The quest continues

This past Sunday, the weather was great. But still the girls were spending far too much time indoors watching television and making a mess. So I took matters into my own hands. I quickly logged onto the Internet looking for a nearby and modestly interesting historical marker for the girls to visit. I decided that the trip to Cooper's Sawmill (CA Historical Marker #835) would be easy, fun and informative. The sun was already descending, so there was no time to waste. I grabbed the girls and their grandmother and we headed up 101 to the road that seemed a straight shot to Marker #835.

The drive was really beautiful. We drove along the Russian River (site of Cooper's mill) and past several major wineries. At one point along the road we stopped for a potty break and for snacks. While in the grocery store I asked about Cooper's Mill and the obviously local gal behind the counter told me that she had no idea what I was talking about. So, we got back on the road.

After a while the natives became restless, but I pressed on. I found a campground that looked promising and that I guessed might contain a historical marker. (After all, it did have a local museum, train cars and bear carvings.) At the campground gate and information center I asked again about the mill. Again, I stumped the local informant. Though this woman had lived in the area some 29 years (if I remember correctly) she had never heard of Cooper's Sawmill. And yes, I told her it probably didn't exist and that there was only a marker left behind. Only very mildly disappointed, we headed back to home base.

That night, after the girls went to bed I told "grandpa" about my adventure. He was fairly familiar with the area and after some searching he found the exact location of the marker. The marker was, indeed, right on the road I was driving, but I had passed it by several miles. Seeing exactly what it looked like from the satellite view, I reckon I could get there again if I tried. Besides, the drive is great and if we started off early enough we could spend some time hiking and just poking around.

The next day I decided to travel to a marker that I had been very close to before. Once, on our way to grandma and grandpa's house we had tried to see this historic location, only to find that it was closed for the evening. Grandpa volunteered to go with us and showed us how to find the Petaluma Adobe (CA Historical Marker #18) by traveling the scenic back roads from his home in Santa Rosa to Petaluma.

The weather was great, and the scenery was terrific. The fall colors were beautiful and I got a hundred beautiful photographs out of the trip. Everyone had a lot of fun and besides all of this admission to the adobe was only $2 for adults (children were free).

I mention the price, only to contrast it with another place I visited on my way home with the girls. As we drove home, racing a BART train for part of the journey, Amelia asked if we could go to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. She had been very good, and insisted that she was very hungry for Chuck E. Cheese pizza. I wasn't sure I wanted to drop $20 on mediocre pizza and racket, but the girls had been very good.

So, we went to Chuck E. Cheese - after I explained the conditions for our unplanned visit. I asked the girls what they wanted and they asked for pizza with black olives. After some pressing, Amelia said she also wanted mushrooms and sausage. So at the counter I ordered a medium, three-topping pizza; a salad; a bottle of water; and a juice box. The total came to over $31! I could hardly believe my ears.

Sure, we got a few meager tokens with our purchase, but I know for certain that I didn't have anywhere near as much fun at Chuck E. Cheese as I did on my $2 ticket to the adobe. Maybe the girls had as much fun at Chuck E. Cheese, but they liked the adobe a lot, too.

Oh, and to put the icing on the cake, if I had the time and energy to do so, that same $2 ticket would have gotten me into Mission San Francisco-Sonoma (marker #3) and Vallejo's adobe in Sonoma (marker #501). I guess what I'm saying is not to underestimate the value of places and experiences we all can have that cost us next to nothing. With a recession upon us, this is an important lesson, indeed.

Lisa