The Tri-City Area

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Saturday, April 30, 2022

I opened a case with Apple this morning about the emails of this blog that are missing pictures. The problem only manifests itself if you’re using an Apple email reader. The same issue can be seen on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. If you’re using the gmail reader on your Apple device or are on the Android platform there is no issue. Of course Apple can’t imagine that the problem could be on their side and are concentrating on the software that generates the emails. I have low expectations for any real progress. It’s very frustrating.

As promised we returned to the airport to see what their event was going to be like. When we arrived we noticed a bunch of tables and tents set up with vendors selling all sorts of interesting things. The first person we encountered was a person who had been cast as a Tuscan Raider in the Star Wars movies. He had photographs of himself in and out of costume and on a Bantha on Tatooine. Autographs were available for a fee. Right next to him was a tall man who’d played Darth Vader in just about every movie. He was in a very talkative mood and told us several tales from his movie and commercial engagements. He also had a large collection of photos that could be autographed for a fee.

The vendors had huge quantities of Star Wars collectables and memorabilia. A lot of the figurines were mint, in box from the original trilogy. Several sellers had large, made to scale fighters and spaceships, too. One gentleman brought a life-sized R2D2 that made authentic sounds and moved around the grounds posing for photos with guests.

There was a ton of Star Trek stuff as well as Transformers, Pokeman, GI Joe and others. We walked around for about an hour and investigated everything. It was so much fun. One vendor referred to the event as a “CON”. It kind of was; it certainly had nothing to do with the aviation museum. Our favorite artifact was a “Boba Fett” helmet (think Mandalorian) that was signed by every actor who’d played that part.

For lunch we went to downtown Fairfield. They have a long, Main Street-like district with shops, delis, restaurants, and more. We strolled up one side and down the other and investigated every restaurant before settling on an Italian themed restaurant called Evelyn’s Big Italian. We noticed that they had eggplant parm sandwiches and dinners so we asked if they could put the eggplant on a pizza. The waitress was doubtful and asked another waitress. The second waitress was also doubtful but decided to ask in the kitchen anyway. When she came back she was all smiles. We ordered two slices with eggplant and onion. We only ordered one slice each because we knew from the reviews that they were huge. Each slice completely filled a dinner plate. The eggplant was okay and the rather thickly sliced onion was fairly raw but it was still good, truly New York style pizza.

Next we drove into Suisun City to visit the Western Railway Museum. Their website mentioned that they did rides in some of the old equipment but other than that there was very little information. We weren’t sure what to expect.

When we got there the clerk told us that a train was leaving in 10 minutes. We bought two $15.00 tickets and walked briskly to the train yard where we were directed to a third class car (apparently they had first class cars, too, but we weren’t offered than opportunity). The car we sat in had been made in 1912, had a steel frame, wooden construction, and had been fully restored. It was in wonderful condition. It looked just like the passenger cars we’ve all seen in a million Westerns. The train eased out of the yard and switched on to the main track and picked up speed. On the right side of the train we could see large fields, cordoned off by barbed-wire fences, holding horses, cows and sheep. The view fit in perfectly with our turn of the century train. On the left was a huge installation of electric generating windmills. The dichotomy between the 19th century and the 21st century was striking.

The train went about five miles and stopped. The train had run out of usable track. We were all given a chance to get out and look around before going back. Apparently both end cars had full controls. The engineers connected the tethers in the former rear car to the overhead electric service and we were ready to go.

As we approached the point of embarkation we were given the option to get off in the train yard and tour one of the buildings. We were surprised that only about half the people on the train availed themselves of this opportunity. The building was huge, and had about six tracks which were laden with all sorts of rolling stock. There was a wide variety of engines, passenger cars, freight cars and cabooses to see. Most dated from the early 1900s. Our guide went up and down each track and told us all sorts of interesting things about the various cars. Many had been fully restored and were used occasionally for rides. Some of the others were awaiting their chance at restoration. Although the museum specializes in electric trains they did have one, stream locomotive. The engine was impressively large. I would have loved to have seen it in operation. The most interesting exhibit was a Fully Restored Pullman Car – and we were allowed to go in. Pullman Cars were used for many years for long distance travel. This one had a coach area where the berths converted into sleep quarters, restrooms, a kitchen, and a richly appointed dining room. The museum had loaned this very train car to a studio for the making of the movie Harold and Maude.

The museum is an all volunteer operation. People donate their time to maintain the buildings, restore the trains, fix the tracks, give the tours, etc. They are all wonderfully informed, enthusiastic, friendly, and engaging.

During our ride they had invited the children to the front to see the conductor operate the engine, so we never got to see the controls. After the tour I asked the guide if I could get a peek into the control area of the approaching train. Not only did he allow us to go and see it but he told us how it operated and allow us to take pictures with each of us at the helm. Since the train had already completed its last trip of the day the conductor was going to drive it into one of the buildings for overnight storage. He asked us if we’d like to ride with him. We gratefully took him up on the offer. As the train approached the barn, the engineer got out to open the doors, and the train slid neatly in. As the only two passengers on the train we felt very special.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

We got a late start. Our first excursion was for lunch at Babs Delta Diner in Suisun City. The restaurant is located in the waterfront district and sits right on the Suisun Slough (river). Given that it was Sunday morning we weren’t surprised to see that the restaurant was busy. We registered at the front desk and were told the wait would be about 45 minutes. We used the time to walk along the river and had fun checking out the numerous boats in the harbor.

When we were finally called we found ourselves with an outside table adjacent to the river. It was quite picturesque. I ordered the corned beef hash with eggs, potatoes and toast. Deborah order blueberry pancakes. The food was truly homemade and very tasty. The portions were so large that we each took a doggy bag back with us.

Fully fueled we headed over to Rush Ranch. In 1988 the Solano Land Trust purchased 2,070 acres which it dedicated for recreational and educational  purposes. It is an actual, working ranch featuring a blacksmith shop, horses, cows, and an educational center. We headed for some of the walking trails which went by several fields with grazing horses. As we approached the horses came to the fence to greet us. They liked to be petted but were really looking for food. We found some straw along the path and offered it to them. It was exactly what they wanted. As we moved on one of the horses followed us a ways – probably hoping for more food.

Our last stop, before heading back to the hotel, was to Fosters Freeze. It’s a small California chain that dates from 1946. They serve hamburgers, hot dogs, and soft serve ice cream in cones, as sundaes, or mixed in a cup with candy pieces. I had a medium twist cone with sprinkles and Deborah had a medium cup with chocolate. At $3.50 each they were very large and an excellent value. The ice cream was smooth and creamy and had a rich flavor. It was definitely worth the stop.