From the mountains to the sea

Leaving Yosemite we crossed the Central Valley again, this time further north through the delta of the California River. You expect levees and lift bridges on the Mississippi, not here in California. 

The weather closed in as we reached the coastal range. The wind picked up and it got cold, so we stopped for the night in Fairfield. This was our first "strip mall" stop. A Motel 6 for the night, dinner in the Chinese restaurant in the mall and breakfast at Hucklebury's. Not great, but not bad and cheap! This is the great thing about travelling without much of a plan in the US. You can always find a place to stay and something to eat.

It rained overnight so it was a late start up into the wine growing region around Napa and Sonoma. Damp, twisty roads took us over to the coast at Point Reyes which is so like Scotland there is a town called Inverness. Then up the coast to Bodega Bay  (Setting for Hitchcock's "The Birds") and on to an overnight stop on the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner.


The Jenner Inn was comfortable, the local "fine dining" joint good and the area pretty. Reader, we stayed an extra day.

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