I Need To get Out of California

Seriously. It's been too long, and this state is starting to drain on me. It's too damn big and it takes too damn long to drive through. Luckily, I should be out in a few days. I'm in Redding now, heading over to Lassen Volcanic Park and Mount Shasta for the next few days, and then it's north into OREGON!

It's been a bit of a blur over the past few days, as I plodded my way up the coast north of San Francisco. I made the mistake of being in Sonoma on a Saturday afternoon, which placed me square in the middle of the crowds and overpriced everything that drove me to leave this state in the first place. This left me harried and frustrated until Sunday morning, when I gave my car a much-needed washing (and oh did that paint job just glisten and shine in the soft morning sun) and drove up into the Anderson Valley. Several hours of pastoral landscapes and abundant wine & beer tastings later, I was a new man.

I've still been feeling a pressing need to get out of California, though. The essence of a road trip is movement, and although I've been putting down a lot of miles, I'm still in the same state where I started. This needs to change.

So I'm speeding it up. Even the blog recap:

Mendicino County: Boonville. Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Rocky beaches with harbor seals. Redwood forests. No sign of massive marijuana plants growing wild on the side of the road.

Humbolt County: More redwood forests. Bathing in the warm, shallow waters of the Eel River. "Tsunami Danger Zone" around Eureka. Still no sign of legendary wild pot forests.

Trinity County: pine-forested hills. The mighty Trinity River as it rushes down gorges to the sea. A view point pulloff with no trash cans. Trinity Dam. It's starting to look like the pot forest legends were severely exaggerated.

Shasta County: Redding. Shasta Dam is freaking HUGE. Mount Shasta towers over everything. Back in the northern end of the Central Valley, where it is still hot as balls. Wild-growing weed groves demonstrably non-existent.

And that's it. Time to roll out now, because I've got laundry in the dryer and I need to check out of this motel soon. I'll be in touch.

-deuce-