Day 29 - 10/03 - From Verdi to Vacaville and Old Sacramento

Today was another travel day; a day to go back over Donner Pass on our descent through Sacramento to Vacaville, California. Vacaville is located about 25 miles west-southwest of Sacramento. A partly cloudy sky with lots of sunshine, excellent visibility, and the moderate temperatures accommodated us well.  Compared to other driving days, this one was relatively short. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and had time to replenish groceries before into Sacramento for dinner with our niece, Rachel. She is the daughter of Byron’ older brother, Lewis.

One of the interesting things about back-tracking is getting

to see scenery from another viewpoint. Such was the case today.

One sees the “other side of the hills” where the type of trees

and density is different. If you look closely, you can see the

trackbed of the railroad (the dark, horizontal line).

Sacramento, the town, was established as a transportation hub for the area and named for the river, the Sacramento River. Old Sacramento is in an historical section on the riverfront with many of the preserved buildings that now contain retail shops and restaurants. The original buildings were warehouses, hotels, transportation stations (freight and passenger), and business buildings. Some of the streets are still paved with cobblestones. The sidewalks in front of the buildings are of wooden planks.

The original buildings along the riverfront of Sacramento were

being vacated or abandoned. A forward-thinking mayor

led in the effort to raise funds and repurpose the area while

retaining a historical feel.

A stone paved street in Old Sacramento.

We had some time to walk through Old Sacramento before meeting Rachel for dinner. The two additional photos (below) give you an idea of the look and feel of Sacramento before the 1880’s.

This building formerly housed the warehouse and office of

a wholesale grocer.

A former hotel now serves as an apartment building 

in Old Sacramento.

A statue at the end of one street commemorates the contribution made by engineer Theodore Judah. Judah was instrumental in construction of the Transcontinental Railroad through the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain ranges. Another statue commemorates the Pony Express route which ended in Sacramento. 

The historical marker for Theodore Judah.

The statue (behind us) commemorates the Pony Express.

The wooden statue in front of Buffalo Bob’s store.

The Delta King is permanently moored on the riverfront and

now serves as a boutique hotel with restaurant. The Delta Queen,

which began life serving the San Francisco and Sacramento

route, was built and completed in 1927. That was the year both

sternwheelers began service on the Sacramento River

Dinner with Rachel was on the deck of Rio City Cafe. It is on the edge of the Sacramento River near the Tower Bridge and adjacent to the Delta King Hotel.

Dinner with Rachel on the riverfront of Old Sacramento.

After dinner, we drove to the capitol building in Sacramento

to get this night shot.