Sun, Clouds, Hail and Rain!

April 27

We said our goodbyes to Bill and Francine about 10:00 this morning after a breakfast of homemade waffles and Francine's signature cappuccino. What a comfortable stay with them in Tiburon, both relaxing and seeing new sites!  I will see Francine again in a couple of weeks as we attend our 50th reunion from Regis on the East Coast. 50 years!  Seems like yesterday!

We left Tiburon under cloudy skies and 60 degrees so the top was up!  We were heading for Redding CA. but we changed our itinerary slightly to include a dotted road!  From 101 we drove east on 37, then north on 80 and 505, then turned slightly west on 16 at Madison for a short scenic drive to Rt 20 and then on to Williams and I 5 north to Redding.

On Rt. 16 there were orchards on both sides of the road. In Esparto it was sunny and 67 degrees so the top went down!  We drove through some very small towns, saw farms, orchards, vineyards and an unusual statue of a person seated and reading a book!  In Cassini there was a huge resort. We passed an olive tree grove in Brooks where we also saw a herd of sheep. Our road was in a lush valley between green rolling hills hills. At Rumsey, the hills closed in around us so we stopped at 1:00 for lunch at Rumsey Canyon,  11 miles from the turn on Rt. 20. 

Our picnic lunch packed by Francine, was a true gourmet luncheon which we devoured at the side of the road from which could hear the nearby rushing river.  

We left at 1:15 and, uh-oh, rain! The top went up!  Good decision because hail  (reported at 1 1/2 inches) soon started along with some thunder. We stopped on a paved pull-off; the temp had gone down 15 degrees in 5 minutes with blue sky in the distance!  Holy smokes..,,what a storm!!!!!  We left after 20 minutes under drizzle and gray sky!  Exciting!  We turned east on Rt. 20 to Williams and were soon on I 5. The sky was clear at 2:00 and by 2:30 the temp was 69 degrees. Soon top was down again!

We entered Redding at 3:45 and 71 degrees and found our way to Sundial Bridge. This bridge which crosses the Sacramento River, is a one-of-a-kind glass decked pedestrian bridge, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It is the tallest working sundial in the world. We walked across and then hiked a couple of miles  along Sacramento River Trail, a 19 mile paved trail system. Got a lot of steps!  

After getting our dinner supplies at the local Safeway, we checked into La Quinta at 6:00. Ate our salads and collapsed!