Another non-moto post. This morning, we headed south from Medford on I-5. I must admit that I-5 ha s whole lot more hills and curves today than many other parts of the highway. The water level in the reservoir was dismally low and there was very little snow on Mt. Shasta. Nothing really special about the photo except the building has the location on it. Once we got past Mt. Shasta, the air started to clear but until then, it was pretty smoky. Hwy 36-W was closed due to fires but fortunately we were headed east on 36 which soon turned into Hwy-99. This is an old north-south route and winds through small towns and farms all the way to Chico.
Chico is a town of about 85,000 people and home to the California State University Chico (~18K students). This is just a flower (for Bridget) in the hotel parking lot that looked somewhat colorful in this land of very little natural color. Everything looks very dry and brown (and flammable!). The temperature is about 93°F and amazingly enough, doesn't feel especially hot. But then again, I'm not out in the sun all day.
For dinner, eleven of us who happened to be in town went out to a pizza place next door to the hotel. Then adjourned to one of the hotel rooms to sit around and talk.
The only moto-content to offer is that I passed Goldwing 2-up towing a tent trailer through the Mt. Shasta area and he was having one heck of a time keeping it on the road in the curves. I think the tongue weight was too light for the weight of the trailer.
I wonder if that Goldwing rider was re-thinking the towing of a trailer....
ReplyDeleteI think he was second thinking the trailer decision or at least I would've. Even on the straight parts the trailer was fish-tailing. I suspect that he loaded the trailer that way to compensate for the heavily loaded Goldwing.
DeleteThank you for the flower. I much prefer the green of Alaska over the brown of Ca. And Or.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty hot and dry here and most of the plants and grass are on the brown side. Signs around town state "brown is the new green".
DeleteI don't know why anyone would want to haul a trailor - but that's just me. Mount Shasta .... sounds so familiar. I think a truck driver pointed it out to me on my coast to coast ride. (this getting old thing you know, can barely remember where I went yesterday!)
ReplyDeleteI'll try and take a picture of it on my way north tomorrow if it isn't still smokey.
DeleteI didn't realize Chico was that big. For some reason I thought it was smaller in population.
ReplyDeleteMy brother in-law thought that it was a much better population mix with a smaller percentage of the population as students than Corvallis. The town has a different "feel" because of that. Maybe it has to do with the more laid back nature of the campus as well.
Deletedavis is such a comfy nice walking town... and we're in general SO dry right now. last weekend the forecast was smoke, due to the fires. friends said it was most thick between Davis and Vacaville. i hope it was better air quality while you were in town.
ReplyDeleteIt was completely clear, no smoke south of Shasta. I was worried about the fires.
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