Williams, CA - May 11 - 13, 2008

Early on May 11 we drove from Grass Valley to Williams.  After parking Bill headed for Kelseyville to take his mom to lunch for Mother's Day.  Although they phone and e-mail frequently they hadn't seen each other since her 80th birthday over a year ago, so it was a joyous reunion.

The following Tuesday we trekked back up to Lake County to do our very last satellite Internet installation and training session in Potter Valley.  We hadn't been to the area before and were impressed by the spring beauty of this small valley.

Chico - May 14, 2008

We left Williams and headed to our friend's home in the rolling hills outside of Chico.  We met Chet and Eileen in Zion National Park our first full year (2005) as full-time travelers and had linked up with them again at Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County the following year.  Since last we met they had been nearly everywhere - Polynesia, Europe, South and Central America, Asia and Antarctica and had a trip planned for North Africa.  We had a wonderful time catching up and learning about their adventures.

A month later, while our friends were on their way to their Wyoming home, a wildfire swept through the Chico/Paradise area.  The firefighters stopped the blaze very near our friend's property.  They were very fortunate as the fire burned numerous buildings and left many folks homeless.

Redding - May 15 -17, 2008

We left Chico midmorning heading for Redding. Those familiar with California weather know that Redding is one of the hot spots during the summer.  We thought we were clever visiting the town in mid-May.  We were wrong.  The temperature hovered around 111 degrees during our three-day stay at Green Acres RV Park.  We loved the park and highly recommend it.  Green Acres is one of the few parks in Redding that is located away from I-5; the park is lovely and the owners welcoming.

We were in town to visit Turtle Bay  Park and the Sundial Bridge.  The renowned Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, designed the graceful Sundial Bridge spanning the Sacramento River and connecting the two sections of Turtle Bay Exploration Park.  The glass pedestrian bridge is suspended from one pylon and resembles an egret taking flight.

After touring Turtle Bay we took a jaunt up to Whiskeytown Lake just west of Redding.  The lake was beautiful and nearly deserted.  Eventually, the heat drove us back home.

Although we would have liked to spend more time exploring Redding and its environs, on May 18th we skedaddled north to Mount Shasta in an attempt to find cooler temperatures.