Grimes Community Church

During my early railroad years on the Southern Pacific Railroad (1965-1983), I worked local freights throughout much of the central valley between highways 99E and 99W (now replaced by Interstate 5). Knights Landing, College City, Hamilton City, Yolo, Woodland, and Grimes were in a world isolated. For the most part, during those years, there was only one local freight train daily taking cars in, and switching cars out and bringing home produce (mostly) from this rich farming area. Today, Grimes, as then, appears to be home mostly to farmers and farm workers. It’s a quaint little place, and more than just a spot on the road. The church sits right on Highway 45 on the north exit.
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55 on Highway 45

For the southern half, betwixt Knights Landing and Colusa, Highway 45 does very little wending and winding; rather it moves mostly in straight lines and right angle turns. For the better part of a President’s Day afternoon, I saw almost no other vehicle except on the close outskirts of the small towns. On clear days, the Sutter Buttes, which hold the title of being the world’s smallest mountain range, can be seen from nearly every vantage point in the Sacramento Valley. The mountains are about 10 miles (16 km) from north to south and east to west.
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