I visited Sacramento several times on business in the mid-70s, which is nearly 40 years ago now. Not surprisingly, I hardly recognize the place. But I liked it then and I like it now. It is a clean, medium-sized state capital, similar to Madison, WI, my home town, but with a better climate.
We stayed at the Cal Expo RV Park in north Sacramento. Cal Expo is home to the California State Fair, weekend harness races and a variety of seasonal events (e.g., the “harvest crafts fair” this weekend). The RV park exists primarily to house those attending these events. But nothing was going on while we were here so the RV park was pretty empty. Which was fine with us.
Cal Expo RV with grandstands behind the trees
Patience at Cal Expo
We were tired – a little travel-weary and fighting colds – so we took it easy, mostly. But I felt well enough yesterday to check out the American River Bike Trail nearby and, while doing that, discovered a cute little 9-hole golf course which I played in the afternoon. So last night I was weary from biking and golfing. It was a refreshing kind of weariness.
Campus Common hole 1
No, I didn’t play very well. Thanks for asking. I did the round with a general contractor who was recovering from 5 broken vertebrae and played with crutches. He kicked my ass.
The American River, of course, is where gold was discovered in 1849. I don’t think anyone is panning for gold nowadays, but I have to wonder… were some nuggets missed? Part of me wanted to leave the golf clubs behind and go search for gold.
American River at the 5th tee
On Wednesday morning we packed up the dogs and took a trip into the Old Sacramento historical district. This is a part of town near the river that looks a lot like it did in the late 1800’s, post Gold Rush. It is an area with wooden sidewalks and some pretty interesting shops. I got some kettle corn (can’t resist) and a bag of almond/macadamia brittle that was to die for.
Jett and Grace in Old Sacramento
Old Sacramento
Wooden sidewalks
This was also where the Pony Express began, as I learned by reading the plaque on a statue. I was surprised to learn that the Pony Express was in business for just 18 months and employed just 121 riders – a small, unsuccessful business by modern standards. But an iconic failure.
Pony Express memorial
We are now just 4 days away from Tillamook. We have decided that since the weather is going to be bad (we don’t expect to see the sun for the next 10 days) and there is no town that is all that interesting between Sacramento and Tillamook we are going to do it in 4 short 1-night hops. The longest hop will be today’s at around 170 miles.
Rain we can take. I just pray that we avoid snow.