A Brief Look at Yolo

Yolo County, in California, is full of treasures. One might even say, “it’s full of surprises” to be found by simply exploring its countryside, small communities, and few densely populated small towns.

On my Photo Journey of November 15, 2012, I returned to one of those treasures that I stumbled upon (almost literally) a couple of years ago, one that was surely a surprise. Accompanying me on this trip was fellow Sacramento photographer Bob Redd, of PhiBetaPhoto. (Be sure to click on the link to “Continue Reading”)

Our original plans were to visit the charming little Mary’s Chapel and accompanying graveyard, and then possibly go northeast to little spots on the road like East Nicolaus, and Nicolaus. Bob had never been to Mary’s Chapel and it had been a long time since he had been in Woodland so, for him, the Journey Ratio was more evenly divided betwixt Exploration and Adventure. We decided then, being so close to Woodland, that after capturing several photos and ingesting the serene ambiance of Mary’s Chapel, we would travel down to Woodland, saving the other spots for a later visit.

Mary’s Chapel and Cemetery is seemingly close to “the middle of nowhere,” even though it is just a few short (8.6) miles north of Woodland, and only about 2 miles from Interstate 5. It is a peaceful and restful place, with only occasional traffic from working farmers and the rare traveler.

Here’s its history, in a nutshell, from interment.net: “This cemetery dates back to the 1850s with a church being built on the grounds in 1857. The church was destroyed by fire in 1898 and in 1900, Mary Cross Pockman rallied the community in rebuilding the church which still stands and is known as Mary’s Chapel and hence the name of the cemetery. Mary’s Cemetery is in good condition and still in use.” (from: http://www.interment.net/data/us/ca/yolo/marys/index.htm)

The plaque attached to front side of the chapel in 1985 also attributes another Mary: Mary Alice Morris, and the community for helping in the rebuilding.

Granted, cemeteries aren’t likely candidates for typical sight-seers, but they can be fascinating by virtue of the surviving artwork on the tombstones alone, and, in this case, the pleasant drive to the country: real country.

I first “discovered” this site in February, 2010, when photographing west of Zamora, just up Interstate 5 from Yolo. Taking the long way from there to Woodland and exploring the back country roads, I happened upon a small county sign along County Road 98 which read something to the effect of “Mary’s Chapel Two Miles Ahead.” That piqued my curiosity which led me directly to the site. At the end of the day on my second visit, a local farmer stopped to talk on his way home. He was an amateur photographer and appreciated my work. He said he had “reserved” a place there.

With a little web-investigation, I found a few links that told me more about the site, including a very brief mention of the movie, “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” a film about pop singer Tina Turner. Apparently, Mary’s Chapel was used in opening scenes to the movie of a wedding. Apparently, it is still used for funerals and weddings.

Traveling on to Woodland, Bob and I first encountered a great little country photo op, from which I have two photos in the accompanying slideshow. This is the kind of rural area where every turn reveals something of beauty and/or interest.

Woodland has changed considerably since Bob’s last visit of at least ten years ago, and even I was surprised at the increased enhancements and beautifications since my last visit within the past year. This Photo Journey is just a cursory introduction to the Yolo County seat, as well as an invitation and reminder to myself to return for a thorough look and shoot of the its rich historical heritage found in its architecture, not to mention its historical origins and development through the years.

We were lucky to have found a handy parking spot just behind the Woodland Opera House, a beautifully restored theatre that is again in full use. Deciding to make a full circle, we walked up one side of the street and back down the other, meeting and talking with some very interesting people, and relishing the old blended into the new—or vice-versa.

We were hungry by then, and had a hard time choosing from which of the many eateries to, well, eat. We ended up in the BBQ place right next to the Opera House, Ludy’s.

Refreshed and revived, we turned around the corner to find some people entering the Woodland Opera House. Being photographers, we followed our nature as well as them, received a friendly hello and “go right ahead” signal in the office, and basked in the beauty of years once gone, and now returned. In short, “What a gorgeous place.” I had attended a couple of first rate, near professional, performances there and found myself marveling at the exquisiteness of the theatre as much as the quality of the production.

This beautiful theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a California Historical Landmark. It is one of four fully functioning 19th century opera houses in California, and is a contributing property to the Downtown Historic District of Woodland, California. (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland_Opera_House_State_Historic_Park)

As mentioned above, Woodland is definitely on the return visit list for an in-depth look at the community in pictures and words.

Robert McClintock
Copyright © 2013 by Robert McClintock
my-neighborhoods.net
November 28, 2012

To view and purchase all of these photos from the slideshow to Yolo County, please visit my online photo gallery (click here).

To see an introductory slideshow of this Photo Journey into Yolo County, with an original soundtrack composed by me, the photographer, click on the “Play” arrow at the bottom left of the image, below. If you are viewing this on a desktop computer, the slideshow should start by simply clicking once on the slideshow image.

Journey Ratio
This journey was probably divided with the Journey Ratio of:

• Quest: 20%
• Exploration: 30%
• Adventure: 50%

(See my Philosophy page for more information about Journey Ratio.)
I’m looking forward to bringing you my next journey.

Where Is It?

Mary’s Chapel and Cemetery is at the intersection of County Road 98 and County Road 15.

GPS Coordinates are: Lat: 38° 45′ 49″N, Lon: 121° 48′ 12″W

Just paste 38° 45′ 49″N, 121° 48′ 12″W into your favorite browser map for a precise location. Click here for a direct link

Woodland is a little north and then due west from Sacramento, about 20 miles.
Yolo is northwest of Woodland, just off Interstate 5, about six miles.

Links for this Photo Journey:

Mary’s Chapel and Cemetery	See the Sacramento River . . . by Car By Bill Paxson http://sactoriver.blogspot.com/search/label/Mary%27s%20Chapel
	Interment.org http://www.interment.net/data/us/ca/yolo/marys/index.htm
	Yolo County Cemeteries – Past and Present — Page 3 http://cagenweb.com/yolo/yolocem3.htm#maryscem
	The California GenWeb Project This Site is part of the USGenWeb Project http://cagenweb.com/yolo/index.htm
	Film in America: “What’s Love Got to Do with It” http://www.filminamerica.com/Movies/What%27sLoveGotToDoWithIt/
	IMDB (Internet Movie DataBase) 1993 movie about Tina Turner http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108551/combined
Yolo County and Community	Yolo (the community) — Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yolo,_California
	Yolo County — official site http://www.yolocounty.org/
	Yolo County — Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yolo_County,_California
	Yolo County Visitor’s Center http://www.ci.woodland.ca.us/
Woodland	Woodland — official site http://www.ci.woodland.ca.us/
	Woodland — Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland,_California
	Woodland Opera House http://www.woodlandoperahouse.org/Pages/default.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland_Opera_House_State_Historic_Park