Riverfront Parks and Chinese Temples

4th of July Random Ride. A family tradition we created many years ago--a travel game with rules that takes us to places we ordinarily would never go. No decisions, no reservations, no specific destination, we just get in the car and start driving. Road ends, turn right. That road ends, turn left. Then right. Then left. The idea is not so much to drive, but to stop impulsively and do or see whatever we want to as we come across it or "divert" to something we know is nearby. It's chill. And it's fun. It's a great way to experience our surroundings, uncharted territory in cities or back roads, and we stumble upon what is truly America.

This year we started in Marysville, California, at the duckpond on the corner of Hwy. 20 and Hwy. 70. We had a good American lunch at the brewpub & grill by the lake, then the ride took us down to the riverfront park where the Yuba River meets with the Feather River. A short walk took us down to the shores we pass over hundreds of times when driving the bridge from Marysville to Yuba City.  Then we were in the old city of Marysville. We stumbled upon the historic Chinese temple that Huell Howser featured in California's Gold.  The Bok Kai Temple was established in the 1800s, when Marysville supported a large Chinese-American community who traded goods along the Yuba River. Many floods and renovations later, the temple is still in use as a place of worship, but is also now an historical monument open to the public. The tour guide took us through the building and pointed out historical paintings that were just recently discovered by renovators. The dragons painted high on the walls were there to offer protection. All that's left of the once booming China town, is this temple and a Chinese-American museum down the street. The dragon parade is still an annual event, however, so some traditions live on.

From Marysville we traveled Hwy. 70 to Oroville, stopping for some fresh peaches at the Sodaro produce stand. Though entirely random, we were on a theme. Our next stop was the Riverfront park at the Feather River in Oroville. Facing extreme heat we welcomed the sight of fountains coming up from the ground to cool us down. Then a small riverside hike allowed us to enjoy the riparian shoreline. Oroville is a river town just at the foot of the Sierras, and is also rich with history. A jog through the old city brought us to yet another historic Chinese temple.  The Oroville Chinese Temple was put into use in the 1860s. No longer used by the Chinese, it is open to the public. Before this trip I was not aware of the history of Chinese Americans in these towns, and how greatly they contributed to developing our State, even while under discrimination.

We found ourselves following the "green tour", a bus-line tourist route that shows the greenest and prettiest sections of Oroville. A canopy view of the Feather River and a small hike to a mind-boggling view of the Oroville Dam spilling tons and tons of water down its cement wall topped off the day. We finished with dinner at the Gold Country casino. While the buffet was rather pricey, the cafe served a satisfying platter of ribs and chicken for 4th of July.