Driving through the Sacramento Valley has its charm - so does a microwave oven that seats six, but who wants to be in one?
Thank goodness for air conditioning as the car thermometer bounces around in the searing mid- to upper-90s outside.
The drive down I-5, from around Medford, Oregon, through the Sacramento Valley, the aptly named Lost Hills, and all the way to the Mexican border, is one long, hot, suffocating, and mind-numbing experience. The road is mostly straight, flat, and hypnotizing - thank heavens for a lot of truckers to keep you awake and on your toes.
Having stayed in Lost Hills many years ago, we decided to try something new, Coalinga.
Coalinga, where the legendary bandit Joaquin Murrieta literally lost his head; birthplace of mid-20th century pop singer Jo Stafford; and home to California's first new mental health hospital in more than 50 years: a 1,500-bed facility built to house sexually violent predators - an ideal locale as no one is likely to trek over mile of barren, burning lands on their way to temporary freedom.
Coalinga has one major attraction, the Harris Ranch. With 800 acres grazing over 100,000 head of cattle, and 14,000 acres growing 35 varieties of fruits and vegetables, it's the largest ranch on the West Coast. Readily identified by its bouquet of the bovine grass processing system, it is nicknamed "Cowschwitz".
Harris Ranch is also one of the few places for vittles that doesn't involve a drive-through window. We had a pretty darn good steak with a baked yam (great idea), and a nice house wine made for them by the Rutherford folks in Napa.
We continued our drive through California's version of hell's canyon, finally reaching civilization nearing Los Angeles, our sights set on San Juan Capistrano, a charming beach town between L.A. and San Diego.
We arrived in San Juan Capistrano and went to our favorite Mexican spot, El Adobe. I had the Carnitas Michoacán - slow cooked pork in an achiote sauce; Gale had a combo plate with a tamale and chile relleno. El Adobe offers a wide variety of dishes, and the execution, as well as the entire restaurant is wonderful. You can check it out at www.eladobedecapistrano.com.
We're an hour or so from San Diego, depending on the traffic, and we can stop living out of suitcases for a couple of weeks.
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