Motorcycles, steak sandwiches, and dog drama

My foot is healing up nicely, so I finally felt ready for a ride. We unloaded the bikes and started following our noses.  Turning left out of Duck Island RV park we headed North on Highway 160 toward the historic town of Walnut Grove, sunlight reflecting off of the water on our left and wide open fields and vineyards on our right. We encountered perfect riding weather, no wind, which is a rarity out here, and temperatures in the mid-70's.

Tony's in Walnut Grove

After a short ride we came across Tony's, a block off the highway at the bottom of the levee. Lunch is served! 

The best steak sandwich 

After a cocktail in the bar it was over to the restaurant for the best steak sandwich I've ever had. This is what our new lifestyle is all about, finding these little jewels before they are all replaced with cookie-cutter chains. This area is fascinating to me, the history here seems near the surface, the old buildings in Walnut Grove and Locke with the Chinese and Japanese segregated (historically) on the east bank and the white folk on the west bank.  We passed some giant transmission towers, well over a thousand feet tall! From the look of them they can probably cover most of the Central Valley.  The levee roads aren't technically challenging but the view of the river and the old towns and drawbridges make up for it. 

Pausing for a quick break to admire the levee drawbridge 

After a relatively short ride (foot still not 100%) we headed back to Duck Island, where things got a little unpleasant. Due to what we assume is a very primitive booking system we were asked to move from our spot to a new spot midway through our stay. The new spot was literally two spaces away. Not a big deal, but there seemed to be a lot of confusion about who belonged where. Two days after our big 30 foot move we were awakened by shouting and cursing from our next door neighbor.  Apparently he had arrived home with his pitbull at 2am to find he was locked out of his 5th wheel.  He settled in for the night under the shelter of the front of the rig, with his dog off the leash. Come morning a particularly barky and unpleasant poodle rounds the corner on his morning walk and is immediately attacked by the pit. I think the poodle survived, they were able to separate them when the pit let go to get a better grip. To the park owners credit the pitbull's owner was asked to leave and animal control was called immediately. The fact that so many people travel  with their animals makes it so important to have them under control at all times.  Even Chloe the wonderdog has been known to get aggressive around smaller dogs occasionally, hence the leash.  

The Sacramento Delta region is worth a visit if only to see the gently decaying remnants of what it used to be. Oh, and a steak sandwich at Tony's in Walnut Grove is a must-experience.