Full Throttle in the Slow Lane

Americans do everything too fast. They drive too fast. They eat too fast. They work too fast. In a ’71 microbus life slows down. You don’t have a choice.

After winding through Bigfoot Country we came to a rolling stop in Palo Cedro, CA for a leisurely visit with Diane’s aunt Sally and uncle Mike. Always welcoming, incredibly hospitable, Mike and Sally made us feel right at home from the first night. No rush, no worries.

Mike and Sally have hosted the Durrett family Thanksgiving retreat/gathering/circus for as long as I’ve been hanging around this clan; and it was a great pleasure to see them in the off season. But we weren’t visiting just to be sociable. Or were we?

Every year in March, the Durrett Women gather for a few days in Sierra hills for a girls-only, no-boys-allowed cross-country ski trip. And this year was no different. Apparently many drinks were had and many more stories were told. Some skiing reportedly even took place.

Meanwhile, uncle Mike and I (and Diane’s brother, Carl) spring-cleaned the property in Palo Cedro. Many cans of beer were consumed and many more tall tales were told. Some work reportedly even took place.

Soon enough, Diane and I were reunited and we were on the road again. We chose to drive down I-5—the quickest, fastest route possible through the valley—to make a quick stop in Sacramento. We made quick work of the business we had to do there. We saw brother Carl and his family. We visited Diane’s mom.

We also marveled at just how many people live in the Capitol City. Too many cars going too fast in too many lanes. So we quickly plotted an escape westward to the Napa valley. No matter how yuppified it gets, Napa Valley will always be one of my favorite places. We heard tell that there was one (one!) state park campground in the entire valley. We decided that we must find it. No matter how many traffic jams, no matter how many wrong turns.