Richmond is an intense and ultra-dramatic place. You have to get out once in a while to maintain sanity.

This past weekend, we packed up our two dogs, Rosie and Tess, and headed for the Sierras in Plumas County. Friday night we spent in a campground just west of Sierra City – the only space left in more than half a dozen campgrounds we reconnoitered (most people had reservations, and the campgrounds were full). During the early evening we hung out with locals on the front porch of Sorracco’s Saloon, allegedly the oldest building in Sierra City. We seem to run into Richmond connections wherever we go – the wife of one of the regulars grew up in Atchison Village.

We had BLT sandwiches from home for dinner but stopped at Herrington’s for dessert.

We were asleep before dark.

On Saturday, we had breakfast at the Red Moose Café, owned by one of the previous evening’s porch crowd from Sorracco’s Saloon. The Pacific Crest Trail, known as the “PCT” crosses Highway 49 just east of Sierra City, and Sierra City is a popular stopover and provisioning point. There are lots of single women hiking the PCT, obviously inspired by Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild,” or perhaps by Reese Witherspoon who played Strayed in the movie. They congregate at the Sierra Country Store because it has the only reliable Wi-Fi in town, and they eat breakfast at the Red Moose.

After breakfast, we headed for the Lakes Basin and walked the  4 ½ mile Lakes Basin Loop. Although it was a short hike by some standards, it almost did our 12-year-old Lab in. Tess is still recovering, but we were worried.

We spent Saturday night at the Diablo Campground on Packer Lake Road, again the last available campsite, and had dinner at the quaint Packer Lake Lodge.

To give Tess a rest, we spent the next day, Sunday, first at Sierra City, with breakfast at Buckhorn, which seems to change names and owners regularly. I sketched the historic Wells Fargo Building, and then we moved on down to  Downieville, where I sketched the Craycroft building, the town’s oldest dating from 1852.

We camped south of Downieville on the Yuba River at Rocky Rest, next to a fabulous swimming hole. On the gravel bar we talked to a couple who spent much of their life in Richmond. Back to Yuba City for a forgettable dinner , a final swim in the Yuba, and in bed by nightfall. All in all, a very restful weekend to prepare for the madness and drama facing the City Council on Tuesday.