We heard those words a couple of times during our week here. So what’s the answer?
Let me back up a bit.
Our last two spots were Yosemite and San Francisco. Both interesting, but both busy and loud in their own way. When we were at Yosemite looking for our next spot we chose Chico mainly because it was under 5 hours away and was the current home of the Camacho family. Les Camacho was the CEO of EllisLab, makers of ExpressionEngine which is software we use to build client sites on and teach other web developers to use in our Train-ee Classes.
MsBoyink found an RV park that looked close and we made the very bumpy and tiring drive (thank you California roads). It wasn’t long after settling in that I just had this overwhelming feeling that we needed to spend a week here. Was it the tree canopied, quiet, clean RV park with it’s fresh pool and clean as a whistle restrooms (and lack of vacationers)? Was it Chico itself - which is also very tree-lined and feels a bit like our home in Holland, MI with a thriving downtown, college, and bikepaths?
All of the above, plus just a gut feeling that I’m always learning to trust more.
So to answer the question, what did we do in Chico?
- Had dinner out with the Camachos at the Sierra Nevada Brewing company, including a 16-variety beer sampler.
- Visited the local library where the kids took advantage of teen wii competitions.
- Finally got the truck and trailer clean at the same time again.
- Had coffee with Les in a converted 1947 passenger train car.
- Hung out in the park, enjoying conversations about our trip with interested RVers.
- Got caught up on laundry and client work.
- Committed to a camp-hosting job that will keep us busy the rest of the summer.
- Had dinner at the Camachos house where we met another family living outside the box as missionaries in China.
- Visited the Bidwell Park for a picnic and playground fun.
- Had our first family visit to In and Out Burger.
- Went to two incredibly busy farmer’s markets where we bought local honey, fruits and veggies.
- Also sampled fruit curd, beef jerky, and donuts topped with bacon.
All in all it was a very low-key relaxing week. I think we could almost spend more time here if it weren’t for the temperatures which are now hitting 3 digits during the day. Sitting inside the trailer with the loud AC running all afternoon isn’t always fun, and with our upcoming engagement in Washington we’ll be hitting the road tomorrow morning. Bright and early!
I liked playing on the Wii at the library, but Mario-kart was hard.
In Bidwell park, I jumped in on a 2 person baseball game. What a load of fun. Downtown made me miss Holland, but still, after putting that aside, I loved it. For you Hollanders back home, imagine 5/6 of Tulip time crowds combined with Sidewalk sales. Now, imagine almost all food on the tables instead of clothes. You might have an idea what it might be like. For you non-Hollanders, it was busy. It was a blast.
I also liked playing with Sophia Camacho. She has a big imagination which worked overtime while I was playing with her.
Looks like you need to add the www to the Ziebart family link…that’s what made it work for me.
We had such a nice time having you on our turf. Big thanks to Storybird for keeping Sophia busy. ;)
Fixed - thank ya!
If you pass through Roseburg, OR, be sure to climb down the stairs and check out the fish ladder on the Umpqua river.
Caught us about a day late…:(
The roadside flowers are oleanders, and they are poisonous. They’re used for privacy here too.
Thanks Shannon - good thing I didn’t get hungry! ;)
We’ve decided that the week in Chico was our summer vacation. I know that may sound funny to some—it looks like we’ve been on vacation for 8 months. But, we really needed the down time after the busy weeks leading up to this stop (leaving Salt Lake City five days later than we planned, hustling across Nevada to get to San Francisco in less than a week, one full week of busyness and business in San Francisco, a week near Yosemite with Mike working serious hours and Yosemite itself being crowded with tourists).
In Chico, we were able to catch our breath, enjoy some low-key fun, and hang with great people.
Thanks to the Camacho family for sharing your week with us. We really enjoyed ourselves.
Wish I would have known about this visit you did, or should I say visited the cj forums sooner. I live only 20 min south of Chico and thought it would be neat to meet you guys. Bidwell park is pretty nice. Actually there is quite a few nice spots around the Chico area. Did you know that’s where they filmed the original Robin Hood? Take care.
Hey Mike -
We didn’t know that!
We enjoyed Chico - dont be surprised if we come back.
Digging up an old post - but looks like we’re going to be back in Chico for a week starting May 31st.