Sacramento Too The Golden Country, California

 

When traveling, the interrogation is “fly or drive?”  Today, nosotros are traveling to Sacramento from the Pasadena, California area…a distance of 407 miles.  Flying fourth dimension would live an hour.  Arriving at the airport, an hr before takeoff.  Being with a wheelchair, add together some other hr to that to brand certain airline as well as drome staff tin teach yous on the bird as well as seated together.  Another 40 minutes to an hr to drive to the airport, hence a one-half hr to collect your baggage as well as some other to teach to the hotel…if it is nearby.  You mightiness also demand to rent a machine if populace transit options are non suitable (but inward Sacramento, they are pretty good).

Watch the Video of This Trip!

So, we’re talking close an investment of 5 hours…at least…and but about $350 for 3 people flying.  The drive is half dozen hours…not counting food, fuel, as well as bath stops…plus yous tin easily accept your ability chair as well as receive got your machine with yous when yous teach there.  Gas would live close $150.  Road trip it is!

Today’s drive is uneventful with stops inward Bakersfield for the delectable tacos at Los Tacos de Huicho as well as hence over again at the Love’s gas station inward Ripon for fuel, bathroom, as well as snacks.  I receive got credit for a gratis nighttime at Marriott, hence nosotros cash them inward at the Springhill Suites but N of downtown Sacramento.

We receive got an accessible room, which hither agency a bathtub with shower bench.  Roll-in showers are available but yous laissez passer upward the living room of the suite to teach one.  With the bench, I tin easily transfer Tim, laissez passer him a shower, continue the living room space, as well as salvage the roll-in for individual who needs it more.  H5N1 roll-in would live a piffling to a greater extent than convenient, but…for me…I laissez passer upward likewise much for the merchandise off here.

But…there’s no bench inward the shower.  I select this upward to the front end desk’s attention.  There is some other room with a shower bench as well as they desire to movement us there.  I ask, “why don’t yous but select to bench to our room?”  The director says it has to become into an accessible room only.  I tell her that nosotros are inward an accessible room but she nonetheless insists nosotros demand to move.  Some dorsum as well as forth, including taking her upward to our accessible room to essay it, as well as she go relents.  It turns out our room had a bench but whoever had the room before us took it with them.

Please, people…leave the materials inward the room.  Someone, mayhap yous someday, is going to live inward a province of affairs where yous demand it as well as it won’t live in that place because yous were selfish.

Once that’s settled, nosotros receive got a prissy room as well as receive got dinner before bedding downwards for the night.

The side past times side day, nosotros caput over to West Sacramento as well as Raley Field, dwelling of the Fields of Dreams page for reviews).

We commons the van behind the dwelling plate entrance as well as the happy parking attendant gives us several piffling packages of Jelly Bellies to accept inward with us.  We teach hither early on because nosotros don’t receive got tickets yet as well as desire to teach the best seats nosotros can.  Unfortunately, in that place are non likewise many wheelchair accessible seats left hence nosotros receive got to settle for seats on the kickoff base of operations side but out a chip inward correct field.

Since we’re early, nosotros walk over the nearby Tower Bridge.  This shimmering, golden span has an accessible walkway on its S side.  Just equally nosotros start to cross, a siren erupts as well as lights flash.  The drawbridge is close to live raised.

We teach equally closed equally nosotros tin teach as well as spotter the deck become up.  No boats are inward view, hence I gauge that they but heighten the span every morn at 10:00.  I’ve seen other drawbridges where this is the case…if you’re inward a boat, yous but desire to brand certain you’re in that place at that time.

Just a few minutes later, the deck comes downwards as well as nosotros consummate the crossing. 

On the other side is Old Sacramento State Park, a preserved neighborhood of historic buildings on the border of the Sacramento River.  We pass some fourth dimension eating the gratis samples at Candy Heaven, a large candy store on the border of the expanse that has but close whatever candy yous tin remember of.  Letty buys some candy to accept with us as well as nosotros accept but a quick walk through this terminate of the commons before walking back.

The game is a lot of fun as well as our seats are side past times side to a lemonade as well as churro stand.  I brand role of it to teach Tim a drinkable as well as a pocketbook of their kettle corn without having to go out our seats.  Letty as well as I afterwards become to teach some regular nutrient as well as beer.

The nutrient hither is alongside the best we’ve had at a baseball game game as well as the beer pick is incredible but the prices are pretty high for a tyke league game.  Tim as well as I dissever the ½ pound Dinger Dog yous run across above.  It was real good.  Letty had a chef’s salad that was also delicious.  That Blue Luna I’m belongings costs $11 though.   That’s to a greater extent than expensive than the same beer I bought at Angel Stadium before this month.

Prices aside, it’s a smashing game inward a smashing park.  We fifty-fifty got to run across a truthful baseball game legend, Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, coaching kickoff base.  He was also real nice…especially to the ladies who wanted to accept pictures with him betwixt innings.

After the game, nosotros were done with this real quick trip to our state’s capitol.  Now, we’re heading upward to the Motherlode. 

It’s non a long drive upward highway 50 where nosotros plough off on highway 49 inward Placerville as well as caput south.  Highway 49 is the ribbon of route that connects all of the Gold Rush towns of the Motherlode.  Highway 49…forty-niner…get it? 

About 40 miles S of Placerville, nosotros clitoris past times Amador City as well as hence into the pocket-size town of Sutter Creek, which volition live our base of operations of operations for the side past times side few days.  Our hotel volition live the Days Inn at the N terminate of town.  We teach a suite, which was in all likelihood a waste materials of extra money, because the layout has the living room way off to the side, with no TV, as well as is non actually conducive to using for anything other than an extra sleeping expanse for Tim.

The sofabed is lumpy…Tim says it’s comfortable, which is fortunate because it certain didn’t hold back or experience that way when I sat on the edge.  No sheets were provided for it as well as when I asked the front end desk for a set, they brought it but didn’t desire to render a pillow for it.   When I insisted, the director borrowed a dyad of pillows from a vacant room.  We entirely needed one, they didn’t desire to render it, as well as when I complained, they brought two?

There’s a slight mildew odour to the room but other than that, the room is adequate as well as volition laissez passer us a argue to non live in that place to a greater extent than than nosotros receive got to.

After settling in, nosotros caput to downtown for dinner.  It’s close a iv block walk from the hotel, but the sidewalks hold back iffy for wheelchair access, hence nosotros drive.  Upon farther inspection, it was accessible for a wheelchair, if a chip bumpy, but in that place are many sections inward the Gold Rush era downtown that are non as well as would require wheelers to detour into the street.  H5N1 adept house to start would live to commons past times City Hall at the N terminate as well as walk from there…it’s the most accessible of the routes.

Looking on Yelp.com before the trip, I made upward a listing of restaurants that looked interesting to try.  Tonight, we’re going to J&D’s Steakhouse, correct inward the middle of downtown Sutter Creek.  It’s happy hr when nosotros teach inward hence nosotros lodge some of the delicious blood-red vino they’re pouring this night for but $3.  Next, it’s on to an appetizer of jalapeno chips that remind us a chip of fried pickles.  The peppers are sliced up, battered, as well as deep fried.  They’re served on a heaping plate with ranch dressing as well as are real good.    Tim has a burger as well as Letty has the pasta primavera.  I’m non actually hungry, hence I but subsist on the jalapenos, wine, bread, as well as Tim’s leftovers.  It’s all real adept as well as nosotros desire to come upward dorsum hither over again if nosotros receive got time.
NOTE: J as well as D's has closed since this 2010 visit

The side past times side morning, nosotros caput over to nearby Jackson, the county seat.  Breakfast is a delicious spread of waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, as well as sausage at the Waffle Shop on the S terminate of town on highway 49.

After breakfast, nosotros accept a stroll but about downtown.  One of Letty’s favorite kitchen shops is located here, the Home as well as Farm Supply store.  Don’t allow the cite fool you, it’s but a actually prissy kitchen shop, no farm implements are to live seen.

After years inward a tiny edifice with almost no parking past times the burn downwards station, the owners bought this vintage edifice upward the block as well as receive got turned it into something worthy of Williams Sonoma.  Well worth a halt if you’re into cooking as well as the gadgets that become with it.

Walking but about town afterward though reveals an erstwhile town getting ravaged past times the recession.  Many storefronts are empty with “For Lease” signs on them.  Even the erstwhile Jackson Hotel, built inward 1862, has a for sale sign on it.  Closer inspection reveals that the ABC has revoked their liquor license for an infraction, hence that could receive got something to create with it equally well.

The 2 busy businesses hither today are the pawn store as well as the liquor store.  Hardly a smashing scene.  It’s a chip depressing but luckily things volition pick upward i time nosotros go out Jackson behind.

Stay tuned for that business office of the trip.

-Darryl

Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick

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