Day 35: Santa Barbara to Bakersifeld

The day started off dreary and then turned to rain. I've had what feels like 20 straight days of perfect weather so I really can't complain. Still, a lot of photos came out pretty marginal. Here are a couple fun signs from Pismo Beach where you can see the rain streaks:





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I can't remember the name of these flowers but we had a yellow version in my yard when I was growing up. They pretty much grow like weeds in Southern California. What I like about them is how they close up at night to stay warm. Seems awfully smart and animal-like to me.



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The dogs got to see lots of wildlife today: ostriches, buffalo, longhorn cattle, goats, etc. But what really sent them into a tizzy was this colt or filly at the Madonna Inn. The youngster, probably only a couple weeks old, was running laps and acting like an idiot. But my dogs were acting even more idiotic. Nik does what I call pogo-ing (bouncing up and down as far as he can without hitting the roof) and barking like mad. The rest of the family always chimes in, too, and Gremlin hits decibels that will make your ears bleed. I didn't manage to get a shot of the young horse running but he's here at the center of this photo:







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These cute statues are at the Splash Cafe in San Luis Obispo. I assume they are clam people? The two shots are of the one on the ground, the other is on the roof.







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The rain finally subsided during a torturously long trek from the coast across the mountains to the Central Valley. I got to Fresno late afternoon and then headed up another mountain to visit my mother in Lake Isabella. I hadn't seen her in over ten years so it was great to finally get together.