But this is Chico, too

When I moved to Chico 10 years ago, the Sacramento Valley was an alien land. The only road I knew was Interstate 80. The only place I knew was Old Town Sacramento.

I decided that I would eventually drive every road between Sacramento and Redding. It’s turning out to be more of an adventure than I thought. The valley has lots of roads that start out paved and then suddenly become gravel or dirt. I do my best to keep going, provided that the road doesn’t peter out.

I have my favorite country roads: the Midway between Chico and Durham, of course; Chico River Road west of Chico; Highway 45 between Ord Bend and Colusa, which is the route I take whenever I travel to the Bay Area.

But I also have out-of-the-way favorites — roads taken only for the pleasure of driving them. I’ve seen all of Highway 99, and the stretch between Los Molinos and Red Bluff is the most scenic. It’s filled with roadside stands that sell produce and other items.

I also like the roads west of Highway 99 between Gridley and Yuba City. If you take Larkin Road, you’ll see an Islamic center and a Skikh temple within just a few miles of each other. They’re so unexpected in this land of prune orchards that they almost seem like a mirage.

Bear River Road, between East Nicolaus and Wheatland, is one of the most surprising of the scenic byways. I don’t like this part of the valley. For one thing, it’s too wide and monotonous. For another thing, it’s becoming littered with commuter suburbs. But this twsty road through walnut orchards seems far removed from all that. The housing bust and the gas price surge may conspire for a while to keep this area safe from the bulldozer.

With gas prices approaching $4.50 a gallon, Sacramento Valley country roads become all the more appealing. It’s getting too expensive to travel much farther than that.