Chasing a rainbow into upper Bidwell Park

I had planned to go for a short hike yesterday in upper Bidwell Park, but then it started raining, and I felt disappointed. Later in the afternoon I took a drive up there just to be somewhere pretty, even if it was raining. But the sun came out behind me and a rainbow appeared over the foothills as I turned toward the park. Driving up into the canyon, I got closer and closer to the rainbow, until I could see the nearby foothills through the lense of it's colors... and I smiled, a real grin from inside, at the candy-colored trees and grass. As I turned into the Monkey Rock parking lot, the rainbow disappeared. But straight ahead of me a flock of American Goldfinches burst from a tree, their bright yellow breasts making me smile some again in wonder. Driving further in, I saw a tree full of fat, round Robins and flashes of blue jays and the brightly colored heads of Acorn Woodpeckers. A single hawk circled near the south rim, and as I drove out of the park, I was delighted to stop in the road for several flocks of Golden-Crowned Sparrows pecking in the gravel. A good day after all, even without a hike.