As I drove east through the hills along Highway 20, heading home from Clear Lake, I wasn’t especially looking forward to the Interstate 5 leg of my trip. I had traveled that way so many times before; and even though that route would most likely have me home in less than 90 minutes, the scenery wasn’t very interesting. So as I approached the junction with Highway 16, I impulsively took the turnoff. Before long I had Bear Creek on my right, and I was passing through a beautiful part of Colusa County that was completely new to me.

A few more miles down the road I crossed into Yolo County, and Bear Creek turned into Cache Creek. The eroded mountainside with the creek down below was an irresistible sight — unfortunately the sun wasn’t in a good position for shooting pictures. I promised myself I would return to this amazing area someday soon when I had much more time and could explore to my heart’s content.