After leaving Seattle, we set out on the 1,200 mile trip to southern California, passing through Oregon and over the Columbia River.

Welcome to California

and Mt. Shasta

We drove through San Joaquin Valley, along miles and miles of fields of olives, corn, sunflowers . . .

almonds and pistachios . . .

tomatoes, rice, citrus and other crops, as well as the windmill farms.

It's amazing this parched desert can grow anything, but they are totally dependent on the California Aqueduct (flowing over 400 miles).

Their lifeline - the aqueduct.

Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant is famous for -- what else --

it's pea soup.

Welcome to LA traffic!













The temperatures have more than doubled for us, from Alaska's 40-50 degrees to 111 degrees in Palm Springs this afternoon.