I don't mind the drive down I-5, but it does seem to get longer each time I do it! The weather was lovely, there wasn't much traffic until I was over the mountains into the LA basin, and everything went smoothly. There has been a Santa Ana wind blowing since last night and there is a lot of debris from trees on the local streets, but no problems in my neighborhood. I picked up KoKo from the KoKo keeper about 4:30pm. I'm sure he has been indulged while I was gone and he put his nose in the air when I gave him his dinner. Eventually he ate it, we took a little nap and at 7:30p we went for our walk. Back to everyday life.
I'm always showing pictures of orchards and blossoms and vineyards along I-5, but most of it is very desolate and dry and rather boring. Tonight here are some images of the dull truth of I-5!
These first two pictures are poor quality, but just above Kettleman City there has been a very large grass fire on the west side of the highway. I didn't put down the window and got a lot more reflection of my "seat basket" than I thought I would. But through the images of my "stuff" you can see that the fire burned right to the horizon
Since it appeared to have started at the edge of the pavement, I suppose someone threw a cigarette butt out their window and drove off leaving devastation behind.
This is a typical view... for miles and miles.
Lots of electric towers to carry power through the central valley.
And endless lines of trucks carrying goods everywhere.
The farmers plead their case with signs all along the miles. The most common one asks the question, "Is growing food wasting water?"
Approaching Buttonwillow truck stop where there is both a Starbuck's and an ARCO station. But I didn't stop today.
Further south, past the gas station and motel at Grapevine, the road goes up through the section of road known as the grapevine. It isn't as curvy as it was sixty years ago when I first drove it, but with the slow trucks and the hotshot car drivers one must keep alert. The trucks are going about 25mph and the hotshots are trying for 90mph. Note that all the tree growth is on the right side, or the west side of the canyon which gets less sun than the east.
High on the top of the hills on the right there are pine trees growing.
Long lines of trucks going north and the blue sky, cleared by the high winds so there is no smog today.
It was a seven hour drive with three potty stops. Not bad.
I'll work on the PIQF photos tomorrow and hope to post tomorrow night.
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