Friday May 22
Novato to Bridgeport 275 miles (Hwy 37 to 80 E to 50 E to Mormon Emigrant Trail to 88 E over Carson Pass and Monitor Pass to Hwy 395)
Friday-light traffic even though we didn’t leave until after 7:30. Bob watered outside and I spent about 45 minutes on email before we left.
Our first stop was the Valley Cafe in Suisun Valley which is becoming one of our favorite breakfast spots. Full of regulars — there are shelves of coffee mugs that customers have brought in and all the servers pick out the right mug and start filling it before the regulars even sit down. The food is good and fresh and local. Bob had fried eggs, bacon, hash browns, a biscuit (griddled with butter) and OJ; I had poached eggs, an English muffin and fruit (delicious local deep-red sweet strawberries). Bob said he always has to have the hash browns in the future, they are that good. Usually he has the dinner plate-sized pancake 🙂 The trip was pretty easy. We had rain off and on from just past Sacramento. It got down to 40* going by Kirkwood.
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Raining!!
There was an ancient Veteran wearing all his medals selling rubber duckies when we stopped to get gas. We gave him $20 and he said we could take six ducks or some car magnets. We just took this guy who is going to be a good luck charm. 
Drove into Bridgeport just at 2p. First stop, the Barn. Bob got a burger and I got a soft taco (grilled filet, pico de gallo, corn tortilla, HOT sauce. Yum).
Next stop, the bakery next door which is only open from this weekend through Labor Day. They are the third generation of Nugents. It has been closed for several years but the grandson of the original Nugents re-opened it now that their kids are grown. They open at 6a and have almond milk. Score. Oh, and donuts and all sorts of other Bob-approved baked goods. Checked into the Cain House and caught up on email, etc while the rain/hail storm passed. The temperature dropped about 10*. We have never stayed at the Cain House before as we were always at the neighboring Silver Maple Inn which is very pet friendly. The room is sort of small but very comfortable and we are in a corner to have two big windows (that open!).
The court house is about a block away and when the bells chime on the hour, they play segments of hymns. It is beautiful.
At cocktail time, we walked down to the Bridgeport Inn and saw this, which could have been here 50 years ago.
Cindi, our favorite bartender, was behind the bar and Smitty and his wife, Donna, were seated in their customary stools. Smitty is 90-something and was a boxer of some fame in his day. There are photos hanging in the bar of him in his prime. His hands and fingers are pretty mangled but otherwise he is quite spry and in good shape. His wife is a retired principal and school administer who was so special that they still call her back to substitute and help out. They have been there often when we have been in town and are always a delight. We had our usual…. Chivas on the rocks with an olive; Ketel One Dirty; two filets medium rare with baked potato and salad for Bob and vegetables and salad for me. It didn’t seem as busy as it should have for a three-day weekend, either at the bar or at our hotel. There was only one other car at the Cain House and the Silver Maple Inn was only about half full. It is so nice to be back in Bridgeport where we are more regulars than anywhere at home except the grocery stores……
Bob and Sharon's Travel Diary 