Breadbasket of America

I've been doing a lot of driving in the last couple of months.

We had the long summer road trip which I wrote about,

and then it was back to Sacramento to work.

After that, I drove the 300 miles south to pick up my

mom and bring her back to NorCal to spend about 

three weeks.

Interstate 5 in California is my main thoroughfare,

and I am enjoying seeing the seasons change through

the various activities going on in the Central Valley

which has often been called the "Breadbasket of America.

It's watered by the California Aqueduct which you can

see snaking its way alongside the highway.

There are acres upon acres of fields growing both livestock

and produce:

Also lots of orchards growing everything from

almonds to oranges and other citrus

It's tomato harvest season, and we've been joking that

it's "salsa season" because we see not only

tomato trucks on the road...

but also onion and garlic trucks as well,

all seemingly headed in the same direction...

Of course, evidence of the severe drought we've been experiencing

can be seen along the highway as well, 

but what really depresses me are the orchards

that are left to die...

I have a stupid sentimentality about trees

and their being living things since I read the 

"Chronicles of Narnia" which talked about the 

dryads who were attached to their trees and

died whenever their tree was cut down.

I see these fields and think of all the

fallen dryads...

Yeah, a lot of crazy things pass through

your mind when you're traveling along the highway.