As I mentioned earlier this week, I have had some job interviews. Today was a 9:10 interview in King City. Let me just mention here that King City is 177 miles from Stockton. A three-hour drive. I'm pretty sure I actually drove to Southern California today just to interview for a teaching position.
Never let it be said that I'm not dedicated.
Anyway, to get there with time to spare, I left at 5:30. No, I didn't get out of bed at 5:30, I left at 5:30. I got out of bed at 4:30. I'm either insane or just really desperate for a job.
I figured I may as well make a day trip out of it, so I set off wearing my suit pants and a camisole, keeping my jacket hanging in the back seat and wearing a favorite light summer hoodie for the drive. I had packed a lunch (which I didn't end up eating) and a bag with a change of clothes and my heels. I wore my favorite old ballet flats for the drive--much more comfortable.
I took some pictures throughout the day--I'll explain them in the captions and upload a quick video, too.
 |
| Swimmy is my copilot. He took care of the Google directions. |
 |
| My jacket and scarf |
 |
I stopped at a rest stop to get some sunrise pictures. The San Joaquin
Valley is lovely. |
 |
| Looking North (back towards Stockton). |
 |
| Looking South (where I was headed). |
 |
A little ways down Insterstate 5 is a vista point that I've never stopped at.
I had time, so this morning, I did. This is looking at I-5 to the south. |
 |
| To the North |
 |
| One trucker used the vista point as a nice place to catch some sleep. |
 |
| Once I left I-5, I entered a serious agricultural part of California. |
 |
| Sorry for the ginormous pole, but you can see the lovely view behind it... |
 |
By the time I got to Gonzalez, I was about 40 miles out but really needed a
loo. I stopped to use one and saw this sign. The spelling! Gah!! |
As I arrived in King City, there was still a low fog from the coast settled over the valley. I drove around the town a little before going to the school district office. King City is quite small and it feels out-of-the-way. I'm not entirely sure I'd want to live there, but an interview is a good thing, and a job offer would be even better. We'll see what happens. I only got one picture in town, of a FANTASTIC sign that will be immediately placed in my "Best Signs EVER" folder.
Within 10 minutes of the end of my interview, I had found a deserted parking lot and done a lightning-quick stealth change into skinny jeans and a tank top. (I am
talented, people.
Skinny jeans.) I was delighted to see as I left the interview that the fog had worn off completely in the 30 minutes I'd been inside, leaving the sky fresh and blue. It was still cool out, so I wore my hoodie, but it was glorious to drive with my music cranked up. I had a plan--I drove northward to Soledad, to visit one of California's 21 missions.
 |
| California is beautiful. |
 |
| Olive trees |
 |
| Olives |
 |
| Cali Swimmy was so excited to go for a dip in the fountain. |
 |
| Cali Swimmy does not approve of empty bird baths. |
 |
| The California Golden Poppy--our state flower. |
 |
| I'll say it again: California is beautiful. |
 |
| I couldn't get Cali to stay on my head, it was so windy. |
 |
| Baby grapes! |
 |
On the road back to the freeway, I was able to stop and get some farmland
pictures. Some of them are lopsided, though! |
 |
| Lettuce? |
 |
I stopped here for some postcards. My brother collects postcards, so I
always pick a few up everywhere I go. I keep a stack in my desk and send
one off every few days. He loves it. |
After Soledad, I drove west to Monterey. I wasn't in the mood for the tourist traps, so I stopped at Monterey's glorious downtown park to feed some bread to the geese and seagulls. Last night I found I had four pieces left that I wouldn't be using, so I brought them with me.
 |
| Great old sign in Monterey |
 |
| They saw my bag of bread and started gathering 'round. |
 |
| On my left. |
 |
| On my right. |
 |
Swimmy checks out the seagulls (those birds are JERKS to each other! It
was mayhem trying to get the bread evenly distributed). |
Right, an interruption. I can't get some pics to upload, and it's 9:45 at night. I've been up since 4:30...so there will have to be a part 2 tomorrow! Bed is calling...
5 comments:
I LOVE that drive along I-5 south of Stockton! Most people hate that there is nothing for miles but I love it! I've seen the signs for King City... of course I had to google map it. That would be quite a ways from where you are now but a possible new adventure... LOVE the pics of the mission, too!
kiki is Nicki, btw... :)
Your pic of the sun coming up between the two lorries is STUNNING!! I repeat, STUNNING!! Also, looking at all your photos, yes, California IS beautiful!
Wow, what a day! Love your pictures!
The one labeled "Lettuce?" is cabbage of some kind. Can't tell what kind, it might even be cauliflower. But definitely something in the Cruciferae family.
Nicki--people think it's boring south of Stockton, and the drive is a little monotonous because it's just straight ahead most of the way, but I love that area--it's a HUGE part of California's agricultural industry and to me, it represents a vital part of our economy and our role in the world.
Sarah--thank you! I was quite proud of that shot. It's basically the first thing I saw as I put the car in park and got out. You will come to CA some day and I'll take you to some of these places. It's such a spectacular state.
Ms. Magpie--I should've known you would be able to tell me what that was! All I know is that it looked very cool and much prettier in person than it looks in my shot--I was creeping along a deserted road and quickly taking the picture!
Post a Comment