Our “dates” are sometimes just a few hours together, out of the house doing mundane things like window shopping, or driving around a part of our town we’ve never been. We just enjoy being together...by ourselves. It’s not that we’ve become loners in recent years or that we don’t like other people. We both used to be much more sociable in our past lives. But not so much now. I guess we prefer each other’s company to the company of others.
We talk a lot...probably more than other couples our age. I know for a fact, as some couples get older, verbal communication comes to a screeching halt. During my tenure in the service industry, I used to see married couples come in for lunch or dinner and not utter one single word to one another over the course of their meal...not one! Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s OK to not feel the need for idle chatter. You know...that comfortable feeling you have with your significant other...the feeling that doesn’t require constant conversaton or nervous blathering...like on first dates.
I know that Loretta and I always talk about the nice things and the beautiful scenes passing by our car window. In fact, our conversations are almost always pleasant...we rarely argue. We tease each other...but we hardly ever argue about anything. What’s the point?
The other day we went for a drive east on Highway 108 from Modesto toward Jamestown and Sonora (our planned destinations). That’s about a 60 mile drive into the Sierra Nevada foothills. It’s also one of the routes one can take to Yosemite, another 30 miles or so south from there. Gold Country. The Forty Niner Highway (now named Highway 49...go figure) traverses the foothills of the Sierras. We’ve driven that thoroughfare many times, mostly on the back of a Harley.
But this time, we didn’t make it all the way to Sonora or even Jamestown. We didn’t even get as far as Highway 49. After stopping at a little park on the Stanislaus River in Riverbank, where I shot some photos of the railroad bridge and some grumpy resident swans, we pulled off Highway 108 at Knight’s Ferry for lunch. That’s about 30 miles from our home.
We ate lunch at a place we had been many times before, the 50’s Roadhouse Cafe. Years ago, it used to be a hunter’s stopover where one could have a meal and a drink or two...and quite possibly other “services” less advertised. But that was a long time ago. Now, it’s a diner with 50’s-themed menu items and a little bar. I had the Richie Valens Bacon Burger. Loretta the 57 Chevy Burger. You’ll also find the Buffalo Bob Double Cheeseburger, the Ricky Ricardo Chiliburger, and others similar to that. The 50’s Roadhouse Cafe is situated a few hundred yards off the main highway, just a stone’s throw from the Stanislaus River and the small, historic town of Knight’s Ferry.
Yes, there used to be a ferry crossing there, named for a guy named Knight. The story surrounding the little town is rich in Gold Rush history. You can read about it at this link. Knight’s Ferry was one of the towns that sprung up along the river during the mid-1800’s, not for the gold, but because it was about halfway to where the gold rush flourished. Among other things, there was the ferry across the river. And a sawmill...and a gristmill (another name for a flour mill). The remains of the millworks are still there, now a historical monument.The park service recently built an information center and a couple of picnic areas. Novice river rafters can start their adventure there, then float downstream a few miles toward Oakdale and Modesto. It’s a somewhat leisurely trip, not like those National Geographic whitewater trips. But this time of year, the area is devoid of river rafters or crowds of any type.
We had week or so of rain, and then it cleared up...giving us a beautiful, warm, sunny day on Monday. So, after lunch, we stopped in one of the empty picnic areas and started to explore a little. The Knight’s Ferry covered bridge was something we didn’t even know was there. Built in 1864 to replace the previous bridge (washed away in a storm), it is the longest covered bridge in California. And after several restorations in recent years, including being restricted to vehicle traffic since 1981, it was a pleasant surprise for us to find.
The bridge is situated right next to the Tullock Mill site. Though now only comprised of the original brick walls, the mill is still there. Inside the buildings, you can see the remnants of the machinery and electrical turbine constructed in 1899 when they converted to electricity. The roofs are long gone.
As with any old, abandoned historical monument...there is an eerie atmosphere about it. I could sense the energy that surrounded this once busy structure. I imagined the workers going about their duties running the millworks. The now red, rusty equipment churning and clanging...the sounds of the river water channeling through the huge pipe that feeds the mll turbine. I thought about the horses and wagons that must have clippity-clopped across the nearby covered wooden bridge, carrying stacks of lumber, and bags of flour, and other goods going to and from the town of Knights’s Ferry.
As we made our way up the little trail along the Stanislaus River, there is a small map of the river itself. This map notes all the Native American tribes that made their homes here. Particularly, the Yokuto and the Me-Wuk tribes. They lived here for thousands of years...long before civilization came in and built covered bridges, and mills, and roadways.
Loretta and I explored the banks of the river for a short while, still in view of the bridge. There were a few other people there that day...a couple of families with kids...a man with his dogs just sunning himself on a rock...a young couple doing some fly fishing. But, for the most part, we were by ourselves.
We plan to come back again when we have more time to take the river trail farther back up the canyon. One of the people we met said there are some whitewater areas farther on. The fly fisherman told us there are some nice pools there as well. The fishing season is open most of the year as it is a catch-and-release area. No bait or barbed hooks allowed, just artificial lures.
It was a very economical date, save for the over-priced burgers for lunch. There is no admission fee to visit this place. It’s free. There are no snack bars, or beer wagons, or souvenir stands. There is no one hawking timeshares or helicopter rides. No boomboxes blasting away. Just the gently-flowing Stanislaus River and a small part of California history...and the ocassional screech of a red-tailed hawk flying overhead.
It was a fun Valentine’s date for Loretta and I. By the way, the Valentine’s Day Special Dinner will be tonight...at home...with just the two of us. I took a lot of photos, some of which can be seen on my flickr photo site.
