06.12 - into the central valley

in the morning, i continued down out of the sierras toward the sacremento valley.  two things:  1) it's nice to be up among the pine trees still, but 2) it's obviously dry up here.  the grass is yellow everywhere you look.  the elevation continues to drop.  out of tahoe national forest and the sierras and into the rolling hills.  

i almost missed it.  up to this point rte 20 has been a 2 lane country highway.  suddenly, on the downhill it changes form, switches to 4 lanes and has an exit.  i see the sign for 'historic downtown', remember i'm touring and am supposed to be taking time to experience the new, so i exit.  turns out to be nevada city where i had hoped to find breakfast.  and i not only find breakfast, but much more i wasn't expecting.  i was reminded it was saturday.

a few miles later there's grass valley struggling go compete

and the terrain takes on new characteristics.  tall pines disappear, yellow grass envelopes the hills.


pretty soon what i assume was a volcano rises in the distance, a landmark for yuba city.  it stands all by itself, rising out of the flat plain just north west of yuba city

yuba city is on the feather river, which feeds the sacremento river.  the valley has fruit trees, grapes and various other crops.


did i mention rice?  and would you have believed that anout a place that requires irrigation for eveything?

i was planning on staying at the yuba city fair grounds, so i stopped a quarter mile away at the conveniently located sutter buttes brewing for lunch and a pint.  make that two pints, i'm only going a quarter mile.


only, when i get there, the fairground campground is closed as they prep for the annual fair next week.  a little early, i think, but hey it's california.  so i head down the road, rte 20, wondering where i'm going to sleep.  i end up getting a little advice from another relocated south african and he suggestd i go to a community pool/park in the little town of sutter, just a couple of miles down the road. 


 which i do.  and that's where i set up to lay down for the night, sleeping bag under the stars, until the sprinklers came on and woke me up.

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