or heel-brake stops. Two or three intersections interrupt the trail in the first section. And take care: the last one becomes a ramp for the freeway one block up, so cars are moving pretty fast. Next, after passing through the tunnel under Interstate 80, you'll negotiate a stoplight and two crosswalks to get over the north-side freeway ramps. Just around the corner, the rosy sidewalk gives way to asphalt of equal quality if not color. Although Fairfield did a wonderful job of landscaping, that can't hide the fact that this section parallels the busy, noisy freeway for nearly two miles. Still, trees have been planted that will someday provide shade, and a scattering of benches, trash cans, and drinking fountains add a very user-friendly touch. Aluminum fencing protects you on both sides while affording glimpses of the gorgeous wide-open farm country (including vineyards) to the north. To the south, an interesting view of the Anheuser Busch brewery is framed between the freeway and an overpass; the Cadenasso Winery and an orchard are on your right. After crossing a wooden bridge, the trail turns sharply north and runs into the Solano Community College athletic fields. Skating is discouraged but not prohibited on the campus, which is sunny, flat, and full of wide sidewalks.