We slept well and late, to be woken by the alarm at 7:00am.  Over scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast we planned to go Oakhurst, for Raley's and a look at the China Creek Lane property.  Our departure was rather delayed in the bedroom downstairs, but we finally got off about 10:00am, down the 41, passing the narrow Guage Inn and the Sugar Pine Railroad on the way to Oakhurst.  As we got into Oakhurst we pulled over and stopped to call Caldwell Banker to check on where the office was and to contact Susan Cameron (who had tried to sell the property for me, unfortunately just after the economic crisis broke).  Susan was not in, but we found the location of Caldwell Banker's office on the left just before the traffic lights at the junction of 41 with the 426 on the left.  We decided to push on and have a look at the property first, and drove back and forth along the 426 looking unsuccessfully for the turn off.  Ron's memory failed.  So we returned to Oakhurst and Caldwell Bankers where we got directions.

Off we went again on the 426, this time with a map provided by Caldwell, and turned right on the 423 by the church, up the hill, and then right again on the 422 which turned into China Creek Road.  We went down a steep hill and across a very narrow bridge, up past some houses and finally came to another junction.  We were lucky there to get directions and turned right. down a narrow dirt road.  After half a mile we came to China Creek Lane on the left and went up to the property.  It was all badly overgrown and we could do little but look at it from the road, although we did discuss briefly some possible alterations to get the house site right.  Ron took some photographs, but somehow these got lost or deleted, and they are not in the photo collection.  Here we met Fred Garstenten coming back from a walk and heard all the local gossip, neighbours Dick and Mac had died, and that Fred was a friend of Susan Cameron's husband.  Luz was worried about the possibility of mosquitoes in the tiny creek, but they looked more like water skaters to Ron.  Luz not impressed by the property.

So, back we went to Oakhurst we went to do the marketing at Raley's.  We bought more food, found the chocolate (Green and Blacks from Scotland and got some beautiful dates, fruit, milk, vegetables, and some red snapper fillets.  And more wine of course.  Then it was back to the car and round to Autoparts to buy a battery charger for Ron to take home.

Back up the 41 we went, noting the drop in temperature as we climbed the 2000 feet up towards Fish Camp.  Just before Fish Camp we turned down into the Sugar Pine Railroad and found we were just in time to catch a train ride down into the Sierra National Forest.

The train, number 10, the Logger, was an old wood fired steam engine, a Shay, geared down for use with heavy loads of timber on steep roads, had been converted to oil fired twenty or more years ago.

Ron driving the Logger down into the Sierra national Forest (about 1986) with his son Tim hanging out of the cab

and also one of Tim topping up the water tank.

After a brief stop and short look around at the picnic site we returned on the Logger to the station where Ron joined the driver in the cab (photo on Luz's camera somewhere) before we returned to the Owl's Nest for dinner - red snapper fillets (quick fried) with a mango, red onion, and tomato salsa.  Washed down with the Sutter Home white merlot.

After dinner we watched three episodes of 'Waiting for God' and then danced a little to Don Mclean before going to bed.