Bring on the Rain!

This morning I woke up kind of late - god bless those black-out curtains ;) I did some laundry at the hotel, checked out, (forgot my pillow,) and hit the road. I fudged the law a bit and returned Brandy's call while driving, but I used speaker phone, so I'm not sure if I really was breaking the law - apparently in California there is a huge fine for holding your phone while driving. It was good touching base with her, we haven't really talked much since I left Austin. I've been meaning to catch up on my phone calls, but since finding out about the cell phone rules I've decided to put it off till Oregon.

I drove through some really beautiful country side this afternoon. Miles and miles of green grass, manicured vineyards and really steep hills! I'm not sure where the line is drawn between hills and mountains, but these were definitely pushing it. I've been really tempted to stop at one of these little wineries for a tasting, but so far I haven't. I really think its something I'd have more fun doing with a friend, and although a few advertise as being pet friendly, I really think it would just be lost on Phoenix ;)

I've ended up in another really adorable town, I can't pronounce it, its called Ukiah. Again, due to this nasty weather, I can't fully appreciate how cool it is here, though through the fog I can see that the town is nestled in at the foot of huge hills just to the west of town. I had never heard of this place before, but a looked it up on line , and apparently its been ranked as the best small town in California to live in, and someone ranked it as the 6th best place to live in the whole U.S. so I'm itching to get out this evening and see what its all about.

I just walked over to this cheesy roadside diner for take-out, and now I'm back in the room working on my plan for tomorrow. There is an organic brewery about a mile up the street from here that was recommended by the waitress, she said there is live music tonight, so I think I'll probably go check that out later. Also, there is a hot spring around here somewhere, I think its too late for me to find it this evening, but I hope to get the details on that in the morning.

This constant rain has been kind of a drag, but I've decided not to let it detour me from any of the points along the road I want to see, so once I hit the road tomorrow I'll be heading straight to Glass Beach. I've been looking forward to going there for months, its a little bit out of the way, and I had considered skipping it due to the cold and rain, but screw it, at least it wont be crowded! :)