Taking the long way around 10-13-07

This poplar is on the canyon road just where Mary's driveway ends. It is my marker for how far along the autumn color is. It has yellowed considerably since I drove up on Tuesday. In front is a buckeye tree which is the earliest tree to change and drop its leaves - you can see the inedible fruit which dangles on long after the tree is bare. In back to the right is a large California sycamore - they don't usually show much color, but without the leaves the white patched bark is lovely.



















Still very cloudy 45 minutes later when I reach I-5 and head south. Many more trees have started turning color - these are almonds.

Still further south the sky is clearing and the haze has lessened. In the foreground is a field of asparagus that has gone to seed. It always makes me think of a great expanse of feathers.

After I was southbound on I-5 I checked my cell phone for messages (there is no cell service in Mary's canyon) and discovered that two people had called to tell me that I-5 is closed at the Newhall Pass (and probably will be until Tuesday at the earliest). What to do? I finally decided to turn off I-5 at Kettleman City and go west to Paso Robles to pick up Hwy 101. If I had just checked my phone at the bottom of the canyon I could have taken 101 all the way to the LA basin! There was more traffic than usual on state route 46 (known as the James Dean road, where met his early end) and then south on 101, but not terrible - guess some people had the same idea as I. But that increase in traffic and driving the extra miles turned the drive home into an eight hour trek. I needed to 'make tracks' because Corky was at his house waiting for me, so I did very little 'sightseeing' and just kept my eyes on the road. Not a fun way to travel, I usually like to 'mosey' a bit!

So, here it is almost 10:30pm - the van is unpacked and most of the stuff put away, but I am too tired to do any PIQF pictures. Tomorrow - I promise!