Calusa, California

July 17-18, 2009

On a road trip down to Santa Cruz with Jesse, Erica, and their friends, Jaden and Travis, we were looking for a halfway place to camp for the night.

We found Calusa Sacramento River State Recreation Area, just a few miles east of Interstate 5. Just 10 campsites, but with toilets and showers, and it was very peaceful.

It was unbearably hot that day. 112 when we went through Redding, and still in the upper 90's when we set up camp at 6:00. But the river offered a refreshing wade.

 

 

We feasted on chicken-apple sausages for dinner, then tried to find a way to sleep through the stifling night.

By 6:00 a.m., I was so relieved by slightly cooler temps, that I went for a walk through the sleepy streets. I was surprised to find such a quaint little town, full of Victorian houses and picket fences. A little oasis in the parched Sacrmento Valley.