Salina, UT to Fallbrook, CA
Ya know, as I drove farther and farther West, I realized that someone neglected more and more . . . to plant trees! Western Iowa you sort of notice it, but more so in Nebraska into Colorado.
Utah is when you know that you're really out West: passing the exit for Green River, the highway signs tell you that they're aren't anymore services on I-70 for the next 110 miles, and all during those miles, this is the kind of country you see.
It is very easy to worry about your gas tank.
Once you hit Colorado, the roads have to obey the terrain, swerving all over the place to avoid huge rifts in the earth like this one.
Its hard to call the plains of Utah a valley, but with a wall like this, you have to think that there was no other way out. Upon close examination, you can see how the highway cuts right through this wall of rock.
Like I said: most of the time out West, the roads obey the terrain.
Through stretches like this, there are signs warning you of long, steep grades where trucks are forced to go slow, but once you're back to driving flat and level, the speed limit jacks right back up to 75.
I didn't take any pictures of the Mojave desert in CA, but I assure you, its nothing special.
When I crossed into CA, I was stopped by . . and agriculture check: they wanted to make sure I wasn't bringing in any alien pets or plants. As you can see by this photo, however, its doubtfull either would have lived here anyway. I exaggerate the climate, but I assure you, it does NOT rain here often at all.
The scenery can be beautiful what with all the steep hills and the ocean, but I think Dave Swanson (Jennifer's Dad) said it best: its like living at the end of a hose out here. Nothing exists except by the presence of pumped water.
