Rain and dust.....

Woke up this morning to rain on the roof.  Now that's a change after all that dust.....

Don't want to drive on wet roads with these worn front tires, so got good old Walmart to fit two new ones.  Don't want to go chasing around to find tire stores on Saturday morning in a strange place....  Had a Breakfast Combo at Subway inside Walmart while waiting. The Breakfast Combo of bacon, egg and cheese, with lettuce, tomato and jalepenos, on a 6" flatbread, with coffee, all for $3 is my favorite best value breakfast on the road here.

Then on the road in the rain, really heavy at times, with poor visibility and lots of traffic, but no one slowing down for the conditions....  Sure glad I had those new tires....

Wasn't far down the road I got pulled over by the police....  I had passed their vehicle sitting by the road, but well off the traffic lane.  Seems that in California you are required to change to the other lane or slow down when passing such an official vehicle.  Luckily they were really decent guys, and I was able to charm them into letting me off with a warning....  I think being an Aussie helped, and I played that up by giving them a link to my outback flights in Australia.

I now realize that I my memory of the highways, mentioned yesterday, wasn't correct.  It's #99 that I remember with dread, built-up all the way, with countless entries and exits and lots of local traffic coming and going.....  I-5 parallels to the west, on the edge of the agricultural area, and is through open and fine country.  Still lots of enormous orchards, and harvesting almonds right now, with mountains of harvested nuts in open piles or covered with plastic.  Can't imagine the whole world could eat so many almonds.....

But farther south the rain stopped, and the wind started.  Soon it was 30+mph and gusty cross-wind....  Lots of flying dust and tumbleweed.  I might as well have stayed in the high desert....

 Eventually I got concerned about the lightweight trailer in these conditions,

 so stopped at a Love's truck stop at the junction of highway 46.

A tall, cold Bud from the gas station washed down the dust, and my favorite dinner over here, at Denny's, Grilled Tilapia with sides of red-skinned potatoes, sweet corn and soup, all for $9 for seniors, feels good....