This weekend is the Capay Valley Almond Blossom Festival. The almond trees are coming into bloom and the valley will be beautiful for this event. Saturday will be the best day for the scenic drive up Highway 16 from Esparto to Rumsey at the head end of the valley. Not many crowds, just the casino players on there way to loose their money and a few bikers will be getting the cobwebs cleaned out their Harleys. From Sacramento take I-5 north to Woodland and follow Highway 16 west to Esparto. It should take about almost an hour from downtown. From San Fransisco take 80 East, then 505 north to the Highway 16 turn off and head west. Again, around an hour or so. Just use mapquest if you need.
Sunday is the Almond Festival and the crowds will be here in force. Don't let that scare you off, the huge Harley run and the classic cars will be cruising the valley and on display at the car show in Esparto. The FFA Pancake breakfast starts at 7:30 at the High School, I will be there to help support the local FFA kids, and to eat a few flapjacks. About 10:00 the main street of Esparto turns into a street fair with food vendors and folks selling all kinds of arts and crafts. Take an hour to walk around and see the classic cars, meet some new friends and grab a cup of coffee.
Then its on to the next stop, the Junction. The Capay Junction to be exact. This is the local watering hole and gossip stop. Live music from noon to 5 pm, and my friend Cheryl Dutton will be having a rib BBQ to benefit Multiple Sclerosis research. I will stop off and have a rib at the Junction and to say hello. Back on the road, the next thing you will pass is the Cache Creek Casino and resort. Just drive past and wave to the suckers, I mean patrons, that are loosing their money at a rapid rate.
Just a few more beautiful miles to the town of Guinda. The local volunteer fire department is having a oyster BBQ along with other goodies. I may stop in and say hi to a few friends, but I will be stuffed, so I will pass on the oysters this year. One more stop to make at the end of the valley is Rumsey. I love Rumsey. It is a tiny little town with a great old bridge that straddles Cache Creek. Rumsey is home to the famous Rumsey Ribs. The are good and beer is cold, not that I will be having any, well maybe just one.
From there you can make a u-turn and head back to Esparto and the Freeway or just keep going up the valley into Rumsey canyon's winding roads and steep rock cliffs until you run into Highway 20. What to do then? Turn left and head for Clear Lake and Napa, or turn right and head down into Williams just in time for dinner and Luis Cairo's steakhouse. Its all up to you.
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