It was a beautiful morning. The day was June 12, 2016 and it was going to be another travel day. After eating breakfast at the Casa De Fruitas campground restaurant, we packed up our rigs and hit the road around 12 noon. Our next stop was a special one as we headed to Sacramento. It was a short ride at 145 miles and approximately three hours worth of driving. The outdoor temperature was a comfortable 73F (22.7C) and we had gorgeous blue skies overhead.
The yellow grasslands on rolling hills surrounded the deep blue of the San Luis Reservoir. The water level was really low and its white banks were exposed.
The next day we all slept in then found a local grocery store to buy things for dinner that night. I said earlier that this was a special stop...and it was. Janet's brother Bobby, who lives in Sacramento, was coming to dinner. Rick and I looked forward to meeting him. Janet and I prepared a nice table outdoors. This was a family reunion of sorts as Janet and Bobby hadn't seen each other in years.
I threw in a little surprise "appetizer" for the happy occasion...something I bought at the grocery store earlier that day. Introducing deep fried larvae worms with Mexican spices. Bobby was an adventuresome eater like me so together we nibbled on them. They weren't bad, just crunchy. I just love unusual things in all forms so this was another fun, first experience.
The guys grilled steaks and salmon.
The atmosphere, the food and especially the company was wonderful.
As the night air chilled, we continued to sit outside and talk while marveling at another beautiful sunset.
Sacramento, the capital city of California, was our hangout for five days. The day before we left, Bobby invited Janet, Ralph, Rick and I onto his boat to show us the city from a different perspective. June 16th was a great day for being on the water. Temps were around 72F (22.2C) and we had sunshine and blue skies. By car, we used the GPS to find the Sacramento Yacht Club where we met Bobby, who was docked on the Sacramento River in his boat called Blissful.
Captain Bobby skillfully guided Blissful out of the yacht club and out onto the main river. We got an escort of geese along the way.
Bobby had a happy crew aboard.
I liked Bobby's charm hanging from the Captain's station. When it caught the sunshine it looked like sparkling prisms of light.
We made a pit stop at a waterside marina store to pick up ice for the cooler.
Moving off the Sacramento River confluence, Bobby showed us sights along the American River, which runs 120 miles through California. The water quality of this river remains very good and even supplies drinking water for Sacramento. We saw the Jibboom Street Bridge, a historic metal truss swing bridge built in 1931 that is functionally obsolete but handles car traffic. A park setting to the right offered swimming from a beach.
Someone found that fishing with an umbrella helped tame the chance of sunburn.
Back on the Sacramento River, we saw this lovely yellow Tower Bridge, which rose vertically from the center for boat traffic. Constructed in 1935, this was originally a railroad bridge but converted in 1963 to pedestrian and vehicle crossing. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Downtown and Old Sacramento (Old Sac) came into view from the Sacramento River, .
This was the I Street Bridge, another historic metal truss swing bridge that opened in 1911. The lower level provides rail access and the upper level is open to motor vehicles.
This gold, pyramid shaped building was known as the Ziggurat Building. It's a ten story office complex that overlooked the river, Old Sac and the Tower Bridge.
Bobby pulled into the public dock spaces located just below the Old Sacramento (Old Sac) Historic District and secured the boat. The tidewater level was extremely low exposing the pilings almost down to their bottoms. Here was an interesting fact: The Sacramento River flooded often. An extensive flood control system was put into place in the early 2000's and the city streets had to be raised one level. Most of the sidewalks and storefronts were filled in but an extensive tunnel system remains throughout Old Sac and the downtown area because of this. There are even tunnel tours available for a cost.
A bug I had never seen before flew onto the ropes.
At the top of the ramp (above the docking area), we began to stroll around Old Sac, which covered twenty-eight acres of historic waterfront.
Originally constructed in 1849, Old Sac had been rebuilt due to fire and flood since the 1960's and has become a popular tourist attraction. The District became a National Historic Landmark District in 1965 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
This Mechanics Exchange Building was originally used as a bank for the employees of the Transcontinental Railroad. Later it turned into a brothel and is now high end condos with an educational toy store for children on the first floor.
The Big Four House is a historic 19th century building that was originally three separate buildings constructed from 1851 to 1852. The bottom floors were occupied by merchants, three of whom became part of "The Big Four" (hence the building name). "The Big Four" were four men associated with the founding of the first Transcontinental Railroad that linked California to the eastern United States. On the second floors, the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California held office. The Southern Pacific Railroad was also founded here. In 1878, the building was consolidated and turned into one structure. Other merchants, such as store keepers, a saloon, a hardware store and a hotel moved into the second floor.This building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
We had lunch at the funky Fanny Anns Saloon. Fanny Ann was a steamboat built in 1842 and was the most reliable means of transportation for supplies to Sutters Fort and surrounding areas along the Sacramento River. Fanny Ann was also used by the Union Pacific Railroad Company and in 1862, she helped the North during the Civil War. After the war, the steamboat was purchased by a madam and saloon keeper and docked along the Sacramento River adjacent to the saloon. The steamboat burned down after a questionable fire following a particularly rowdy party. Only the saloon still stands and is a memory to the old steamboat's colorful and historic past with an eclectic display of memorabilia and what-nots mixed with a sense of humor.
The burgers here were amazing. I tried the Jiffy Burger, which had bacon, cheese and peanut butter on it. VERY different and fun.
The old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum was a living replica of a one-room schoolhouse found throughout America in the 1800's.
As you can see from my earlier mentions, the railroad was a big influence in this area. This California State Railroad Museum pays tribute to the locomotive and its role in connecting California to the rest of the nation. For further information on this amazing display, check out their website at: California State Railroad Museum
We went aboard the Delta King Hotel and Restaurant, an authentic 285 foot paddle wheel river boat. Of course, this fine vessel had history too. The Delta King (and sister ship Delta Queen) commuted 10.5 hours every day between San Francisco and Sacramento from 1927 to 1940. During World War II, it was drafted by the US Navy to serve as floating barracks, troop transport and a hospital ship. Now it was privately owned and functioned as a floating hotel and restaurant of fine dining.
Towards the back of the boat there was a nice bar area where we had some cool drinks.
Thank you, again, Bobby for a great and memorable day.
Stay tuned for our next stop - Calistoga and Wine Country...
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