Postcard from HI 152 (Field Trip San Francisco Bay Area)

The natives are friendly on CA HI 152

Highway 152  leads out of Gilroy, self-claimed Garlic Capital of the World, then meanders gently through quintessential CA farm land before rising up Pacheco Pass and out to Interstate Highway 5. HI 5 is a powerhouse interstate, filled with big trucks and small speeding cars. It's famous for talking folks, livestock and products there - in a hurry wherever it is that we need to get to, that's far away. It's the speediest route from the southernmost point of the west coast, up through the low lying, central, predominantly agricultural valleys in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Highway 152 reminds us of our agricultural heritage, 

moving San Francisco Bay Area dwellers on a multitude of western adventures. It's takes us out of Silicon Valley and onto Disneyland, San Diego, or even the Cascades. 

Then it leads us back home again.

HI 152 Farmlands

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Web Resources

CA Highway 152 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_152

Gilroy CA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy,_California

Cascades Ahead, Juan de Fuca Plate Off the Port Bow

Click on the illustration above 

to get up close and personal with this Cascadian view

(co-published with Postcard from California

)Crater Lake was the first big stop on our recent trip into the Cascades.  It was also my first good long view of a range of mountains that first shoots up in my home state of California and dances all the way along through Oregon, Washington and into British Columbia.

The volcanic nature of many of these mountain peaks are all the fault of that boisterous Juan de Fuca plate. Or, if you prefer, you can blame it on Juan's kin, the troublesome North American plate. Skimming along towards each other atop the earth's mantle, at the rate of a couple of centimeters a year, both are headed on a disaster course.

As little Juan continues to converge into that big ole North American plate, watch out! Being more dense (of course since he's an oceanic plate) Juanito is just making trouble for himself. He's getting subducted under his bigger continental cousin. You'd think those oceanic plates would have figured out by now, that's the way the laws of plate tectonics work. But those kids never seem to learn!

That Burning Ring of Fire: Crater Lake and Annie Creek

(co-published with Postcard from California)

What is more traditionally Californian than an old-style driving vacation?

In early August we took a trip through the Cascades. Heading up the mountain to Crater Lake, we stopped off to see Annie Creek.  

A couple of very macho looking motorcyclists stopped off at the viewpoint near us.  One of them shook his head in wonder, A heck of a view of somethun! he remarked before hopping back onto his bike.

Annie Creek reminds us westerners that we're all sitting on top of that burning Ring of Fire, a great big circle that overlays Mama Earth's volcanic hot spots. 

If we peer to far over the side, might we just sliiiiippppp under the edge of one of her tectonic plates?

Mountain Laurel: Romancin' my Namesake

Please click on the illustration above 

to fully enjoy the romantic details

You might not think I'm descended from a line of romantics, as down-to-earth as my parents are, unless you happen to know that I was named after the Mountain Laurel of the Pacific Cascades.