S: Our next plan was to visit Yosemite, but after driving 8 hours we decided that the weather was too bad to go there and the fact we didn't have snow chains in the car might have made the decision. As it was such a long drive, we caught up with the blog as we have been a little lax lately. The scenery we were passing through was amazing to look at - snow-capped mountains on one side and desert the other. I never expected to be seeing such a contrast down one road - beautiful. After changing our minds James had to drive another 4 hours to Sacramento and we eventually found a campsite after spending an hour trying to find somewhere suitable.

J: When we woke up it was raining, it was cold, grey, windy and raining. We both felt a bit miserable about the weather so headed off to Old Sacramento. It was a section of the town preserved and not developed since the old gold miners came to find their riches in the mountains, I found it interesting that anyone can still pan for gold in the mountains without a license...... I was tempted lol. But the Old Town was brilliant, it was like time traveling again as everyone wore the traditional old clothes and the shops looked incredible. The candy shops where interesting as you could try anything you wanted and still didn't have to buy anything!
We next hit the railway museum, the tour was interesting and the trains, much like everything in America, where incredibly big! It was a great educational place to visit.

S: We took the guided tour and the man doing it, worked on the railways in the town and was obviously very proud to have. He explained how the Chinese migrant workers laid the foundations of the railway line especially in the snow, and how much fuel they used to use to get the engine going and make the journey. They must have used thousands of trees per journey, it's incredible. After that we ventured to the "State Capitol White House" where the governor of California goes about his daily visit. We watched both senate and assembly chambers where big decisions are made. And perhaps the strangest thing was seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrait on the walls and the massive bear statue he left behind. They are still waiting to see if he will come and collect it.

J: The day never brightened up and it kept raining, we couldn't use the BBQ's at the camp site and had to eat in the campervan while playing cards. Occasionally running to the toilet in the rain getting cold was less than fun.