Day 5 Monday Feb 20

It rained all night and is still raining.  According to the RV outside temp thermometer that I have access to on the RV dash it is 55 F at 9 AM, (that’s about 13 C).  On the TV in the Elks lounge last night they have storm warnings for central Calif. Right down from way north of Sacramento half way to Bakersfield.  Some of their local dams & rivers are sitting at a foot or less from capacity or flood height limit.  Temperatures in the central valley are sitting between a high of mid 50’s F and a low in the 40’s F with continuous rain everywhere. Finally out Modesto Elks @ 11:30 @ 44927 in the rain.  An hour down the road south of Merced Calif. the rain stopped or at least held off for long periods.  The sun poked out a bit and the dash thermometer said 65 F.  We said we would pull off in a rest area for lunch. By 2:30 not one rest area so we pulled off at a big Loves Gas Travel Plaza, (with a Subway of course), at 2:20.  Of course we had another Sub, at $6.00 for a foot long that we get cut in half with our own choice of add-ons for each half it works out well.  We left the Subway at 3:05 & back to the 99 hwy by 3:10. We arrived at Orange Grove RV Park @ 4:15 @ 45147.  It was 66 F when we pulled in and we warmed up with the RV just sitting in the sun.  Sheila went out to pick oranges while I set up the RV.  We cooked supper & then settled to watch TV (cable) and work on the daily journal, blog & expenses. 

I turned in early as I was tired from driving in the rain in low visibility from the spray from the never ending line of trucks on the road.  The right lane had trucks in it as far ahead as you could see and it you passed a group, (4 or 5 trucks), there was another bunch ahead. The other lane was all cars going at 70 MPH or more so I was in the right lane mostly. Add in a cross wind & it didn’t make for fun driving.

220 miles – on road 4 hrs 5 min