C’mon Along

 I have made the 12-hour drive from Portland to the Bay Area more times than I care to admit. The latest came last week.  This time of year, the weather plays a crucial role in determining how smoothly that drive goes. Fortunately, the roads over the mountain passes were clear this time. The rain and fog was ever-present. Though the landscape varies, some characteristics of this trip remain the same. The Oregon part of the trek is often beautiful with sweeping pastureland in the Willamette Valley, and fir and pine forests for hundreds of miles. Rivers are abundant. The Willamette, the McKenzie, the Umqua, the Klamath, and the Upper Sacramento are all visible from the car window. 

In the last 5 years, we have not driven straight through, choosing to stop at the halfway point in Ashland, Oregon. Ashland offers a good place to eat and sleep with peaceful views, bookstores, pubs, outdoor stores, and a beautiful park. It is the home of Southern Oregon University, and, of course, the renounce Shakespeare Festival. It has culture and character. 

On morning two of this trip, we cross the California border after about half an hour on the road. During the winter months, no stop at the border is necessary because there is little concern about fruit being brought into the state. Next, the descent past Yreka, Weed, Shasta City, and Dunsmuir culminates at Shasta Lake. This reservoir is in good shape for the first time in a good while because of recent rains and an improved Snowpack. The descent ends in Redding, Ca. where the landscape changes dramatically. We are in the flats now. The sprawling valley stretches for hours. There are a few farm towns, most start with the letter A. Artois, Arbuckle... Pine and Fir trees have been replaced by Olive trees and rice paddies. It is not uncommon to see a crop duster here and all manner of political signs, mostly right-wing, conservative. 

By the small town of Dunnigan, Interstate 5 continues to Sacramento but offers an off-ramp to I 505 which is the link to I 80 the road to Oakland and San Francisco.  I 505 rolls through some barren farmland. It’s flat, straight, and rather dismal. But the transition to I-80 at Vacaville is dynamic. The drivers should brace themselves while making this merge. The sudden appearance of a 5-lane freeway is a jolt. The speed of the cars, their numerous lane changes, and the need to read signs carefully create culture shock. Put simply, the vibe is much different. It's "on your toes" at all times or suffer the consequences.  Glad I don't live in that kind of environment anymore.