February 6, 2008

(Process of making maps disrupted by expiration of Adobe Trial) Over the bridge: I left Bryan’s apartment and took the 101 right over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Napa Valley where I took a detour and stopped at a winery that I have been financially supporting from afar for years – I was hoping to see where my money was going. It was going right back into their till where I was defenseless against their brilliant scheme of making great wine and making it available for sale.

On the wing: When I was approaching Suisun City, it looked like the city was being bombed – in a way it was; a B-52 from Travis Air Force Base was doing touch-and-goes and circling around. My brother Hugh was stationed at Travis in the early 90’s and had told me how it was a boring and motion-sickness inducing activity that he had also endured. It was a theme for the day as I saw a helicopter spraying the vines in Sonoma and a fixed wing plane spraying sod fields near Boldin Island.

Little towns: Going East from Lodi (stuck in Lodi again) there were a lot of wineries, then apple orchards, and finally cattle country. The central valley is considerably different from the California coast. I drove through Angels Camp, CA – home of the Jumping Frog Jamboree every May; thanks to a short story by Mark Twain ‘The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.’ I then drove down Highway 49, first along the Don Pedro Reservoir, then the Merced River – both of which seemed to have water levels that were far below the levels of the shoreline. Then the road climbed into the mountains and I got to the cute town of Mariposa and had a great meal in a ten table restaurant called Savoury’s (the shrimp artichoke bisque was the highlight).



Quote from a new (to me) book from the Mariposa used bookstore:
"... and so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I am rotten glad of it,because if I'd a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book, I wouldn't a tackled it and I ain't a going to no more. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before." - Mark Twain


Little Pics: a) winter winery, b) a yard-plane near moaning cavern; c) pumping water over the mountain; d) the dry boat ramps for the merced river







Day Miles: 292; Trip Miles: 5,580
Cost of gas Sonoma County, CA: $3.18
MPG PCH to SF: 18.04
Wineries Suggested by Michael: Quintessa, Nickel / Nickel, Farniente, Stags Leap, Silverado, Phelps, Groth
Winneries Visited: Stags Leap
Cost 1 bottle 2005 Artemis: $55.00
Elevation of Terminus, CA: 9ft
Record for longest jump by a frog: 17ft
Year 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' published: 1867
Year 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' Published: 1876
Visitors to Calaveras County 2003: 40,000
Draw bridges on HWY 12: 3
Animal bust decorations at 49er Miner Bar in Mariposa: zebra, moose, elk, bison, deer, antelope, cheetah, bear, various fish.
Mariposa translated to English: Butterfly
Daisy translated to Spanish: Margarita
Most fun phonetic name visited: Copperopolis, CA