lambertiana
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2000
- Messages
- 9,413
No, I didn't do any hiking today. But I thought I would put up pics of a rarely seen part of California. I had to visit a couple clients in the Salinas area and wanted to take the scenic route home. So I went south on 101 and then took Hwy 198 over the range to the San Joaquin Valley. From the Big Sur coast, you go east over the primary part of the coast range and then drop into the Salinas Valley. From the Salinas Valley you then cross the interior range of the coast ranges, and that is where I was today. With the winter rains the grass is starting to grow again and it has turned green.
Just east of 101, it is still low hills with grass, lots of cattle grazing
A little higher, and there are nice valleys and scattered oaks
Near the top, and the oaks are mixed with Digger Pines
Then you get to Priest Valley, I wouldn't mind living there
Near the second crest, no big views along the road, mostly stuff like this
Dropping down on the east side toward Coalinga, and we enter the scattered oak zone again
Close to the bottom, back to the hills with grass and grazing cattle
Just about out of the hills
I wanted to get a shot looking east from an overlook where you can see across the San Joaquin Valley but the waning light did not lend itself to good pictures. From Coalinga the San Joaquin Valley is about 80 miles across and flat as a pancake; the Sierras form the eastern wall of the valley.
I really like this drive over the range, I think it is quite scenic. A few years ago we were in a group of cars going over and the lead car had a mountain lion run across the road right in front of them. I was a couple cars back and I missed it.
Just east of 101, it is still low hills with grass, lots of cattle grazing
A little higher, and there are nice valleys and scattered oaks
Near the top, and the oaks are mixed with Digger Pines
Then you get to Priest Valley, I wouldn't mind living there
Near the second crest, no big views along the road, mostly stuff like this
Dropping down on the east side toward Coalinga, and we enter the scattered oak zone again
Close to the bottom, back to the hills with grass and grazing cattle
Just about out of the hills
I wanted to get a shot looking east from an overlook where you can see across the San Joaquin Valley but the waning light did not lend itself to good pictures. From Coalinga the San Joaquin Valley is about 80 miles across and flat as a pancake; the Sierras form the eastern wall of the valley.
I really like this drive over the range, I think it is quite scenic. A few years ago we were in a group of cars going over and the lead car had a mountain lion run across the road right in front of them. I was a couple cars back and I missed it.
