Woke up to President’s Day with US flags proudly waving from every area of the lodge.  I haven’t seen that many flags flown at a single location ever.  The words and melody to “I’m Proud to Be an American” echoed inside my head as I snapped pictures around the property.

Bidwell Park plays a large part in the lives of many natives of the Chico area.  It is almost 11 miles in length and 3,670 acres, a perfect place to bike, walk, jog, ride horses, swim, picnic, walk the dog, etc.  It was a large part of my life as a young adult and was the location of many of my “firsts”, none of which will I divulge.   Living near it meant you didn’t have to drive home drunk as its tall trees and thick brush made it a perfect place to party and then stumble home.

The park has several area’s and all have their own special appeal.   Middle and Upper Park were a bit far for my choice of party attendance but were great for hiking and walking my dogs.  One Mile, aka Lower Park where the stream gathers and is held together by cement walls for swimming, is flat, bordered by neighborhoods and is near the entrance and only a few blocks from where I and John lived BM (no, not poop…before marriage).  Upper Park is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with steep terrain and has many rock formations.  There are several dirt paths for bikes, jogging and horseback riding.

We drove to Paradise to check out the Paradise Elks Lodge.  I’ve never appreciated Paradise, CA.  It is what the poorer parts of Conroe is to The Woodlands.  Wasn’t worth taking pictures back when I lived in Chico and not worth it today.   We drove up, turned around after checking out the Paradise Elks Lodge and drove back to Chico with only one quick stop at Lookout Point for the fantastic view.