Locke, California
I have been planning this weekend for some time but at the last moment I thought it was not going to happen. It is Tom’s birthday next week and, as
Downtown Locke, California
a surprise, I booked two nights in Locke at a vacation rental. It is described as - ’A Delta Gem – Unique Loft – Historic Chinese Locke’. Check out the website. Doesn’t it sound idyllic?
Also on the agenda was a meal at Giusti’s, Saturday in Sacramento and a canoe tour on Sunday. Tom knew we were going somehwere in the Delta but did not know exactly where.
Locke is a wonderful, small Chinese town just south of Sacramento. We last visited in March. I thought it would be great to actually spend a couple of days there instead of driving all the way up and back in a day.
Work though nearly ruined the whole weekend. Without going into too much detail, I had to work on the Friday, which is usually my day off, with a chance that I would have to go in on Saturday and maybe even Sunday. We had planned to get away at lunchtime on the Friday. Fortunately I was able to get away from work at 2.30 so Tom picked me up and off we went.
There is always such a lot of traffic making its way out of the Bay Area on a Friday and we did not want to get caught up in the rush (or rather the crawl) out of town. We did have a couple of slowdowns on 680 but managed to avoid the bad jams which were bound to occur later on in the afternoon.
Old building in Locke, California
I must say it made a big difference traveling north on 680 in the afternoon instead of our usual time of 6 am. Then it is always dark but in the middle of the afternoon there is so much more to see. Our route took us over the Antioch Bridge and it was amazing how quickly we left the rat race behind us as we crested the bridge. Ahead of us the Delta was holding out its arms, ready to embrace us and we readily succumbed to the peace and utter tranquility of the area. It was a lovely warm day and there was no wind at all. There was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. The water was calm with only the occasional small fishing boat to ruffle the surface.
We followed Highway 160 all the way to Locke, passing through Isleton and Walnut Grove. Tom was surprised when I told him to turn right into Locke. We passed the end of Main Street, which did not appear to be busy at all, and turned right onto Key Street. Our destination was right at the end.
Ten minutes later we were inside our home for the next two days. The couple who own and refurbished it are Deborah and Russell. Inside it is marvelous and much bigger than we expected. There is a cozy sitting room with a corn burning stove, a large, well equipped kitchen, a bathroom big enough for a party with a laundry room off of it and a wonderful loft bedroom upstairs with a small seating area as well. Outside is a well screened porch and a garden. Deborah was a mine of information on where to eat in the area.
After a quick wash and brush up, we took a walk around town. It was was only a block away and to get to it we walked down a narrow ally between tall, flimsy, wooden buildings. A couple of days ago there was a huge storm in the area – some people called it a 30 year storm – and there was a slightly damp smell in the air. On Main Street I noticed a newspaper clipping stuck on the inside of a shop window. It was an obituary for Connie King who died just a month ago. I was very saddened because on our last trip here in March I met and spoke to her. She was a legend in her own time and was affectionately called the ‘unofficial mayor of Locke’. A wonderful character who will be greatly missed. In fact the house we are staying in is very
Rental cottage where we stayed in Locke, California
close to Connie’s house with its toilet bowl garden. I wonder who will tend it now.
We wandered down the both sides of the street. Not too many shops were open. Tomorrow will be busier I expect. At the end of the street we turned right, passing Locke Garden Chinese Restaurant and then turning right again and walked back along the highway, passing the back of the the houses on Main Street and turned right again into Locke. Then we kept walking to the back of the town, passing a huge walnut tree and a bit further on in the Community Garden, a pomegranate tree. We were looking for a footpath which will take us to the levee at the back of the town where we have to report on Sunday for our canoe trip.
Earlier Deborah mentioned that Russell would be working in the Wood Shop which was on the footpath. As we approached the Wood Shop we saw someone outside so, guessing it was Russell, we went over to introduce ourselves. He was most welcoming and showed us around his little factory. He uses recycled wood only and he had an amazing collection of many different types of wood af all colors and grains. He introduced us to his colleague, Alfredo, and they both showed us what they do with the wood. At the moment they are making cutting boards, each one made out of strips of multicolored wood. They are glued together, planned, smoothed and varnished. Each one is signed with Russell’s name. They are definitely a ‘must have’ article. Not only functional but extremely decorative. An ideal gift for any kitchen. He showed us one he was in the process of finishing which had a distinctive green strip in the middle. Russell turned on a machine and demonstrated how they are planned. I immediately put our name on it. Russell promised to have it ready by Sunday. What a memento of our weekend and it will be even more precious because we actually saw it before it was finished. Alfredo showed us some little wooden picture frames he makes. He paints pictures on them and gives them as gifts to people. Russell is also a cabinet maker so he is a really busy guy.
Our walk down the footpath resumed. It was not a very long path and we were soon climbing up the levee. At the top was a gravel roadway which was also a car park for the boat ramp. This is where we have to meet for the canoe trip on Sunday. We clambered down the other side of the levee through trees and bushes to a beaten path next to the water. This is the Railroad Slough and very peaceful it was too. We heard a lot of splashes and saw ripples so the fish were rising. This must be a good spot for fishing and in fact we did see one girl trying her luck.
Time to go to dinner. Tonight we decided to try out Giustoi’s. Thank goodness Deborah explained exactly where it was. For some reason I thought it was over the bridge at Walnut Grove on the far side of the Sacramento River. When we arrived there was a lot of cars in the car park and we thought we would have to wait for a table but there was space for us. We both ordered filet mignon with blue cheese sauce. Here they served a ‘family style’ dinner – all meals come with a tureen of soup to share, bread & butter and a salad with salami, garbanzo beans, kidney beans and a lovely dressing. We were nearly full before our steak was served. The steak was really tasty. Although Giusti’s is a no frills restaurant they do serve really good food. They don’t accept credit cards though so I’m pleased I brought my check book along this weekend.
We walked back to the car and found our way to Locke and our little house. No television but we were content to write (me) and read (Tom) before sinking into the wonderful bed. What bliss to be somewhere where there is no noise from aircraft approaching San Jose airport, trains blowing whistles a quarter of a mile away or cars passing down the street.
Related posts:
- Delta Towns-Walnut Grove & Locke
- Return to Locke
- University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
- California Street, Palo Alto
- The Kings Head, Campbell, California
October 27 2009 06:26 am | Special Places
