Up and Down the Coast States
A
friend called me nuts for planning to drive the fifteen hundred miles
from Richland, Washington, to Thousand Oaks, California. So
be it. I did it and enjoyed the drive. My itinerary was such
that I kept to the freeways I-182, I-82, I-84, and I-5 until taking a
side trip for
the first night into Corvallis, Oregon, to visit with sons and spend a
restful night.
Internet trip routing is
a great tool because
it allows
verification of routes I visibly mark on my road maps. That does
nothing to alert me to traveling conditions or road hazards or
restful conveniences. Some things a driver has to do for
herself. Washington state freeway speed limit is
70 mph, Oregon freeway speed limit is 65 mph, California freeway speed
limit varies from 55 mph within city jurisdictions to 70 mph in rural
areas. However, if I wished to keep the other drivers behind or beside
me happy roadmates, I had better ignore posted limits and keep up with
them. Truck speed limits are five to ten miles less than regular cars
and in Oregon that is critical because state law allows a truck tractor
to pull three trailers, although those caravans are sometimes limited
to truck routes. On the normal freeway three trailers was quite a
daunting parade to pass!
From Richland on I-82 the scenery
consisted of
newly planted grape vines and fruit trees - hundreds of acres that were
rangeland five years before. Quite a strain on the water table that is
not now noticeably affected. We should not be so naive as to believe
that the aquifer is endlessly replenished simply because this
particular area lies between rivers supplied by mountain snowmelt.
Beyond the Columbia river crossing and
I-84, the
passing scenery consists of rocky outcroppings, worn basalt layers from
thousands of years past. Interesting never the less when one is aware
of the violent activity in the developing geology of the area (which
you can learn from articles in the folder of light science on this very
website). click here
Traveling sometimes a hundred feet above
the
Columbia river on I-84, the river traffic is visible and varied. Only a
few barges were moving and I could only guess at their contents - wood
chips - because grain these past few months has been transported away
from storage piles by double trailered trucks to I do not know where. I
just know that two of the huge grain piles disappeared into trucks
within the past several weeks of September. Sailboats and fishing boats
were active from Arlington to Portland. I hope the fishers were filling
their limits.
I drove on through Portland on I-84 and then I-5 with a few
slowups near the
exit to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Road construction
brought slowdowns farther south in narrowed lanes but traffic was not
sent around horrendous detours as it would have been forty years
ago. Those were the days when the planned fifty mile trip would be
nearly doubled because we had to follow county roads out and
around the construction areas. The construction area would be
completely closed to traffic during roadwork.
What was worrisome about I-5 in Oregon
was the lack
of signs giving the distance to the next town. Not being
familiar
with distances and yet with a careful eye on my fuel level I was
sometimes fretful about running out of gas. I relaxed as much as
possible to enjoy the driving. Into the curves going through the
Cascade and the Siskiyou mountains I enjoyed the fresh mountain air
while noting the variation of evergreen trees.
Cedars and Junipers are distinctive but
the western
larch (tamarack) has not begun to turn yellow so I could not always
identify that tree which is not an evergreen but a deciduous tree,
dropping its needles before winter. I am familiar with the Douglas Fir
but unless I see the cones I cannot tell the Noble fir from the
Douglas Fir. A Scottish botanist, David Douglas,
noted the
difference between the two firs in 1850 when on tour for the London
Royal Gardens. The
mountain peaks were often obscured
by fog and low lying clouds but most often off limits to perusal, in
favor of keeping my eyes on the roadway.
An overnight stop
past Stockton was welcome for a hot bath and a quiet meal prior to
traveling through the wide open farmland of central California. Next
morning the sunrise consisted of a distinct red ball appearing through
what at first I assumed was smoke from local fires and the mountains'
own clouds. Turns out the obstruction was mostly dust from the machines
preparing the millions of acres of level land for yet another crop in
the productive area where a crop can be harvested, land cleared and
different vegetable planted within days for yet another harvest. A sign
board boasts how these farmers feed the world. No worries yet
of
water shortages. When the aquifer recedes beyond use,
water for
this area will probably be taken from the ocean, so far not a
technology widely used.
Trees of the topics flourish from here
on south
where space is allowed for such luxuries. Probably all of the poplar
trees - lovely ornamentals - were brought from Italy and Spain through
the Caribbean centuries ago. Others came in from China to be hybridized
and localized as well. Plants have been moved around Africa and
the Mediterranean area for many centuries. Queens
Nefertiti and Cleopatra of Egypt documented (in tombs) trees and bushes brought for
their pleasure thousands of years past.
Flowering bushes in residential areas
please my
aging eyes. The colorful hibiscus, oleander, and bouganvilla abound
along roadsides and by residences as a shield from traffic. Bird of
paradise and unidentified succulents adorn store fronts and parking
lots making any stop a study in botany. I love it.
The last few miles are within the city
limits of
Thousand Oaks, a lovely residential city in Ventura county, bordering
on the Orange county which encompasses Los Angeles, Anaheim, and the
schnoze's favorite - Cucamonga, where Jimmy Durante often hailed "Mrs
Calabash, where ever you are" at the termination of his weekly radio
comedy show. Ok so not all you readers of this are of my
generation.
One thing I am aware of are the origins
of the cars
and trucks I pass. License plates are varied within each state but I
noted Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona,
New Mexico, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Washington,
Oregon and California. Lots of folks like to drive!
Many of you may not care to drive as
much as I do so
I hope you could see what I find interesting to pass the time when I
drive.
Naomi Sherer