Monday, February 20, 2006
Roadtrip: the Visual Aid
Welcome back, I heartily tell myself, from a long and challenging road trip. Connie thanks all of you who have offered her your strength, and she looks fabulous for it. In the meantime, we had uneventful drives down to LA and back, and scattered showers all weekend long up and down the state made for fabulous air and stunning vistas. This is saying quite a lot, since our route, I-5, is renowned for being one of the least interesting drives in the north-west terrestrial hemisphere. Regardless, I was able to snap off several photos during the drive (I mean, during the bits when Kel was driving) that I rather like, so in lieu of crushing your spirit with a 5000 word essay on a childrenÕs book right off the bat today, IÕll soften you up with these images. DonÕt say I never did nothing for you. ItÕs a double negative and will make people think youÕre coarse.
The drive took us past acres upon acres of almond orchards. They look, in the springtime, like this.
On the way down we stopped at a roadside rest stop right near the Merced-Fresno County border. ItÕs fenced in, thusly:
Then on the way back, I got to take some nice shots, starting in the Ògrapevine,Ó where the freeway winds out of the southland through a mountain pass and into the San Joaquin Valley. HereÕs a bit of the rugged geography:
When you come out of the Grapevine, the road stretches before you in a straight line that would give Euclid a wet dream.
It goes on like that for hundreds of miles.
However, along the way, there are subtle changes that seemed less subtle as we rode along today. For example, the wild mustard seems to be coming into bloom in some places already.
At another spot, we passed by sheep and egrets grazing together contentedly.
And throughout it all, the sky was huge and the clouds were dramatic.
Finally, we made a rest stop (both southbound and northbound) at a charming little spot in the Pacheco pass called Casa de Fruta. ItÕs got a kiddie train, a petting zoo, lots of candy and fruit for sale, a deli called Òcasa de deli,Ó a wine shop called Òcasa de wine,Ó plenty of restrooms (in a building called Òcasa de restrooms,Ó ISYN), and a playground for road-wired children. And for Chuckles, thereÕs a great collection of worn out trucks and farm equipment that I couldnÕt stop photographing. HereÕs a few of my favorites:
And that should be enough for tonight. My casa de caffeine coffee jolt is finally wearing off. I have one more day at home, and then on Tuesday I go back to work again after five weeks of leave. Talk about feeling rusty.
