Day 80:
We had a mission this morning, a crucial and important - nay, a vital mission. Taste wine. You just can't come to California and not do that. Jan scouted the wine tasting sites with a missionary's zeal, and found just the right one. We consulted Google Map for directions, then keyed the address into Hal just for good measure.
Off we went, and discovered that Hal had lost his mind overnight and was sending us off in the wrong direction. So while we looked for the streets to go on, we turned the stupid Hal off and on, and he was still completely mixed up. So we turned him off. And continued to look for the reference points that 'should' have been there. To make a long story short, it was in fact Jan and I that were wrong and Hal that was right. To his credit, when we turned him on and listened to him give us the right directions he never once said 'I told you so' or called us idiots or anything else. He could have, you should have heard what we were calling him.
Got there, bought the wine and other treats, then through the heart of the grape-growing fields of Lodi on our way to the I-5 North ramp. Up the ramp and gone, into the traffic flow, which was nothing like the chaos of the last few days.
Tonight we are in Weed, Ca. We were going to try for Yreka but it got dark as we hit the mountains north of Redding. Can't see a thing at night, and Shasta is glowing in the distance but Jan can't get a good picture. So here we are for the night, planning an early morning and then north into Oregon. Nothing major, maybe Eugene if we can make it.
A great trip so far, Jan and I are so happy for the continued good weather, safe journey, happy people we have met, and how much we have enjoyed ourselves.
