Day 3

Yesterday evening, the ranger visited each campsite to inform us of today's weather forecast: 70% chance of snow, mixed with rain, with temperatures dropping to the 20's. I had planned to camp for 3 days, but did not want to spend my third night and following day inside my tent shivering. So, I regrouped and decided to drive west to Wheeler Gorge Campground in the Los Padres National Forest. These are a few pics I took on my way down from the Sierras. The rest of my day was spent driving across the Central Valley and through the San Emigdio Mountains until I reached my destination at Wheeler Gorge. It rained for the entire drive and when I began to reach higher elevations on the very twisty road, there were manned snowplow trucks parked along the roadside. This was not what I wanted to see! I was already driving cautiously when I encountered dense fog, actually clouds, with about 20 yards visibility. As I descended, I was relieved to see the temperature rising on the car thermometer. Luckily, by the time I arrived at my soggy destination, the rain had passed.

As I drove through Springville on my way down from the mountains, I came upon many old Model T's and the like. I parked for a moment and happened to watch a lady, garbed in a 3/4 length fur, white lacy dress, white bonnet, and white Victorian lace-up boots, walking her dog in the gentle rain. A few moments later, she and her husband climbed aboard their antique automobile and drove away.