Coming over the Tehachapi Mountain pass we rolled on through the golden hills where cowboys on horses were rounding up cattle and then dropped into California’s central valley area, one of the main agriculture belts of America. The orchards, farms and vineyards went on and on mile after mile and we passed the Sunmaid Raisin company and almond and pistachio roadside stalls.
We have hung out in this area for the past few days enjoying the last of our holiday and swimming in the pleasant 37C temps. Keeping hydrated is not a problem as we can buy a tray of 35 x 500ml bottles of water for $2.50! America celebrated Labour Day last Monday, their official last day of summer so the shops were in full sale and we joined the crowds. Now they are beginning to fill up their shelves with ‘Fall’ items; decorations, camo hunting gear and Halloween costumes. We also gave the visa a workout at the Bass Pro Shop, an outdoor sportsman’s paradise with amazing interiors full of huge displays of stuffed wild animals, 2 storey high waterfalls; mountain sheep at the top, bears and cougars half way down, then all the small rodent type animals at the base and finally the trout and bass in the pond. These displays go on throughout the 2 storey, 2 acre sized store. The sign out the front says Welcome Fisherman, Hunters and Other Liars! It’s better than a wildlife museum and you can easily spend an hour or two just looking at all the interesting things.
By the time you receive this we’ll most likely be getting sore bums on the plane. Our 5000 mile road trip has been fantastic and we have seen so many awesome sights, each state being so different to the next. We hope you have enjoyed reading some of our adventures.
