Good by Yosemite Hello Chico

Friday, the day after half dome finds me very tired and a bit sore.  Thank goodness it is a travel day.  We are going to Chico CA, about 220 miles away.  Chico is the home of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.  A little rest and a couple of sprint car races is sounding pretty good.  I was very happy when we finally arrived st our destination, my knees and thighs are sore from sitting all day.  We are at the Almond Tree RV Park.  What a nice park, we have a pull thru so no fighting about backing this big rig in.  Once we were set up, I sat back and relaxed the rest of the day.  I sent Joe to find a grocery store and buy a rotisserie chicken.  In his search he managed to scope out the whole town area.  He came back all excited.  He really likes this town, he couldn't wait to tell me about all the craftsmen style houses they have here.  This is one of my favorite styles of houses and I would some day like to own one, maybe restore it.  Not so sure Joe is on board with that idea!!!!!
Dinner is over and it is already after 7 when Joe decides he is going to check out the night life.  I give him my blessing and off he goes only to return in a couple of hours.  The fair is in town and all the bands are there.  This leaves only DJ's playing the bars.

Bidwell Park

Sat morning is spent getting caught up on bills and all of Joe's many logs he likes to keep.  Once that is done we go walk around town.  It is a very quaint town.  We have lunch at Popeyes chicken, ( I love their spicy chicken and potatoes and gravy).  Bidwell park is our next stop.  This park is along the Big Chico Creek.  They have made biking/walking paths long the banks with several places to stop for picnics or to take a swim.  One section has been turned into this hugh swimming pool including life guard stands.  It has a shallow area for those that can't swim to a deeper area down by the bridge.  I put my chair out and spent some time just enjoying the view, while Joe walked a big portion of it.

Bidwell Park swimming area

This town is really starting to grow on me.  Next stop is the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.  We sign up for the 1:00 tour.  This tour was educational as well as a lot of fun.  We learned a lot about the history of its founder and still owner and how he developed his beers.  The Sierra Nevada Pale ale is his best selling beer to date and was one of his first.  Going through the process of making beer is quite involved, from growing the hops to adding the yeast and then purifying it.  At the end of the tour we were able to sample seven different beers, this is the best part.  We discovered we do not like the IPA's.  They are very bitter.  The summerfest was my favorite, this is a seasonal beer and hard to find, so I bought a 12 pack, I also liked the Porter, a very dark beer that has a coffee after taste and the one that taste very much like Scotch, I can't remember the name, it may have been the stout.  Joe only liked the Summerfest.  We also bought a 12 pack of their Old Chico beer.  This beer wasn't available for tasting, but is only sold in Chico.  After having a can of it I believe it is mine and Joe's favorite.
The tour got over just in time to get ready to drive to Marysville and the sprint car races.  The races were a little long, a lot of crashes but we still had a great time.  We go home about 12:00.




Sunday we was spent getting caught up on the laundry and taking naps.  I really need a long nap.  By 5:30 we were on our way to the fair.  I love fair food, had a great spicy dog on a bun with onions and peppers, Yum!  Joe had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich.  The races started shortly after we ate.  There were a lot more sprints here than they had in Marysville.  The show was twice as good and the fans were friendly and lots of fun to be around.  It was a good couple of days in Chico.  This goes on the list of possible places to live.