Seeing Sacramento & Beyond » Day Trip’n

Taste, Sip, Song of the Delta

melanie noel light — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:37:09 +0000

Is it just me or is there a lot going on July 16th?! If I could be several places at one time, one of those places would be ‘Taste of the Delta’ festival going on at Windmill Cove Resort & Marina just outside of Stockton. Local Delta wines and appetizers will be served, along with live music and more from 1-4PM. Tickets are still a steal at only $25 (but they jump to $35 at the door for late-risers and commitment-phobes).

Just because I have three other things on the calendar that day doesn’t mean I’m giving up just yet. Wine, food, water and Delta breezes are a pretty irresistable combination!

916-777-4041, www.TasteoftheDelta.com

May Madness: So Much to See & Do in Sac & Beyond!

melanie noel light — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:12:24 +0000

If April showers bring May flowers, then what do May flowers bring?
FUN, of course~

OUTDOOR CONCERTS
Announcing the kick-off the 20th season of Friday Night Concerts in the Park.
May 6th and every Friday night, 5-9PM, through August 12.
Cesar Chavez Park, Downtown
www.SacFridayConcerts.com

ART & WINE AFFAIR
20 area wineries, artists, vendors, live entertainment.
Saturday & Sunday, May 7 & 8, 11-4PM
El Dorado Hills
916-802-6924, www.eldoradohillsartaffaire.com

PIXAR COLLECTION
Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions presents the Pixar Collection worldwide debut — One Day Only!
Sunday, May 15, 11AM to 4PM
California State Railroad Museum, Old Sacramento State Historic Park
916-445-6645, www.csrmf.org

NATURE TOURS
Delta Eco-Tours – Take a short or long nature and cultural history tour of California’s best and most breathtaking locations along the Sacramento Delta.
Saturday, May 21, 2-hour History & Riparian Cruise
Saturday, May 28, 4-1/2 hour Tule Wilderness Adventure
Delta Ecotours/Hartland Nursery
13737 Grand Island Road (P.O. Box 439), Walnut Grove, CA 95690
(916) 775-4545, www.DeltaEcoTours.com

HISTORY TOURS
Gold Rush Legacy Tours and Old Sacramento Architectural Tours begin in May and go all summer long.
Saturdays & Sundays at 11AM
916-808-7059, www.historicoldsac.org

And for more ongoing, engaging and special events check out www.Sacramento365.com!

Yosemite by Day

melanie noel light — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:07:27 +0000

One of Yosemite's Wondrous Sights

When I was little, I thought Yosemite the national park and the word ‘Yosemite’ were two entirely different things. Who knew that the little girl who thought ‘Yosemite’ was pronounced “yoes-might” would grow up to be a writer?! I can recall my mom laughing at the way I spelled “weird” in the 4th grade, and yet I won the 8th grade spelling bee. Call it a lack of experience, call it a condundrum, but don’t be surprised when I mispell something else in the future (but don’t be confused either, because I like to make up words as well).

Life is full of surprises… if you let them show themselves.

Years ago, after he offered me my first regular-paying writing job, my editor at the time Ken Mandler asked me to take a drive to Yosemite with him. For the day. ‘Ug’, I thought, ‘What a long way to go for just one day.’ But as it turns out, it was a great trip. I wrote an article about it, got some great photos while we were there, and learned that Ken was selling the papers I had been writing for for the past 2 years.

That particular part wasn’t exactly the best news ever, but I appreciated his respect for me and the manner in which he shared his professional dilemna. Personally, I felt I was close to being ready for a change anyway, so it was rather bittersweet. But I’ll tell you one thing for sure: You never forget news like that when wrapped up in such a magnificent package – or views like that when wrapped up in such a brief but breathtaking encounter.

So since I’m still writing, I’d like to thank Ken for giving me my first opportunity. And even though I lost the regional spelling bee championships to the word ‘scheme’ (tragically, ‘skeme’, in my world), it was because I’d never seen the word before. And sometimes, just one look is all it takes to never again forget.

http://www.yosemitepark.com/

Cars: From Mean to Pristine

melanie noel light — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:01:58 +0000

Race to the Finish

I snapped this shot while attending Reiff’s Annual Street Bash and car show in Woodland a few weeks ago. Touring the house – which is much more museum than home – I suddenly recalled being there as a child, soaking all the sights up with my eyes while my dad traded antique stories with Reiff. Putting the memory to a literal place, town and face, I felt my younger self coming full circle.

The block party is fun, but you can get a more intimate tour of the architectural artwork any time of the year. Just let Reiff know you’re coming, and I wouldn’t recommend rolling up on empty. www.reiffsgasstation.com

Since we’re on the topic of cars, here are some more pix; some taken at Reiff’s party and others taken outside Elkhorn Station. Elkhorn Station, by the way, is a rural escape with great food, sprawling views, live music and no pretense. On the River Road and just off the I-5, it’s the closest thing to the Sacramento Airport next to fields and more fields. It has some history, but you’ll have to Google it to get more info, as I didn’t find a website. Or just ask the guy driving the tractor in the middle of the road which way to the cold beer.

Freeport Festa: You are Cordially Invited

melanie noel light — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:27:25 +0000

Mary, Monica & Justina Invite you to Festa

Craving a particularly easy and fun-loving event? Do as the Portuguese do (and some not-so-Portuguese) and attend the annual Freeport Festa this holiday weekend. Food, drinks, dancing and general frolicking beneath large shade-providing old river trees makes for an inviting and pleasant spring-day escape. And with a 75-degree-day expected, there’s no excuse not to dip your toe into a new experience. Since the Festa is open to everyone, ‘the more the merrier!’

Festa Dinner
Saturday, May 29
Tri-Tip, Beans, Bread, Salad, Dessert
$15 per person
Music

Festa
Sunday, May 30
Parade starts at 10am
Mass at 11:30am
Auction at 1:30 (Donations are welcome)

Freeport-Clarksburg
Portuguese Hall
54113 South River Road
[North of Clarksburg in Yolo County - 2 ½ miles north of Freeport Bridge]

For more information, contact Monica Souza at (916) 925-8661.

Scotts, Celts, Kilts, Cold Beer!

melanie noel light — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:57:09 +0000

Festival-Goers and Historical Characters Mingling

Since I live there, it’s probably okay for me to admit that Woodland is not especially well known for its fancy variety of world-renowned festivals… But having just attended the 134th Annual Sacramento Valley Scottish Games & Festival at the Yolo County Fairgrounds, I think this one’s worth writing home about.

Modeled after the traditional gatherings of Scots in their homeland, the weekend-long festival features Olympic-style heavy athletics and Highland dancing, pipe bands and Celtic rock groups, sheep dog trials, historical re-enactments and more.

Just like any festival, there’s plenty of good food and fun, cold beer and faire frills, shows and vendors (although I would have personally appreciated more of those). But unlike many festivals, this one’s got an eye-full of colorful kilts walking around, as well as those manly Scottish games playing out on the open field. This April, there was plenty of sunshine and luckily also plenty of shade beneath ye olde olive trees. And if there’s one thing about Woodland, everything’s pretty easy here: easy to access, easy entry… easy escape.

What began as a simple “Scottish Picnic Competition” in a park is now what allows the club to “benefit” the public through education, scholarships and charity. McKinley Park in East Sacramento was the site of the first Sacramento Scottish Games & Gathering on June 16, 1877. The festival moved to the 55-acre Yolo County Fairgrounds in 1997 due to it having more elbow room, ample parking and helpful fairground staff.

The event is hosted by the Caledonian Club of Sacramento, a nonprofit organization established in 1876. Club membership is open to any one of Scottish birth or descent, their kin, and to any person interested in the rich and historic traditions of Scotland. They host other annual events, including the Sacramento Tartan Ball in November.

Keep the Sacramento Scottish Games in mind next year; it’s a magical day for anyone interested in Scottish and Celtic arts, culture and history – or anyone just a fan of festivals, period. It takes place the last full weekend of every April.

www.saccallie.org, (916) 557-0764.

Dreamy Days

melanie noel light — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:46:50 +0000

Clouds Above Trees, South Lake Tahoe, CA

There’s a hummingbird-shaped cloud in the Sacramento sky with a rainbowed hue around it. Maybe I see a winged creature in an ambiguous shape because I was thinking about a bird in flight, and how that image reminds me of limitlessness.

As the cloud changes form and drops some of its excess mass, the rainbow stays with it, but stretches and extends from front, and over the top to back. In it I see pink and green primarily, colors that remind me both of purity and potential.

I hear church bells around the corner. And then I see a carnival and childlike lust for life and her dreams in the kaleidoscope of my mind.

Some things are visible but out of reach. Others are tangible yet finite. And still others are not literally seen or felt, but breathe life into the kind of dreams that eventually create new kinds of life.

The Secret Life of Birds

melanie noel light — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:41:27 +0000

Yolo Basin Trails - Davis, Yolo County, CA

California Duck Days, a wetlands festival in the heart of the Pacific Flyway, will be held on February 19th and 20th. A FREE gala reception and Wildlife Art Show will launch the festivities on Friday evening February 19th at the Davis Arts Center, from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

On Saturday February 20th the festival will feature one full day of field trips, workshops and other activities at the Yolo Wildlife Area Headquarters facility in South Davis. Field Trips include rice farming first-hand, central valley raptors and birding by bicycle. Workshops include duck calling, decoy painting and bat class.

•Workshops and onsite activities only: $20
•Workshops/onsite plus 1 field trip: $23
•Workshops/onsite plus 2 field trips: $25
[Children 16 and under are free when accompanied by an adult]

www.yolobasin.org

Preston Castle: Selective Self-Destruction?

melanie noel light — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:53:36 +0000

Preston Castle, Ione CA

You can see it suddenly appear from behind the hills and trees as you near… It can be a little unsettling.

Preston Castle, which is located outside the small Gold Country town of Ione in the foothills just above Sacramento, was built in 1894 and was once the Preston School of Industry for troubled boys. But time has a way of scarring the space that surrounds us….

In 2009 the television show ‘Ghost Adventures’ spent a night in the castle…. Only to find some troubling memories, and perhaps spirits, still lingering within the decaying walls ~ possibly seeking escape, justice or redemption?

Just a 40 minute drive from the heart of Sacramento, the castle is worth a look (and second glance over your shoulder). With roofs, walls and floors caving in on some accounts, the castle still stands like a determined soldier protecting its inhabitants. Only, no one human has resided in the castle since 1994. (Although it appears to have been dilapidating since the day it was built).

The exterior of the structure is misleading, as some rooms within are actually “rooms” no more. While others, curiously, seem somehow preserved. And although the school sought to help troubled youths by teaching them skills and giving them structure and purpose, there were those somehow beyond reach. Just ask the ghosts of murdered workers who are believed to still be lingering.

The Preston Castle Foundation holds fundraisers, wine tasting events and craft fairs, as well as offers special photographer tours and overnight stays. General public tours are availalable spring through fall, and proceeds go toward preserving the outwardly majestic castle… perhaps as a way to honor those who’ve come (and died) before us.

www.PrestonCastle.com

The Gem of the East

melanie noel light — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:29:15 +0000

South Lake Tahoe, Lakeside Beach

Lake Tahoe is the most sparkling gem of the east – from our perspective anyway. Only 1.5 hours from Sacramento, it’s an absolutely do-able day trip, and is a ‘not-to-be-missed’ for anyone traveling through the Golden State.

Speaking of golden, Tahoe dazzles in the summer with casinos and clubs, beaches and bars, restaurants and shops. The silver lining? That shows itself early winter, when the snow begins falling, pleasing winter sport fanatics and simple romantics at heart.

The locals are welcoming and the visitors are friendly in this little Switzerland-like oasis of a natural miracle. Here, you can live it up celebrity-style or do it down-home and easy. And whether you head to North Shore or South shore (there’s actually an east and a west as well), there are also plenty of great Gold Rush towns to explore along the way.

Seem like a lot to accomplish in one day? Ok, go ahead and stay the night. But tell them ‘Sacramento sent ya,’ would you?