Visiting UC Davis

Tuesday, Nov. 5 we were on the road again. We decided to visit UC Davis. The campus is just a few

miles west of Sacramento and has several sights open to the public. Of course, nothing is ever easy

and parking was a real problem - there wasn’t much to be had! We could pay $10 for an all day

pass, or find a meter to put quarters in. We ended up buying a 2 hour pass for $3.00 which was a

good decision for what we ended up doing.

UC Davis was started as an agricultural college and that was definitely the flavor of our visit. The first

thing we saw was the teaching vineyard. We really wanted to visit the Arboretum which is planted all

along the river at the south end of the campus. In driving around the campus we saw the large

animal section with lots of horses in and out of the stables. We also passed the small animal section,

but I only saw one dog! The Scrubs Cafe obviously catered to the student and teaching

veterinarians. 

The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art opened at noon so we decided to visit that

first. The building was circular, one story, all white - very modern looking. The art work was mainly

done by former Davis students and faculty. It was all very interesting and modern. I liked the glazed

ceramics of Kathy Butterly. She made interesting shapes (a crushed soda can, a purse, a shoe, etc)

and painted them with colorful and whimsical designs. There was a large ceramic model of the home

of one of the faculty members - also with lots of fanciful and imaginative elements.

Don  at the Arboretum

Then we found parking by the Arboretum and walked there for awhile. The trees were beautiful and

there were a few roses and other blooms. We walked as far as the river, which looked more like a

lake at this point. The ducks were enjoying feeding and swimming in the water.

Suzanne - where else? the restrooms!

After such a pleasant and relaxing stop we had to get back on the road and look for camping. Again,

all of our favorite spots seem to have disappeared and we were forced to park in a Flying J truck

stop near Lodi.  Maybe it is time to go home!