Day #17—Sarah’s House,Willits, CA—Wed., June 8, 2011

Snow on the hills above Donner Lake and the cabin as I left this morning. As I climbed over Donner Pass, I noticed that the snow was piled 12 feet high in the median between east and west lanes . . . and in most places sooty black, as opposed to the pure white snow on the hillsides. The gnarled and needleless trees at the summit also showed the effects of a heavy snow season. Much of the first 20 miles or more of US-80 was under repair or reconstruction. The Chain Removal pullouts reminded me of why the road was so torn up and in need of repair. There was a lot of traffic, so I had to be alert and not gawk at the scenery, but what I saw was beautiful: Big pines and firs, gurgling rivers, and deep forests. 

That is snow through the trees

Quickly I left the pines of Lake Tahoe and said hello to the palms of the Sacramento Valley. California is such a beautiful state. I especially love the velvet tan rounded and folded mountains. I took US-5 north. The valley that it traverses is one of the country’s breadbaskets, with groves and groves of nut and fruit trees, neat rice paddies, wheat fields, and vineyards. At one point, I passed under a bridge across the highway and when I came out the other side there was a sandhill crane not 10 feet above the roof of the car, awkwardly flying across the road. Just one. Like the Gambel’s Quail, I’ve only seen this bird in flocks or groups of at least two. Strange to see just one, and in a populated place, too. The roadside for a stretch in Sacramento was overflowing with yellow/orange California Poppies. 

Vineyard

Clockwise: pistachio trees and fruit, beehives in almond grove, nectarine tree

I crossed the inland mountains and Clear and Upper Lakes on Hwy 20 and got to Willits and the Mariposa Market, where Sarah works, at about 1:30 PM. I’d forgotten about the long slog around Clear Lake and Upper Clear Lake at 45 to 25 mph. These lakes, however, are pristine and beautiful. Western Grebes popped up or swam about as I passed.

Mariposa Market as it was then; today (2014) it is a brand new, larger market

Sarah had meetings and was scheduled to work until 8 PM. We visited for a bit and made an appointment for me to get a pedicure tomorrow at 9 AM. My feet are a wreck and need some TLC. Then I got directions to the house and left. Though I’ve been to Sarah’s several times before, Brook- trails, the mountain community in which Sarah lives, had a daft developer: It has a Clover Place, Clover Court, Clover Terrace, Clover Lane, Clover Road, Clover Drive. After I left Sarah, I filled the car with gas, got some chicken nuggets and sweet & sour at McD’s (I’m ashamed at how frequently I’ve resorted to McD’s. It is too easy), and then drove up the mountain. I had no trouble finding Clover Court. My car seemed to remember the route perfectly. The temps at Sarah’s can be 10 degrees cooler than that in Willits (the valley) and it is a lovely aerie that she inhabits in the redwoods and pines. It took me a moment to adjust my ears to the silence, broken only by the chortling ravens. Their chortles sound to me like stones dropped into a deep well. 

I knew I was in California when I saw a change in roadside signs: “Truckers go easy on the engine brakes” as opposed to “No Jake Bakes”; “Please Slow Down” as opposed to “SLOW.”