On leaving Mojave, which is right on the Eastern side of the Mojave Desert, which is relatively flat, we immediately started to climb into the mountains around Tehachapi (the emphasis is: the 'ha', sound as in 'ha'ppy and the 'api', sound as in h'appy'). The road runs through a fairly narrow mountain pass, accompanied by a narrow gauge, but very busy, railroad (do not confuse narrow gauge with the small private railways in England and Wales, many railways in USA are narrow gauge, yet carry full size wagons, each wagon may be stacked with two freight containers. Their may be more than a hundred wagons in a train, being pulled by four or five big diesel locomotoves). To either side, towering above on the mountain tops are hundreds of wind turbines of all different sizes. In September the grass, which covers the mountains as far as you can see, are golden yellow colour, waiting for the rains to come in November, when they will turn green again.
After passing Tahachapi we started to drop down, as we cleared the mountains the colour of the landscape changed to green. As far as the eye could see there was a flat plain, which was covered with crops. This was the area simply called 'The Central Valley'. It was a desert until the water which flows from the Sierra Nevada was captured and used for irrigation, mkaing The Central Valley one of the most productiver agricultural areas on Earth. The valley is about the size of England,more than four hundred miles long and up to 250 miles wide, which is intensively agriculturalised. Hopefully we will be able to write more about this area of California later.
Driving North past Bakersfield we arrived just south of Fresno,at Sanger, where the Festival is held. We had opted to pay extra for an electric hookup as we thought (quite correctly) that it maybe hot and we would need our A/C.
Immediately on arrival several people came to greet us and help us to choose our site. We were invited to place our trailer right next to Rich, a banjo playing preacher from San Francisco, so we moved in and placed our trailer 'awning to awning' for protection from the sun.
Trip 9 - California Dreamin'
On this trip we set out to immerse ourselves in the culture and the nature of California. To discover its textures and see some of its natural wonders. We discover that California is very big. It is not a state that you can just pass through, it is, more than any other place we have visited, more like another country. It is a land dominated by mountains, the spaces between and like nowhere else, water.
Our start in the heavily populated area to the East of Los Angeles, known as the Inland Empire, is crowded into the lowlands surrounded by magnificent mountains. The feeling is of a cauldron which is trying to boil over the mountains to the fresh air of the rest of the state.
To the South is a band of Desert, which is the buffer to Mexico, which we did not explore on this trip.
We travelled North through the mountains (everywhere in California you can see mountains) to the desert, and on again to the huge Central Valley, mile after mile of intensive agriculture. Culture here is dominated by food, flatness, low income and trying to impact on the 'sameness' of the flat lands through music and festival. It is the communication and administrative corridor that links all other areas of California.
To the East is the huge mountain chain of the Sierra Nevada which clearly demonstrates the magnificence of the natural world, both in its geology and nature, reflected in the pysche and pride of most Californians. It is Eldorado, dominated by Gold!
To the West of the Central Valley are the coastal mountains, San Francisco and the magnificent coast. More isolated cultures, from mixed resources, communities seperated by mountains.
To the North of the Central Valley more mountains and a culture which looks more North towards Oregon than South to Sacremento.
This blog details our journey through California, where we pick and choose, or just scratch the surface, of this diverse and beautiful state.
Our start in the heavily populated area to the East of Los Angeles, known as the Inland Empire, is crowded into the lowlands surrounded by magnificent mountains. The feeling is of a cauldron which is trying to boil over the mountains to the fresh air of the rest of the state.
To the South is a band of Desert, which is the buffer to Mexico, which we did not explore on this trip.
We travelled North through the mountains (everywhere in California you can see mountains) to the desert, and on again to the huge Central Valley, mile after mile of intensive agriculture. Culture here is dominated by food, flatness, low income and trying to impact on the 'sameness' of the flat lands through music and festival. It is the communication and administrative corridor that links all other areas of California.
To the East is the huge mountain chain of the Sierra Nevada which clearly demonstrates the magnificence of the natural world, both in its geology and nature, reflected in the pysche and pride of most Californians. It is Eldorado, dominated by Gold!
To the West of the Central Valley are the coastal mountains, San Francisco and the magnificent coast. More isolated cultures, from mixed resources, communities seperated by mountains.
To the North of the Central Valley more mountains and a culture which looks more North towards Oregon than South to Sacremento.
This blog details our journey through California, where we pick and choose, or just scratch the surface, of this diverse and beautiful state.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment