The Valleys

SCENIC DRIVE.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 and we are off on our weekly outing. We pull away, at 1:05 pm, with five residents aboard. Tony is our skilled driver and Emma is our hostess. Fabi, our usual hostess, is not aboard - she must be ill.
Just outside the gate, are beautiful white flowering trees. I have asked many people what kind of tree they were and no one seems to know. Finally, one lady said that they were non-bearing pear trees. I will accept that. We move past the pretty Paradise Valley golf course, and not many golfers swinging away. Every time I see a nice course, I am reminded of when I used to caddy (and play on Mondays) on the great Columbia Hills private course near Berea, Ohio. I also wonder how much longer these nice courses can remain open. Not only have the courses taken a hit from fewer players, due to the economic recession, but their maintaining them is so labor intensive and costly.
A quick stop at Long’s Drugs, so a lady could get a bag of candy to eat, (and share), enroute. Then we headed up I-80 East - with light traffic. We exit on Lagoon Valley Road and head West on Cherry Glen Road. Which runs into Pleasants Valley Road, which turns out to be a long stretch. There is water flowing in the creek now, and further on the creek gets wider. We pass Lake Solano. There are a lot of black cattle \in the fields - on both sides of the narrow road. Some are grazing; others standing there watching us go by, and others hunkered down resting. What a scene! I heard the two ladies sitting behind me discussing whether one of the group was a cow or a bull! I could have helped them decide but I didn’t want to go there. We drove by many orchards - on both sides - but no blossoms on the trees yet. The Lagoon Valley is a beautiful place, and there is still a lot of “open” space. It must be priced out of the market range.
There are a lot of horses on both sides. The scenes would make great pictures. Many very nice homes are perched on hilltops. One had a Century 21 sign “Property For Sale” sign at roadside. I am sure it isn’t one of the maligned foreclosures, that you hear, and read, about. The large properties surrounding these homes are bounded by what seems like endless white-wooden rail fences. All I can think of is what would Tom Sawyer think of this workload?
A slowly rotating windmill - spinning - off to the left. I wonder how many kids have never seen a windmill, let alone know what they do? A lady bug is crawling up the outside of my window. What a grip!
We are crossing the Edward Thurber bridge. It makes me wonder who he was, and what did he do to have the bridge named after him? Perhaps he funded it. Or maybe he was a gadfly, and a prime mover for the project. Most of us will go through life without being “recognized” for what we have accomplished. It seems like you have to be a heavy donor to the cause. Perhaps, this is the fairest way to ration such few opportunities.
This is the first time I’ve seen Lagoon Valley, even though I have lived not very far away, for 60 years. The area has kept it’s secret quite well - as exhibited by the many miles of “Open” space. I wonder how long it will be before the land is taken over by houses, gas stations and malls. While it won’t happen in my lifetime, it is certainly foreseeable. I have mixed emotions about “living in the country”. I am always wondering what they do about medical and fire emergencies. Some may consider my view as pessimistic. But, I call it realism.
We are passing Lake Solano We come upon the road sign that says “Lake Berryessa - 4 Mi. Left”. We turn left. This section of the highway is a little wider and better maintained. We are driving on Highway 128 now. It is interesting to see the Telephone Call Boxes every few miles - at roadside. I can remember when Call Boxes were installed many years ago. They were a welcome sight in case of an emergency. I can remember driving along and looking ahead for one, while trying to remember how far back the last one was, in case I needed to use one. Now, that everyone has a cell phone, that great innovation is no longer needed.
Today must be garbage pick-up day, with all the large tote bins sitting along the roadway. We are passing different shades of green in the hills - with the trees being one of the colors. We are passing huge rock formations on the hillsides. Nearby is a huge rock formation, that goes almost straight up. This would be a strenuous test for an experienced rock climber.
We are circling the southeast end of Lake Berryessa. It is a very picturesque area - heaven for the wild life - and we humans! We pass Lake Solano Park; Canyon Creek Resort and Monticello Dam. Berryessa is a man- made lake, east of the Napa Valley. The dam was built to trap water for irrigation and surrounding cities use. The lake also serves as a flood control for downstream communities. When the lake is full, it stores 1.6 million acre feet of high quality water. It is one of the largest bodies of water in California - 23 miles long, 3 miles wide, with 165 miles of shoreline. The land is owned by the Bureau of reclamation and operated by the Solano Irrigation District/Solano County Water Agency.
I can see a lot of boat berths down below - some of them are empty. We are slowing down now as we are in a curvy descent. (It still isn’t as bad as the “Road from Kahului to Hana!”) We are following along the creek, and some cattle are quenching their thirst. This is much different scenery. Tony is a good driver. Every few miles, he pulls over, on to the shoulder to let a few cars pass us. This is rugged land - much different than the flat areas we saw on our climb out. We approach a small settlement with a cluster of six mail boxes in front.
Tony announces that we won’t be back for 30 minutes, and asks if any one needs to use the rest room. A voice in the back responds with “I can wait for 30 minutes, but not 31! A big valley appears off to the left. It is covered with newly planted vineyards. There are huge fields of mustard plants, also some are growing in the vineyards. I see a large new home on the hillside off to the left.
Miss Lady Bug is still hanging on to the window for dear life. I tapped on the window urging it to vacate, but no response. We are passing an old barn falling down on to itself. It is supported by non-support. This is no fixer-upper!
We have reached the flat Suisun valley now. We pass by Manka’s Corner, and further on, a large winery under construction. We pass Rancho Solano development, on the left, and head along Waterman Boulevard and onto I-80. There is more traffic onI-80 than when we started out. Either people are playing hooky from work or they are on flex time There are a lot of trucks on the road. It’s hard to believe that the world in in the midst of an economic recession! I think that the number of trucks is an economic indicator.
We are close to home now as we exit I-80 in North Fairfield. Gas today is $2.10 at Arco and $2.18 At Shell. (I rounded). WE pass through the Paradise Valley Golf Course, and arrive back at Quail creek at 2:55 pm. Tony tells me that our trip covered 57 miles.
I hate to see the outing end. It was a beautiful day. The trip was advertised as a “Scenic Drive”. What an understatement!
RCL - 3/19/09..