Sundial bridge

I decide that we can walk to the bridge from the hotel and we get

 out the stroller for the first time this trip.  I totally get that we might not need this thing for the next trip to Europe because Oscar wants to do it all himself and he’s getting pretty good at keeping up, but he does flag after a while.  So, we’ll see where his stamina is in a few months.  But John and I can use the exercise because we’re used to walking the majority of our

vacation away when we’re in Europe or on study aways because we’re taking public transportation.  We haven’t walked much yet this trip and you can see the bridge over the river from the hotel, so how hard can it be?  We head down and get to the playground where Oscar demands to be let

out and John and I sit and watch him run around, slide, climb things and swing before he sees a pool next to us and wants to go in.  This appears to be a community pool and John goes to find out some information while Oscar and I go throw rocks in the river.  We decide we will stay another night and come do this pool after Shasta Caverns tomorrow

morning.  So, we start walking toward the sundial bridge and it pulls that trick of receding into the distance the closer that you think you’re getting to it.  It doesn’t help that the river walk meanders in and out and twists instead of a straight line and that Oscar wants to walk, but push the stroller off the path

and not stay out of the way of bikes.  So, there are fights every few hundred yards and dogs to follow and all kinds of diversions that make a 20 minute walk an hour long one.  We stop to watch a fisherman fight with a fish on his line for a long time, but he has to end up cutting the line it looks like and we finally get to cross the bridge.  This bridge is a working sundial (but only accurate at the summer solstice and for a few hours a day) but beyond that, it’s pretty and fun to cross.  The designer also designed the PATH train stop at the 9-11 memorial and John

said that he could see similarities.  We cross it and recross it heading back to the hotel and then my sense of direction gets us in a bit of spot.  We take a different path that I believe is going to be a more direct route to the hotel and it is, but it’s not really paved and we must ford a creek bed to end up behind a school that then takes us to the hotel.  So, I don’t know that we really saved any time in this “shortcut”  but, we’re back and ready for dinner.  We decide to drive around and when I say “outback”

John is in.  Oscar actually orders himself apple juice from the waitress which is a first.  He eats fries and we have great steaks to end the day.  John gets to hit the BevMo for some more scotch and beer.  We always forget how enticing California prices are and it’s a good thing that we brought an extra suitcase.  The good thing is, there is no duty or customs to go through.  I get some clearance yarn to cushion the liquor in the suitcase and it’s another successful day in Redding.