Three States and counting - California, here we come! This map (like it, Deb?) shows today's 324-mile route (520 km). As we've come south, the weather (for David) has steadily warmed from a cool 60 degrees in Seattle to around 80 in Grant's Pass. But Califormia's Sacramento Valley really brought it on - 95F (35C). It was odd to see a lot of snow still on the hills with such warm temps.
We started the morning with coffee and a walk along the Rogue River in Grant's Pass. Along the way we discovered some Canadians loitering among the homeless humans in a state of live and let live. The little fluff balls numbered about the same as the number of kids in our family. No wonder they are considered a pest down here.
Soon after we were southbound again on I5. After the luscious, green rolling hills of Oregon, dotted with wineries, sheep and flowering fruit trees we climbed up into the Klamath Mountains, weaving through trucks, trucks and more trucks. Slowly the lower valleys of Yreka, Weed, Redding and Red Bluff crept up on us. Lunch was at Siskiyou Lake Park, reminiscent of the Cariboo and lunches we have had camping in British Columbia. However, the star of the show was Mt. Shasta. We have followed the trail of volcanic mountains all the way down the road: Mts. Rainier, St. Helens, Hood, Mt. St. Helens, McLoughlin, and Shasta have dominated the landscape. California poppies and lupin were scattered everywhere. There was shocking evidence of forest fires, but also evidence of food belt that is California. The horizon was dotted by drifts of dust as we watched farmers till their soil. We passed miles of olive trees, nut farms and all kinds of crops too new to identify.
Although today wasn't quite as long as yesterday, we were pooped by the time Sacramento hove into view. The hotel was on the Sacramento River, and we walked along its banks past fishermen and people living rough to the Old Town where we had fish 'n' chips at Rio's Cafe and watched part of the NFL draft (go 'Hawks!).
We walked back to the hotel through the Old Town and learned that Fanny Ann's saloon was world famous - who knew!
And then we saw someone who must surely also be world famous. After some discussion, we decided not to stay for a massage. As we drifted by her, she mentioned, "let's get this show on the road."
License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia.
We leave you with a tune - something to just hum along, as you think of RnB driving through California.
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I had R&R for a day in Yreka between fires in 1977. I bought a cute sleeveless blouse…… (after being on CA fires for a month …. I needed something other than the yellow fire shirt). Of course I couldn’t wear until the crew made it back to Mt. Hood, but I knew it was nestled away in my fire pack !!
ReplyDeleteI was in Redding in 1977 when those fires ripped through the area. It was super hot and super dry, and when the fire caught in the manzanita and pines, it was nuts.
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