Day 4: the next 196 miles

California is a long state. Today's drive down I-5 took us to Kit Fox RV Park, an RV-er's Motel Six meant for an overnight and not a tarry. After hours of driving, it is a welcome break, and as soon as Michael had the power hooked up, the kettle was on the boil. We had our tea and checked emails. 
The Powerball Jackpot is over a billion, so we went for a walk, in search of a convenience store to purchase our one lucky ticket.

The route traversed 196 miles of valley floor, the Sierra's looming to our east. We passed mile after mile of fields, vineyards, ranches, and orchards. The fruit and nut trees, in their state of hibernation, looked like skeletons on this January trip, and the fields lay fallow and very brown. It was a scene of flatness to the horizon punctuated by tall silos. The only rise in the road was each overpass across the local roads.

hundreds of birds gathered in these fields 

mountains to the east, clouds overhead, a perfect day for driving

I wonder if we know these folks...

We passed Sacramento, another busy city with traffic whizzing along busily, and arrived in Patterson in the early afternoon. 


Alpine hummed steadily, Jeep followed along, and our audio book kept us entertained. At one point, another Alpine with Oregon plates passed us and we honked and waved.  I wondered if they too were making their way to Quartzsite.