Monday, August 22, 2011

Approaching "The Bay Area"

I had a nice, long drive through northern California yesterday. The "Redwood Highway" started out in the trees and hills, then broadened and flattened the further south I got. There were a number of places where recent landslides were evident, obvious both in the landscape and in the many bumpy, patched-together spots in the road. For the record, US 101 is a fairly inconsistent road in terms of width, grade and quality. Something to keep in mind if you ever drive it.

The scenery dried out pretty quickly and vast vineyards began to appear, frequently crowding right near the road. As I got closer to "The Bay Area" the traffic really started to thicken, quite a change from my driving experience over the past three weeks.

I've stopped in Petaluma, taking up residence for a few days at a very large KOA campground and enjoying the company of neighbors from different parts of Europe. Petaluma seems like a nice enough town that's close -- but not too close -- to San Francisco. I'm hoping to meet up with some friends in the area while I'm here.

I took Darth to the doctor today, to have an odd little noise checked out. I think it's as simple as a pebble caught in a backing plate -- a very minor, simple thing to fix which he's had before -- but you know how much I rely on him, and I do my best to give him the best care possible. Stay tuned!

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