Rancho Cordova, CA

Wordless Wednesday - Sunset at Sunrise & Folsom in Rancho Cordova, CA (Sacramento County, California)

These pics were taken with my iPhone from a moving vehicle! :)

Doug Hawkes

The folks living out in Sacramento's suburb, of Rancho Cordova, have lost a historic local legend. Doug Hawkes, a dynamic journalist who kept residents tethered together with the "what's happenin' now" in the community for 35 years via the Grapevine Independent. Hawkes has died April 21st, at age 80.

As an avid sports fan and writer, Mr. Hawkes, informed the community about the exploits of community and school sporting events, from 1968 through 2003 through "Sports on the Eastside," a popular column he wrote through 2003. He was a staunch fan of the Cordova High School football team.

Mr. Hawkes also championed local issues using wit, and often humorous edgy words, in another Grapevine column, "Write the News and Raise Hell."

A City Councilwoman, Linda Budge said, "The paper had great credibility, Doug made it an essential part of the fabric of the community."

Click Here for a complete obituary in the Sacramento Bee.

The Greater Sacramento Area enjoyed temperatures of around 70 degrees today; and I spent a good part of it with two grand daughters. The girls were on a mission to fish, and to hunt crawdads. The community of Rancho Cordova has delightful Hagan Community Park consisting of 75 acres. The park itself boasts facilities consisting of a Community Center, 3 swimming pools, 8 tennis courts, 8 group picnic areas, 3 baseball fields, 3 soccer fields, basketball court, petting zoo, play grounds, tot lots, fitness course, and scale model steam train railroad. There is access to the American River Bike Trail and foot access to the American River.

Over the course of several hours this afternoon, we spent time in Hagan Community Park trying to catch the illusive fish in the ponds, and we watched the ducks for awhile, before walking a few steps to the American River to try our luck there. Along the Bike Trail, we saw a number of wild turkeys doing the Turkey Trot for Spring. We came home skunked (no fish and no crawdads), but we still had a great time anyway. The slide show above provides a glimpse into our day.

Here's a link to the Cordova Recreation and Park District for information on facilities, and events.

Why Rancho Cordova?

15 Reasons to Live, Work and Play here (taken from City of Rancho Cordova website):

1. Location, Location, Location!!!

2. Sacramento's largest employment subcenter

3. Be a part of California's newest incorporated city

4. 10 miles of American River Bike Trail and Parkway access

5. Conveniently located along the Highway 50 Corridor

6. Innovative single-family and mixed-use housing projects

7. Mather Business Park and Airport

8. Progressive, business-friendly city government

9. 3 convenient light rail stations

10. Opportunity to live and work in the same community

11. The most affordable Class A Office Rents in the region

12. Home to several Fortune 500 companies and many diverse small businesses

13. Room to grow with vacant office space and land opportunities

14. The ideal location for business-to-business sales

15. Superior education choices: UC Davis, Sacramento State, and 7 local community colleges

Two of the master planned communities are Gold River which started in 1983 and Anatolia which started building in 2005. The School District for Gold River is San Juan Unified School District and the school district for Anatolia is Elk Grove School District. Anatolia has a brand new elementary school which opened in Fall 2008.