Linda received a phone call telling her that her 49 year old brother-in-law, Steve Hundley, had died suddenly of a heart attack. Steve was care-giver for Linda's sister, Janice, who has Multiple Sclerosis which made a bad situation worse. Norm drove Linda to Sacramento (190 miles each way) and she flew back to Louisville, Kentucky to be with her family for a week. We have been on the road fulltime for twenty months and this is the twelfth time one or both of us have returned to Kentucky - usually for emergencies. We had no idea we would need to make so many trips back there. During this time we did not return to Kentucky for two weddings and two funerals. If we had returned for those we would have been back in Kentucky sixteen of the twenty months. We are getting gun-shy at making advance plans or sending money for rallies because the odds are 50/50 we'll have to change our plans.

Yosemite National Park

Norm remained in California and visited Yosemite National Park with the Hammonds. Yosemite is a beautiful park and Mariposa Grove, an area of giant sequoias, was the first wilderness preserve the nation set aside. President Lincoln signed the bill in 1864. Giant sequoias are resistant to fire and disease and live to be 3000 years old. The first 800 years a sequoia grows upward and the rest of its life is gains in girth. One of the sequoias (Fallen Monarch) had fallen three hundred years ago and was still intact. A walk through these stately giants was very interesting. On entering Yosemite Valley we stopped to look at the magnificent view - Bridalveil Falls, Cathedral Rocks, Glacier Point and Half Dome on the right, El Capitan majestically guarding the left, and the fertile Merced River in the valley. We entered the valley and stopped first at Bridalveil Falls where we walked underneath the spraying waters of the misty valley. We proceeded by Sentinel Falls and Glacier Point to Half Dome. We stopped to marvel at Yosemite Falls, which is actually three falls, upper, middle and lower, where water cascades a total of 2,425 feet. It is the highest falls in North America and the second highest falls in the world. Our next stop was El Capitan with its 3,593 foot vertical wall. Rock climbers were working their way to the top and they looked like specks on a wall but with binoculars we were able to watch their movements. It takes days to climb the wall of El Capitan and the climbers sleep in slings hanging from the cliff. We had been traveling the last four months with Jim and Patty Hammond, great people, but it was time to depart company. The Hammonds went to San Jose to visit his mother and Norm moved the Dutch Star to Sacramento to pick up Linda at the airport.

Placerville and El Dorado County Wineries

Now you might say "Were the heck is Placerville?" The town was originally named Hangtown and by 1854 was the third largest town in California surpassed only by San Francisco and Sacramento. Gold was discovered at nearby Sutter's Mill in 1848 causing a flood of new-comers to the area. There was little law in Hangtown so it was determined to hang the law breakers, thus the name Hangtown. The western terminus of the Overland Trail ended there. In 1854 the town was renamed Placerville and today it is a quaint town reeked of history with a narrow main street with interesting shops. The gold mining tuckered out after a few years and Placerville and El Dorado County became an agricultural area.

We were in El Dorado County to sample wines grown in the many small to medium sized wineries of the Sierra Foothills. Some of the best wines in the world are produced there and are often poured by the owner or winemaker who explains growing and picking grapes, and how each of their wines are made. With maps and brochures in hand we studied more than twenty wineries and decided on six, Madrona, Coulson, Van Der Vijver, Single Leaf, Granite Springs and Oakstone. After 32 wine tastes Norm decided to call it quits but Linda being a trouper trudged on taking 35 tastes. Heck, after sampling just 20 wines they all tasted great. We bought fourteen bottles and at our present rate of consumption that will last us many months.

Sacramento

The California Railroad Museum is the best railroad museum in the nation. We arrived to find it was the museum's 25th anniversary and admission was free. The history of railroads is depicted in plaques, trains and railroad exhibits in the 100,000 square foot museum plus a yard full of trains and railroad buildings. Volunteers were on hand to answer our questions making our visit more interesting. Several vintage trains were in the yard, all running, with engineers aboard. We walked among the engines and even climbed aboard to make pictures. Usually the old trains are inside the museum but for the anniversary celebration they had them outside and running. We were lucky to visit that weekend. Old Sacramento is an area two blocks by five blocks with museums, interesting shops and restaurants. We toured the Wels Fargo Museum and learned about selling gold and transferring money in the old days. Across from the museum is a memorial to the short lived Pony Express that terminated at the Wells Fargo office. We next toured the beautiful California State Capitol and visited the Senate and Assembly rooms. Sutter's Fort was our last visit in Sacramento. The fort was built by John Sutter who arrived in 1839 and operated his fort as an inn and store also. He was an interesting man who served in both the Mexican and United States armies, owned a large amount of land and was a rancher and farmer. In 1848 he built a lumber mill forty miles east on the American River and gold was found during construction. The gold started his demise. Gold seekers rushed to the area by the tens of thousands and stole his horses and cattle and tore down his fences, and the lawless men robbed him blind. Through a dispute with the Federal Government John Sutter lost two- thirds of his land and he died penniless. Sutter's Fort and Museum explains the settlement of western California and the gold rush days. We highly recommend you tour the fort and the cost is only $1 per adult.

Fairfield

We stayed at Neil's Vineyard RV Park in Vacaville, but spent most of our two days taking tours in nearby Fairfield. Our first stop was Jelly Belly Candyland where over 150 different candies are made. We toured the plant, tried some samples and were each given a free bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Their seconds or reject, called Belly Flops, are sold in two pound bags and of course we bought some. Across the street we visited The California Olive Oil Company where we sampled many flavors of olive oil. It was not crushing season so we were not able to see oil being extracted from the olives. After many tastes and discussions with a company employee we selected two bottles to purchase. Just down the road we stopped at Thompson Candy Company. Guests are not allowed in the plant but they have a viewing area and displays on the history of chocolate. We sampled several mouth-watering chocolates then purchased six pounds ($9.99) of various chocolates called "Chocolate Casualties" - pieces that were broken and could not be sold in their gourmet boxes. Next we visited Suisun Bay Soap Company where many fragrances of soap and lotion are manufactured. We were given a personal tour of the plant by the man who mixes and makes the soap and he answered all our questions. Some of the soap bars do not get cut correctly and they sell the irregulars for $5.00 for four pounds. Like the candies and olive oil, we bought some. Our final tour in Fairfield was at the Budweiser Brewery where we sampled lager and ale and took a very interesting guided tour of the plant. After our tour we visited the restrooms and before leaving we looked through a window in a door at the next group preparing to take a tour. There were Jim and Patty Hammond, friends we left over a week ago. Imagine the odds of running into friends at the Budweiser Brewery in Fairfield, California.

Northwest California

At Fort Bragg we ate lunch at the Wharf Restaurant overlooking the Noyo River where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Fishing boats were moving in and out of the harbor while sea otters played in the water keeping us entertained. We boarded the Skunk Train for a scenic forty-one mile trip beside the Noyo River, through a tunnel and deep into a redwood forest. The trains that ran in the 1920s emitted a foul odor and riders said they smelled terrible. They were called Skunk Trains and the name has continued to this day. South of Eureka we drove through Avenue of the Giants and Humbolt Redwoods State Park beside the beautiful Eel River Valley. Only four percent of the old growth redwood forests remain after logging and here is found one of the largest growths. The Avenue is thirty-two miles long, plus side trips, and the State Park contains 52,000 acres of which 17,000 acres are old growth coast redwood forests (never logged). The redwood trees live as long a 3,000 years and are resistant to fire, insects and disease. We had read about the redwood trees and seen them in pictures, but to see the trees up close in their natural setting is awesome. Norm made a picture of Linda standing in front of a tree with the Honda beside it. Linda looks so small she is hard to see. We were surprised the redwood forests are tropic with many ferns. Several times during our drive we stopped, walked among the trees and felt an eerie feeling of total silence where sun beams break through the stately trees. At Myers Flat we drove through Shrine Drive-Thru Tree that is 275 feet high, 21 feet in diameter and 64 feet in circumference. If you visit northwest California a trip through Avenue of the Giants is a must. Heading on up the coast we visited Trinidad and took the scenic drive by the coast. The lighthouse and bay at Trinidad is beautiful with blue water and rocks that give fishermen nightmares. At our campground near Orick a herd of elk routinely visited. The weather was great with cool days and cooler nights.

Notes:

During the month of May, Linda was selected to serve as Vice Chairman of RV America Association, a new membership club.

The recent rise in fuel cost has not slowed our travels. In remote areas of California we have seen gasoline as high as $2.33 a gallon and diesel fuel as high as $1.78 a gallon. Our plans were to travel less this year so fuel cost has not affected us.