Coalinga, California

It was another long day of driving yesterday. We went 340 miles. We wanted a shorter day, but there weren't many places to stay along the way that didn't involve deviating from our path by quite a bit. Coalinga seemed the best choice. We're in a part of the state dominated by agriculture, and so it's unusually remote by California standards.

Before leaving Redding yesterday morning, I snapped this shot of the mountains. We could see this from our spot.

Over my head was this tree. It's hard to tell if these are flowers, or the budding of new foliage.

Yesterday's drive was dominated by fruit and nut trees...mainly almond trees. They are in full flower, and so the beehives were also placed around to encourage pollination.

We stopped at a rest station just north of Willows, California, where I took a picture of this barn.

It was beautiful here...peaceful and serene...and the most heavenly perfumy fragrance in the air. We looked around for something blooming that would account for the lovely aroma. There was one tree blooming overhead, but that wasn't it. The smell permeated the air.

We considered the many eucalyptus trees growing here, but it wasn't that kind of a smell. (That's our rig through the trees there.)

Off in the distance was a blooming almond grove, and that had to be the origin. The wind was blowing from that direction. Lovely. I wish there were a way to communicate that smell with words.

If you've never seen a eucalyptus tree, they are interesting with long flowing tendrils for branches and peeling bark on their trunks.

Back on the road, we passed another two-for-one barn view.

When we stopped for lunch, we let the kitties out of the bedroom. They ride confined to the bedroom now because of the way the new steps come down at the door. It's a bit of a to-do compared with the old rig. With the old one, the steps folded out from below the frame of the trailer. With the new rig, we must first open the door wide and then pull the steps down from the inside. It means opening the door far too wide to contain any kitties who might try to escape. To avoid worry and angst, we decided to confine them to the bedroom. (That's generally where they ride anyway.) And all of that to say that Sadie likes to jump up in the catio when we stop. We stow their kitty pole inside while we're going down the road, and she likes it for her own little kitty fort when we stop.

Okay, so lunch eaten, we were back on the road. We saw the Sierra Nevada range come into view. It looks like a line of clouds in the image below. We'll be traveling on the other side of that range when we head for home.

Oh yes...and some people see quilts in non-quilt-related items. I see cats.

Nearing our final destination, we passed through miles and miles, acres and acres of green, green hills. (Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends!) I took a number of pictures trying to get a feel for it. The next two are the best I could do. These are for you, Gail.

Also, the mustard is in bloom.

Smitty was itching to get out on the catio when we arrived.

Sadie preferred the comfort of their kitty quilt.

Since having our limes confiscated at the state line, we've been looking for more. (How does one make margaritas with out them?) We haven't pulled off the road anywhere to visit a proper grocery store, but there was a small convenience store near the RV park. This required a little bit of walking since we left the truck hitched to the trailer. Along the way, we saw this blooming cholla cactus. Look behind it, and you'll see a blooming prickly pear.

Also, there was an orange grove, recently relieved of its oranges. They missed this one, but there were oranges scattered on the ground as well. Mike picked up a few, and we'll have them with breakfast this morning. Oh yes, and still no limes. We'll get to a grocery store today.

We'll have a much shorter day of driving today, which means a more leisurely morning. We'll be in Acton, California, by this afternoon. We have two nights reserved there so that we can visit the poppy reserve tomorrow. After that, we're kind of on the fence about possibly heading to Borrego Springs to see more flowers in bloom. We'll decide after seeing the poppies. That might fill our wildflower quotient for this spring.

It's Sunday morning, and that means blueberry oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. It's our favorite day of the week. I've linked to the recipe there, but it doesn't include the blueberries. That's my addition. I just add a few as they're cooking.

Thanks to those of you who have left safe-travel wishes and nice comments. It's good to have you along!