Craig's big road trip

Day 4 - Mt. Shasta to Oakdale
Home
The starting point
Day 1 - Seattle to Yakima
Day 2 - Yakima to Bend
Day 3 - Bend to Mt. Shasta
Day 4 - Mt. Shasta to Oakdale
Day 5 - Oakdale to Tehachapi
Yosemite National Park
Day 6 - Tehachapi to Las Vegas
Day 7-10 in Las Vegas
Day 11 - Las Vegas to Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon N.P.
Day 12 - Grand Canyon to Kayenta
Day 13 - Monument Valley
Day 14 - Kayenta to Telluride
Day 15 - Telluride
Day 16 - Telluride to Glenwood Springs
Day 17 - Glenwood Springs to Idaho Springs
Day 18 - Idaho Springs to Golden
Day 19 - Golden to Amarillo
Day 20 - Amarillo to Tyler
Day 21 - Tyler to Lake Charles
Day 22 - Lake Charles to Waveland
Day 24 - Waveland to Pensacola
Day 25 - Pensacola to Gainesville
Day 26 - Gainesville to Titusville
Day 27 - Kennedy Space Center
Day 28 - Titusville to Clearwater
The finishing point

Friday April 4, 2003.
 
Winter made a comeback in Mt. Shasta with an unexpectedly high overnight snow fall.  The whole town took on a distinctive "white Christmas" look and feel.
 
The drive south from Mt. Shasta on Interstate 5 is beautifully scenic all the way to the Shasta Dam exit.  Downhill all the way, the road soon descends below the snow line, and the vegetation changes from alpine to rural.
 
I stopped for lunch at Redding, and watched out the cafe window as hail bounced off the ground in a brief storm.
 
South of the Shasta Dam exit, the scenery from Interstate 5 becomes less photogenic, so I turned off the freeway and onto California Highway 99 towards Sacramento.  I could slow down, open the sunroof, and enjoy the more casual motoring through the orchards and groves.
 
A few miles out of Sacramento the highway levels out at sea level, and stays there.  The hills and mountains are far away for a while now.  Heavy rain falls between Sacramento and my turnoff to Oakdale.
 
I arrive at Oakdale right on sunset, and check into the brand new Holiday Inn Express.
 
Distance travelled today:  317 miles
Total driving distance for trip:  985 miles
Total driving time in motion today:  6 hours 19 minutes
Average speed while in motion today:  50 mph
 

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