Up early,
but still not quite enough,
lingering animated discussions al fresco with John, over White Rabbit coffee,
then
west and north:
210, coursing round below the San Gabriel Mountains on to
Foothill Boulevard,
lunch at Mongolian Barbecue in
Claremont,
further
progress
towards the Verdugos,
La
Tuna
Canyon,
the
San Fernando
Valley,
I-5,
up
down
Weldon / Gavin Canyons into Santa Clarita,
further
up
Violin
Grade,
the
Ridge
Route,
all
the
landmarks
on
the
way
down
in
reverse,
over
the
high
slopes
and
dizzyingly
lower
between
the
walls
of
Grapevine
Canyon
into
the
San
Joaquin
Valley --
heat,
ridges,
evidence
of
water,
spare
vegetation,
sun,
erosion,
surreal
opulence,
ambiguous landscapes,
practical
essentials,
the 580 split,
economic
burn-out,
up and
over the
windy
Altamont,
Livermore,
680,
Danville
Hills,
Walnut Creek,
Martinez-
Benicia,
Solano
in
the
shadows.
High
100,
second highest temperature of the year,
third highest day
(coming off of double 105's)...
89th of summer
(38th 80+,
15th better-than-90,
3rd in the 100's).
