It's raining again, or should I just say... still! I suppose it could be worse, it could be soft and white and cold and needing to be shoveled, but lucky for me, it is just coming down in liquid form... and it is even quite warm out at the moment.
    I left Eugene early yesterday morning with the temperature in the low 20's, and drove south up and over the mountains on the border, and on into northern California. By dark I had passed by Mt Shasta and was starting into the northern reaches of  California's Great, or Grand Valley. I'm never sure which one it is. What I do know is that nearly 90% of the produce in grocery stores in the U.S. is grown somewhere along this vast open plain. Today I went by miles and miles of olive and hazel nut groves among other growing things.
   I spent last night in a rest area somewhere around the town of Red Bluff. Other than a noisy freeway right next to the parking area, it wasn't too bad of an evening. I read until the battery in the Kindle died and then hit the rack. Not nearly as cold as it has been the last few nights, but I woke up to raindrops on the roof around 6:00 a.m. this morning.
   Given the drought California has been going through for the last few years, this is probably pretty good news for them, so I won't complain too much about it. Still.....
    I'm currently holed up in a McDonalds somewhere along the road to Sacramento. Nearly done here though so I'll soon be back on the road south. Hope to find a nice spot close in to the city this afternoon and then stay a few days. There are lots of things I want to see in the area as well as a few friends and relatives to visit with if it all works out. I've really noticed how the time is going by though. What once seemed like nearly unlimited days of travel have now shrunk down to only 3+ weeks left before I need to be in Florida. I may have to rethink a few things that were once planned, but that can happen later. Right now it's time to go find a place to hunker down and stay dry.


brk*