2/4/16 - (Day 33) - One Of The Most Diverse Drives

After I got my Prius tire replaced I started my 8+ hour drive to get to the Post RTR subgroup at Slab City for the weekend.

Yes I'm headed back to "the slabs" for the weekend to experience the culture up front and personal with a subgroup of folks that I was with at the RTR.

I have made this drive through California a few times and I find it so diverse for scenery.

All the pictures are from Google Maps.

Heading east from Monterey I climb over a mountain into the Salinas Valley along US101.  There are a patchwork of fields that Ernest Hemingway wrote about the life of people here.  Salinas is where there is a very nice museum in his name.

I head south on US101 passing so many farm fields.

I eventually come to many wineries on either side of the highway.

I eventually turn east on CA 46 where I now pass fruit and or nut trees.

South of Coalinga, CA I pass through oil and or gas well fields on both sides of the highway prior to arriving at I5 to head south. (All those dark spots are oil or gas well pumps.

I arrive at Grapevine, CA on I5 south where I climb to over 4000 feet elevation through the mountains and decide to detour off of I5 and take a bypass to Palmdale,CA staying in the mountains, bypassing the congestion on Friday evening rush hour commute north of Los Angeles.

I take CA 138 towards Palmdale, CA and then eventually pick up I15 South to San Bernardino.  This section of I15 I headed south is a very long gradual decline from the mountains to where I pick up I10 east.  The mountains peaks are covered with snow this year thanks to El Niño.

It turned dark as I approached Indio, CA where I got off and headed south on CA 86 south to CA 111 south to Niland, CA.

The diversity of California's central coast to the lush Salinas Valley with farms that grow much of the produce that the country eats, to wine then fruit and nuts.

Then on past oil and gas fields, then to mountains and more fruit trees and to the San Bernardino Valkey.  Then over a mountain pass passing hundreds of windmills then going north of the vacation area of Palm Springs, and finally down to below sea level at the Salton Sea.

The diversity in this drive is just amazing and stands out as one of the most interesting drives I make during my travels. 

Simply a great drive.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com