Day 7. Saturday, August 5, 2017  PM 

Travel day - left Chester this am about 9:30 to go to Chico and then to Ft. Bragg. It was sprinkling and overcast when we left.  Made it a little easier to leave. Although I will be back there a couple of times this trip.  We drove down the beautiful Deer Creek Highway ( Hwy.32) Here is Iri at Elam Creek Campground  with Deer Creek in the background. 

 A few miles down the road is another campground called Potato Patch.  I don't know how it got it's name but it has a spring with water fountain by the road which is a mandatory stop when driving that road.  When I was young and going to Chester we were so thirsty by the time we made it to Potato Patch we just had to stop.  It was probably 1 hour from home but seemed like forever.  Iri had her picture taken here when she was 7 weeks old!

 A little farther down the road towards Chico is a small town of Forest Ranch.  Tina was born when we lived there.  Here is a picture of the house that we lived in then.  It is looking in need of some work.  A nurse friend and her husband lived there for a long time after us.  When we drove by and took a picture there was an elderly man walking his dog. So I stopped and told him I had lived there about 45 years ago in case he thought we were doing something suspicious!!  He was an interesting man. Knew the people that live there. Mandy is still there.  Her husband is gone - moved up the road!! I told him where we live now etc. I asked him where he was from since he definitely had an accent.  He said I am from very far away.  He said a name that I couldn't understand. Then he said Italy.  Anyway, we enjoyed visiting with him.  Iri and I both said he reminded us of Sergio - an elderly man that we met during Pete's 314 mile run across TN.  

We drove out to the cemetery where Lon is buried. It is way out in the country. 

When we got back to the freeway at Willows, we stopped at Walmart to use the restroom.  I guess California has different ideas when it comes to public restrooms.  Yes, there was a line waiting as one person at a  time went in. :-) 

We passed lots and lots of orchards and fields of crops.  Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, prunes, olives, pears, grapes, sunflowers, tomatoes, rice, safflower,  and more.  We drove by Clear Lake, a huge lake in Lake County.  Then on to Ft. Bragg.  From Willits on Hwy. 101 to Ft. Bragg is 33 miles of curve, after curve, etc.  Iri drove and did well. It'a a beautiful drive through the trees.

Then Ft. Bragg - about 60 degrees and foggy. We are at The Beachcomber Motel.  In the last picture, Iri is standing with the beachcomber! I have many pictures of him starting about 25 years ago!  He's looking a little worn - like many of us after that long :-) 

It's going to be in the 50's tonight and mid 60's tomorrow.  Needed a sweatshirt tonight especially after the fog rolled in.  Time to hit the sack. Somehow I made a reservation for 1 queen bed instead of 2 so will be interesting to see if either of us gets sleep. They are going to move us tomorrow to a room with 2 queens.  Good night all.  Hugs.