DAY TRIPPIN' AT MICKE GROVE PARK

This has been an unbelievable past six months with parent health & medical issues – with no end in sight. But since this blog is about travels, I won’t go into all of that here. Suffice it to say that I was in dire need of a day away from it all. Yesterday was a rare day where I was at home & neither of us had any other plans or responsibilities. I wanted to go somewhere fun.

Lou suggested that we take a ride to Micke Grove Park near Lodi. It’s pronounced “Mickey” as in Mickey Mouse. We packed a picnic lunch & headed on down the road. It turned out to be a great choice on a beautiful day.

Our first stop was the Japanese Gardens. Initially we had the place to ourselves which was a welcome respite. A little more quiet meditation time would have been nice but the school buses descended & soon the constant buzz of school children filled the gardens.

The ponds & stepping stones meander all through the Japanese Gardens in Micke Grove Park.

A Japanese Maple tree & brightly colored azaleas added some color to the grounds of the gardens.

My balance pretty much sucks & at one point the path ended at these stepping stones. Lou walked across then had to come back & hold my hand from stone to stone. I could literally see myself falling in the water but just looked down at each stone, put one foot in front of the other & maintained a death grip on Lou's hand. I made it! Whew!

I love bridges & gardens. This brought back memories of our trip to France a few years ago when I visited Claude Monet's Japanese Bridge & Gardens in Giverny.

Lou doing his Karate Kid imitation.

Taking a moment to reflect.

After lunch we strolled past the Micke Grove Zoo & the Funtown Amusement Park but decided to save those for a time when Charley was with us. Our next stop was the Rose Garden. Many of the flowers were past their prime in blooming but it was still gorgeous.

One of the lovely roses in the Micke Grove Rose Garden.

Smaller cluster roses covering the wooden fence post.

The park houses the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum, a collection of eight exhibit buildings, two homes, a schoolhouse & numerous other displays. Our AAA book said to allow two hours & they were right! There are all sorts of attractions & activities for kids.

An old time kitchen diorama in the San Joaquin County Historical Museum.

This was part of "one of the largest collections of hand & foot-powered tools" in any museum. I loved the sign here on the barbed wire display.

My grandfather was a trucker in the Central Valley who hauled wooden crates of fruit & vegetables. This must have been the precursor to his truck.

The Julia Weber House, built in 1892, is currently being restored to its 1901 appearance & is not open to the public at this time.

The Captain Charles Weber Cottage, built in 1847, is the oldest wood frame building in San Joaquin County. Charles Weber was the founder of the city of Stockton.