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The silence in the cab was unnerving. I just knew that at any second she just might explode. I could tell she was doing her darnest to not say what was on her mind. I mean, geeze, it wasn’t like I had never taken a shortcut before was it?
“Well honey, according to this map and my reckoning we are right here at this “T” intersection, see?” As I pointed to the map and broke the silence.
She looked over, or to be more precise, she turned her head and gave me “The Look”, and then rolled her lovely eyes.
“Dang Honey, we’ve already well past half way and it’s only another inch or so to where we are headed” I offered. Please remember that at this point we had been driving for one and a half-hours and had not even seen a cow much less another vehicle.
She finally spoke “Yea, like you could turn this truck with the boat behind it around anyway?”
Ok, so the road and I use the term loosely, had pretty much turned into a path less traveled. I sat looking at the intersection collecting my thoughts and trying my best to think how I could start filling in the hole I was surely digging deeper each time I opened my mouth.
The sign sure didn’t help matters. One arrow pointed east saying “Dismal Swamp” the other arrow pointed west saying “Cave Lake” our destination. The bleached out steer head at the base of the post multiplied my predicament.
Finally I said “ Pretty neat log cabin we past just back a bit, can you imagine how it must have been to live way back here when that place was built?” (maneuver number one – change the subject)
More silence.
“Ok” I said, “yer absolutely, 100% right. This shortcut really wasn’t so short. I messed up and I should have listen to you, sorry honey” (maneuver number two – tell her she is right)
“But how was I to know? On the map ther’s two ways to go, one was a much longer winding, twisting red line on the map and the other was this much shorter light gray line.” I offered, but then realized the hole I was digging just got a foot deeper.
She finally said “Just keep driving, but remember, you owe me.”
Taking “short-cuts” while traveling is something I’ve done all my life. Many times I would say. “hey look here on the map, looks like this road is a shortcut.” Normally this was followed by a collective moan from the kids in the backseat and “The Look” from my wife. A healthy sense of adventure does not run in the family.
About an hour later we are slowly going down a steep grade and you can see Cave Lake off to the side.
Ok, so it was off and down a very steep side to be exact. The road at this point is exactly 3.4 inches wider then my truck, and is primarily composed of football size round cobblestones, and yes, we are in low range 4x4 and yet we are still sliding/rolling down the grade, and no, I am not totally out of control…………yet.
Finally we reach the bottom and pull into the campground, all 3 spaces. My lovely wife, being a bit over dramatic, jumps out of the truck and kisses the ground, all the while mumbling something. I did catch a few words, but this is a family orientated board so I can’t repeat them here.
There was one other person in the campground that had watch our descent and grand entrance. He came walking over, chuckling to himself. He walks up to my wife and says “ See you took the long way from Fort Bidwell, did you notice the pretty neat old log cabin.”
Worthwhile Short Cuts I have taken:
Quincy to La Porte (Note: Road is not passable after first snowfall)
Alleghany to Downieville via Forest
Likely to Eagleville via Blue Lake road
Yellow Creek to Chico via Humbug Summit Road.
Midpoint on the Willits Road (to Ft Bragg ), take the dirt turnoff just before McGuire’s Pond
Butte Valley Reservoir to Belden (Note: when you start down the grade, put a blindfold on your wife)
Chico to Magalia via Centerville
Chico to Bucks Lake via Berry Creek (Note: this road has since been paved so it no longer is considered a shortcut)
Shortcuts on my list, but not yet taken
Chico to Ft. Bragg, via Round Valley
Chico to Bucks Lake via Four Trees Road (off Hwy 70)
Now remember, these are only shortcuts in Northern California.
Feel free to add to the list.
Paul
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