SFO

We drove north from Morro Bay, on One to Highway 46, then east toward 101. This was a surprising drive. The pavement was new, wide and smooth. The scenery was stunning. Every curve revealed a new view that was picture perfect. The recent rains have helped the grass sprout, and the impressive rolling hills are perfectly green. This is a 22 mile stretch of road that is pristine and pastoral. What a drive- one of the 5 best stretches of road

Then we marveled at the crop production of the Salinas valley. Steinbeck country. It is a wonder to see how efficiently this valley is farmed. The old farmhouses are still there, now occasionally derelict, occasionally hosing a family of farm workers.

North of Salinas is Gilroy, Prunedale and the rest of the towns that announce Bay Area sprawl. Then you come to San Jose. Grip the wheel, grit your teeth and prepare for highway combat. New shopping centers have sprouted up along the highway, and the main tech companies maintain their big campuses.

I took the Embarcadero through San Fran to see what is new where we used to work. The Embarcadero beautification has been accomplished and is nicely done. The are around the ballpark, SOMA, is built up with lofts and condos. There are a couple of major skyscrapers in the skyline. Many of the little places are still there.

We hit the bridge and marveled at how light the traffic was today. Recession? We never dropped below the speed limit.

Then on to a campground in the redwoods. I forgot how inexcusably horrendous the roads in this area are. Even at 35 MPH the camper was bouncing so much it hit the cab of the truck several times.