On to Three Rivers

Today was travel day.

Next stop: Three Rivers, California, to stay at the Three Rivers Hideaway campground, which we selected because it is a mere 3 miles from the entrance to Sequoia National Park. 

Our plans: to visit Sequoia National Park and the adjacent Kings Canyon National Park.

Our route: Today we drove south on route 101 from San Juan Bautista to Paso Robles, where we connected to route 46, then continued on route 41 north to 198 east to Three Rivers. 
Ginny (our Good Sam GPS) mapped out a route from route 101 connecting to route 198 all the way to Three Rivers. I took one look at the AAA map to confirm where we were going, noticed that a section of route 198 was a black line with several squiggly sections, and immediately double checked in our trucker's atlas. 
The section of route 198 between route 101 and route 5 was indeed not a designated truck route. Now, it may be that trucks do just fine along this route, but after the hair-raising ride (my interpretation) we had along a similar lesser route last year, I have learned to check with the trucker's atlas first (thank you Willy Egg for sharing that valuable resource with us). So we followed the major red roadways on the AAA map and though it added about 30 minutes to the trip, at least I was a lot more relaxed. Since we are over 50 feet in length with the tow car, and are a heavy load, it is safer to follow the routes designated for trucks.
And as my bus driver has learned, an extra 30 minutes of driving is not a bad idea if his passenger is happy;) After 41 years of wedded bliss, stress avoidance is a better choice! I avoid squiggly routes and he avoids my displeasure.

today's route, in blue (avoided route 198 in yellow)

One thing about this hilly area is that every section of flat area is tamed and cultivated, no matter how small. Traveling southbound along 101, we passed vineyards, green fields growing vegetables, and brown freshly tilled fields. The surrounding landscape looked like a patchwork quilt with small rectangles of greens and browns in several shades. Tractors tilled fields, and workers picked crops. For miles there was industry and activity. 

we whizzed past vineyards

squares of brown and squares of green

fields being watered

As we approached Paso Robles, the terrain became hilly.


More vineyards appeared, as well as green fields, despite the hilly terrain.

neat rows of vines, burnished gold at this time of year

We turned east, where the section between routes 101 and 5 crosses the valley floor. It is a road we have traveled several times now, a sharp contrast to the verdant fields, a section of desert, gold and dry.


We turned east on 198. The route was new, or at least we did not remember it from previous trips over 15 years ago. Agriculture continues here too, as evidenced by the numerous orchards, vineyards, and fields. 

fallow fields with a canal alongside the road

We passed a cotton field.


And we passed a solar farm. California may lack rain, but sunshine is abundant year round.


Even as we were approaching the foothills of the mighty Sierra Nevadas, there were miles and miles of orange and lemon groves. The surrounding landscape resembled a plush green carpet. 

oranges and lemons still growing

We left the valley and began to climb into the foothills of the Sierras. The last couple of miles to our campground took us past the Kaweah Lake Recreation Area, which looked very picturesque. I can imagine that in the summer this must be a pretty popular spot.