South on the I-5

Post for Wednesday, Sep 5, 2007

I drove from San Juan Bautista to Placentia today, mainly on Interstate 5, which runs from British Columbia to Mexico. I always enjoy this route because of the seasonal changes along the way, but this time of year the landscape is very desolate. The picture above is looking to the east with the Sierra Range hidden in the haze.

This is the view to the west with the Coastal Range hidden in the haze! The vegetation is sparse except for the orchards and vineyards which are still green. Here wild sunflowers grown along the fence.

There is a healthy crop of Russian Thistle right along the edge of the pavement.

These plants have the benefit of slightly more water from pavement runoff. But eventually they will die and the winter winds will turn them into tumbleweeds, some as large as a car!