Residence Inn By Marriott Chico

Hey everyone,

I made it back from Hong Kong to San Francisco today on a 12 hr. non-stop flight. My adventure through China was something I will always remember and I hope that you enjoyed reading little tid-bits from my experiences there.

- Michael

... we needed to do it for our sanity. No one wants to be rained on for their holidays. So, away we went on the I-5. The rain kept up. But we kept on, taking it cautiously but continuing to put the miles in on the journey south. We had lost the fog at the Oregon border and now it was just the rain we had to ditch. Although the I-5 is the busiest truck route in these parts, it was not too busy with commercial traffic. Well, not as much as we ...

Hey everybody! This is my official travel blog for my backpacking adventure through China. I am all packed up and will be flying out on Sunday. I am only taking a large travelling backpack which contains everything I need for the next 2 months. My first ...

... musical legends Sparks n Cinders. These guys have been playing since the 70s and tend to only play a few shows a year, but when they do play you have to be there! The music is a mix of Reggae, Rock, and Funk and the band is so tight you'd think they played together every week. The bar was packed and the vast majority of those on the dance floor were fans and friends of the band who have been following them since they started out. Donna's good ...

... be 2 less sky rats to worry about. (Sorry. RSPCA , forgive me). The ride to Sacramento on the greyhound was fine, surprisngly fine actually. Turned out this particular Greyhound bus was clean, comfortable and not packed to overflowing. I had a couple of seats to myself and spent the 2 hours playing hang man and listening to music. (and yes you can play hangman solo ... ) The second half of the journey was a little more interesting. I had to switch buses in Sacramento, which ...

... off on the 299 to Chico. Hwy 299 is the quickest way to get to Chico from Arcata, but it's not the easiest of drives. The roads are curvy, and can be dangerous to drive on in late January because of bad weather. I recommend this route in late spring/summer time. The winding Trinity River, and snowcapped mountains are worth the two and a half hours it takes to cross over to the 5 in Redding ...

... where we stop for sandwiches and let the dogs have a run. We are all out of our coaches and we have a picturesque view of Mt. Shasta. Road travel is good with minimal traffic and a sunny day. We press on to Corning getting in at about 4:00. We are at the back of the casino with full hookups but no cable. Very clean however strong winds. Quite evening and I make a stir fry for Pat and myself. As this the third fairly long day we take it easy in the ...

... My pace was slowed by the combination of construction and traffic but it's a beautiful ride and I tried to enjoy it and keep my frustration at the single digit speeds in check. During a stop at Lake Tahoe I met a Gold Wing rider and we talked motorcycles. That's one of many things I enjoy about bikes that people who don't ride never experience. In general terms, riding a bike facilitates connections with ...

... other. The food was good, service too. We had a nice time. Then we drove out to where there's an observatory (but it was closed too). But man, it was gorgeous out there. The area was right on the edge of the foothills, so it was a little hilly, with big oaks, and there was a pretty little pond with the sunset reflecting on it. I *really* wished I had my good camera with me. This land is also part of the Bidwell State Park (there were trails, and we saw a couple ...

This morning Pixie and I caught up on some much needed sleep. We spent the day lazing about while Kukui finished up with finals. We had a trip to WinCo which ended with my promise never to return to that vile store, even if they do have the most extensive bulk bin section I have ...