6 Port Costa
The dazzling Suisun
Bay greets travelers
who make it to Port
Costa, founded in 1879
as a landing for the
Central Pacific Railroad
ferry – this made the
humble little spot a
stop on the celebrated
Transcontinental
Railroad. Although the
Amtrak still rumbles
by, the ramshackle
village seemed to all but
freeze after the 1930s,
when the Martinez
bridge ended its raison
d’être and the railroads
changed route. The
town’s tiny downtown
draws two fairly different
demographics these days:
antique hunters and
motorcycle clubs, but its
quiet charms give it a
special air. If not for theapproach, you’d never
guess this early 20th
century place was so
close to the edge of the
urban Bay Area sprawl.5 4 p259
The Drive » Head east out
of town on Snake Rd, which
becomes Carquinez Scenic
Drive. The parking lot with
access to the Carquinez Strait
Regional Shoreline is well
marked.7 Carquinez Strait
Regional Shoreline
After staying along the
flat lands of the Delta
for so long, it feels good
to climb the gentle hills
of the Carquinez Strait
Regional Shoreline,
a patch of green that
includes several excellent,
well-marked trails that
afford views of the Delta.Get the blood pumping
by climbing up for views
atop Franklin Ridge, the
park’s 420ft-highpoint
where red-tailed hawks
and the occasional
golden eagle can be
spotted. The Franklin
Ridge Loop Trail is a 2.8-
mile hike that overlooks
the Carquinez Strait as
well as the shimmering
waters that the trip
has followed from the
beginning. At dusk this
hike is best, with the
fiery glow behind the
distant silhouette of
Mt Tamaulipas and the
twinkling lights of the
Benicia Bridge.TRIP HIGHLIGHTStart: 5 Delta Loop
When you find Stockton on a map, it hardly seems possible to reach it by the back
roads of the Delta but you can detail a route that makes a highway-free shortcut – just
continue east on Hwy 12 for 10 miles and take a right on Davis Rd, which will bring
you to the city in 5 miles. Pull in at Rough and Ready Island, a WWII naval supply base
that was decommissioned in 1995, and stroll to the historic downtown. You’ll know
you’ve reached the good part of town when you see the modern white edifice of the
Weber Point Events Center (221 Center St), standing in the middle of a grassy park
looking rather like a pile of sailboats. The events center holds the huge Asparagus
Festival in April, a series of open-air concerts, and fountains where squealing children
cool off during summer. Nearby is the beautiful new Banner Island Ballpark (www.
stocktonports.com; 404 W Freemont St), where the minor-league Stockton Seals play
baseball (April to September). Also near is the Haggin Museum (www.hagginmuseum.
org; 1201 N Pershing Ave; tickets $5; h1:30am-5pm Wed-Fri, noon-5pm Sat-Sun), which has an
excellent collection of American landscape paintings and an Egyptian mummy.STOCKTON
DETOUR:
CENTRAL.CALIFORNIA24
(^) LAzY DELTA
DAWDLE