I know that I enjoy road trips. But I continue to be caught off-guard by how quickly they change my thoughts, my demeanor, my gestalt. Not so much Hunter Thompson as Robert Pirsig. Or Neil Peart. The flow of the road and the flow of my brain seem to merge. I can’t say I’m at peace, but I am more centered. The contrast to my state of being pre-trip suggests that I need to be a little more attentive and intentional about my path.
I flew into San Francisco, picked up a rental and headed east toward Sacremento and then up Rte. 99 through the northern Central Valley of California. Once on 99, the traffic thinned out and I drove through miles and miles of agricultural land. It seemed to be a mix of rice and nut trees. Miles and miles. The internet tells me that a single almond tree needs 12,000 to 15,000 liters of water per year, or about 3.75 liters per almond. And 378 liters to grow a kilogram of rice. California produces about a billion kilograms of tree nuts and 4 to 5 billion kilos of rice annually. That’s two crops. One has to wonder how things will look as climate continues to change.
I spent the night in Chico, population about 110k. I was previously unfamiliar with Chico but did learn that it is the home of the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Water, water, everywhere.
A thanks to Dutch Bros Coffee for getting me to at least think about getting up early and staying up late. That has not been my recent M.O.
With coffee in hand I headed northeast out of Chico on CA Rte. 32, very winding, great scenery and gaining about 5,000 feet into the mountains. Highly recommended if the opportunity presents itself. That’s Deer Creek Falls below. And a view from the road side at the top of the page.
Rte. 32 tees into Rte. 89 and brought me onto the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway headed toward Lassen Volcanic National Park.
The Journey 