(Sunday, September 10)
Some days are just long, no matter what you do. This leg of the trip is one of those days. The drive itself is only about 300 miles, which is a comfortable distance, and it actually took about six hours, also a comfortable day’s drive. But there is something about the central valley of California that seems to make each hour feel like two, and leaves both driver and passenger feeling worn out and groggy.
We did trade off driving, a practice we are trying to develop. In the past we both have had the tendency to tell ourselves - and the other driver(s) - “one more hour,” or “I can make it to ….” when the promised stop is really farther than we should go.
It’s a stubborn streak of which I shouldn’t be proud; it has led me into risky positions in the past, a refusal to cede control when I should, and I am trying to let go of that bad behavior. I suppose it is sometimes related to parenting, and the day job, where being in charge and being able to do it well was part of who I was. My kids are middle-aged now, and I am retired, so it’s time to give that behavior a rest.
I started the day with the free breakfast at the hotel, and a full insulated mug of coffee that would last well into the afternoon. Steve wasn’t excited about the selections, so he grabbed fast food as we left Redding and headed south on I-5.
Apparently Cardboard City of Redding is a very small roadside attraction. It was also very secure behind its chainlink fence, so we weren't able to visit.
Less than 50 miles south of Redding is one of my favorite places: The Olive Pit. This fabulous store started in 1967 when a local family added their jars of olives to the offerings at a local burger stand. Now expanded into a large shop - which still has a great cafe - with a wide selection of local products, primarily olives and olive oil, almonds, and honey. We bought a wide selection of olives as a gift for my brother-in-law (who will be putting up with us as house guests) and got back on the road.
Small olive trees line the sidewalk outside the store.
Alongside the olive trees is a tall palm tree. Hey, it's California - you can't post pictures without including a palm tree. I think it may be a law.
There's a LOT to choose from. These are a "look both ways" view of a single aisle.
This is just the "Hot Stuff" aisle, with an empty shelf where the Ghost Pepper Stuffed Olives should be. I love olives, and I like hot stuff, but that shelf was emptied by people with a stronger constitution than mine. Or maybe just by crazy people!
The roads of the central valley are mostly flat and straight, with high speed limits. We ended up stuck in Lodi (again) but only long enough for a pit stop. We escaped, transferring from I-5 to US 99, and continued south for a couple hours to Fresno, and our son’s house.
Along the way we encountered two, um, interesting sections of road. On one stretch we started hearing a faint whining noise, like the car was haunted. There was a serious moment of “What the heck is going wrong with the car?” until we decided it was the result of the intense grooving of the pavement. A few miles later we came up to a construction zone. The left lane separated from the right, into a narrow lane with K-rails on both sides, creating a terrifying recreation of the Death Star trench. In addition, there were serious rumble strips that generated a lot of noise. The car went from singing ghosts to moaning monsters. It wasn’t an improvement.
Our listening on this leg had three acts:
Fresh Air, an episode featuring music producer Mark Ronson. Ronson’s recent success is the score for the summer hot movie Barbie. The conversation between Ronson and host Terry Gross covered a lot of territory, and I learned several things about Ronson;
Another Fresh Air episode followed with Sterling Harjo, the creator of the the hit series Reservation Dogs;
Our third listen was from a creator we listen to regularly, screenwriter Michael Jamin. He talks about many aspects of TV and movie production, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the business side of Hollywood. The episode we listened to had Bill Martin, creator of The Unicorn. The discussion was great, but frankly this one was a bit too inside-baseball for me. But I will continue listening to Jamin, because there is often good information in his podcasts.
We had some dinner, and I hit a wall, and went to bed early.
But before I leave you for tonight, let me share one of the more interesting things we saw on the highway. I know nothing about this except that I saw the truck on 99 between Lodi and Fresno.
What you can't see in the photo is that the bull's horns were flapping in the wind. It was special!