I think I'm finally becoming a Nevaaaaahdan (did I pronounce that right? - geez!)

Because the last coupla times I've returned to California, I've been shocked to see green hillsides. The wintertime foothills on that side of the mountains look like Costa Rica compared to the Peavine Mountain vista I see every day.

I blasted outta Reno Tuesday AM heading to Harbin Hot Springs, for my occasional jolt of hippie-nudie-nothingness. The cool way to get there is to exit I-80 at Rte 20 and follow it through Grass Valley, Yubaville, across the Central Valley then wind through the Yolo Mountains to Clear Lake, then jog south a little to Harbin. Four hours, but two-lane roads are so much more interesting than I-80.

Highlights were:
- the SierraSutter Buttes, a bizarre little mini-mountain range plunked in the middle of the Valley north of Yubaville - if you've ever driven to Chico you've seen it.
- Colusa Wildlife Refuge - where I saw Northern Shovellers, Cinnamon Teals, Pintails and Snow Geese all while standing by the truck for a quick pee (well, a leisurely pee actually). Shovellers and Cinnamon Teals are exceptionally beautiful birds. That cinnamon color is to die for. :)
- Yolo Mountains - looked all primeval in the misty weather, like a pteradactyl was going to come flying down the valley.

at Harbin: sign in, get my printout saying I am good till 4:59pm tomorrow, smoke a bowl (sssh), hit the tubs, go to the dance (downtempo with dj aligroove - so that's downtempo - groovy indeed!), more tubs, sleep, eat, bowl, tubs/sauna/read/write/stretch/relax all day, leave at 5:01pm. Then lose the entire effect of all that relaxation in two hours of Bay Area rush hour traffic to get to Martha's. Nothing says RELAX quite like the Bay Area rush hour!. (not!)

The only other important thing to relate is that the Wine Country is just gorgeous right now. The redbuds and dogwoods are starting to crank it up, the hillsides are carpeted with little purple and blue and yellow flowers. The vines are all cropped back for the winter and have not yet themselves started growing, but the little yellow flowers are going crazy in the rows between them.

So if you've been getting that Wine Country jones, I hereby encourage you to DO IT!

that's the report.

John from drippy-wet Benicia, looks like I will have exciting weather driving back.