Roseville Adventure

The trip to Roseville, California was all that I'd hoped it would be--warmer days, sunshine, relaxation, discovery and time with Jim! It was surprisingly windy but I couldn't complain. The first day I went shopping. That's the female thing to do after all. I've never seen so many stores in one place! The second day I explored the city. I discovered the Sculpture Park. This large sculpture named "Cosmos" dominates the park.

The rest of the sculptures (by the winners of the annual sculpture contest for school children) are displayed as seen below.

The Sculpture Park is the trailhead for the Miners Ravine bike trail. I hiked on the trail alongside a meandering river for a couple of miles and soaked up the peace and beauty surrounding me. Only because of occasional glimpses of restaurants, hotels and traffic (even the freeway) was I reminded that I was in the middle of a busy city.

I was surprised to see an abundance of blackberry bushes!

Next I visited the Maidu Interpretive Center dedicated to the Nisenan (southern Maidu) Indians that had settled the area thousands of years ago. There was a museum with exhibits portraying the Maidu Indian way of life. I was especially fascinated by the loop trail that took me past ancient petroglyphs (5,000 to 8,000 years old)....

...and hundreds of holes in bedrock which the Indian women had worn grinding acorns.

Surrounded by oak trees, a stream, meadows and a pond, it really wasn't too hard to envision the place as it may have looked when the Indians were living there so many years ago.

On my last day, I visited Folsom Lake which is located a few miles east of Roseville. I parked at the visitors center and hiked the 1 mile bike trail to the lake. I passed palm trees, evergreens and a picnic area lush with foilage. I was struck by the beauty.

Consequently, it was quite a surprise to discover an almost empty lake bed at the end of my journey. Not much entertainment here!

I returned to Roseville and found myself in the old part of town. I was impressed with the clean and well-renovated former downtown area.

I love exploring new places! The best part of this trip, though, was getting to spend some time with Jim.:)