Ok, it's not climbing but it showcases the itinerant beauty of a part of the state that some might justifiably call the armpit of the state. I often drive Interstate 5 between LA and SF Bay Area, and here's a snapshot of one such trip- today.

It begins curling around Mt Diablo:



And then a long stretch of pleasant green; such a difference a color makes! I recognize the raw and primal and rugged beauty of deserts and wastelands, but that is. Sort of cerebral pleasure, a sensory experience absorbed in an artistic or philosophical way. But there is something hardwires into our being, a natural and easy attraction to verdant life giving landscapes, a place of food and shelter that tempts us with survival.

And so the arid crusted plains of California that I have learned to love during the worst of times, are now beguiling me with her new ornaments- an emerald carpet. Spring lasts but a moment on California, and in some parts it's often done before we're through winter. But it is there to enjoy and my lifelong love fair with California continues, as I experience different parts of her in all her moods.

Alas I've for a busy work week, not ready to dally on this trip, especially since the weekend promises snowy adventures if I get my stuff done before then. So I'm remiss in sharing pictures of the verdant valley. But I offer in humble substitution a series of clouds during my afternoon and evening whilst hurtling by in my metal cage. But for me, the metal cage is a passport to freedom. The clouds:











I'm enjoying the changing mood, my music selections tracking the sky.



Birds flying into the sunset are a fitting end to this photoessay.

Onward toward the grapevine, into the eye, where snow is a near certainty and we shall see if my trusty Prius can rise to the challenge like it has on so many other adventures where typical hybrids fear to tread.