"Camping" With the Lassiters

We started our adventure at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning (yes, there is a 5:30 A.M.!). We threw both boys in the van and headed out at about 6:30, which was just in time for hellacious L.A. traffic (nice planning, I know). After several stops to “get our shakes out” we made it to the KOA in Sacramento at about 2:00 p.m. We had lots of fun getting the tent up in 100 degree heat, so the pool was perfect! That night we grilled some burgers, watched Scrubs on the computer (yeah, real camping), and got a good night sleep.
The next morning we headed into Old Sacramento. I think they call it “old” because of the dilapidated buildings, crappy parking structure, and year old cheese smell that permeated the air. Okay, so it wasn’t that bad, but still…
We went to the Railroad Museum. It was very cool. They had several old steam engine trains, fancy dining cars, and a collection of toy trains. I enjoyed reading about the construction of the transcontinental railroad while we were there. There was a sign marking the beginning of the western end of it in the museum.
After a quick bite to eat at Round Table, we went to another museum on the history of Sacramento and the Gold Rush. Here, the kids got to dress up in costumes from the Gold Rush era. Since I teach California history, this was especially entertaining for me. They had a really neat exhibit on the Sacramento Bee with an old style printing press. What was even cooler was that the guy running it was probably alive during the Gold Rush.
After a major temper tantrum (hey, I wanted one of those crushed penny thingies), we got back in the car and drove to “New Sacramento.” I wanted to drive by the Capitol building and give our beloved governor the 1 finger salute. The boys both fell asleep on the way over, so we drove by it and didn’t get out. The best part was getting caught in one of those circle loops like Chevy Chase in European Vacation. Only this time instead of, “Look, kids…Big Ben, Parliament,” it was, “Look kids…Capitol Building, Starbucks.”
We got back to the camp site just in time for the Frenchies to check in and headed straight for the swimming pool. (Why are there so many Europeans at KOA’s? I don’t understand it. It’s not a bad thing, but why go camping in Sacramento? Why not stay at the Hilton in Vegas or Anaheim or San Diego or anywhere other than Sacramento?)
At dinner time, when Wes was playing in the sprinklers to stay cool and we were dying of heat exhaustion, we checked the weather in Medford, OR which was our next stop. We saw that the temperature was going to be 104 degrees and 109 degrees for the 2 days we would be there. My mom’s house, on the Oregon coast, was another 4 ½ hours away and had a high of 71 degrees. We made the decision then and there to head up to her place…you can read about that adventure the next time you stop by this blog. Or you can check Carrie’s version.