(Cough, Cough), I Got The Black Lung, Pops

Fresno was my next stop. On my way there I saw trucks filled with carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges and lemons. This is definitely an agricultural mecca. Too bad their air quality is so terrible- worse than our inversion days. In the morning my car was covered in a wet, dark brown ooze. I made it to the Fresno Temple at twilight. It's not up on a hill, just in the middle of a neighborhood, sharing a lot with the stake center. I love this style of temple.

A Fort For Free

When you drive for 9 or 10 hours a day, it doesn't leave much time for sight-seeing and such. On my second day in Sacramento, I was done with my work by the late afternoon, so I made a beeline to the nearest historical sight: Sutter's Fort. I got there at 4:30 and they let me in free since they were closing at 5. (Score!) I spent the next half hour wandering the place and taking pictures while the employees were closing up for the day.

You may have heard of Johann Sutter. His sawmill, 50 miles east of the fort, was where gold was discovered in 1848. There's probably a Mormon Battalion connection there somewhere. Anywho, Johan came to America in 1835, mostly to escape mounting debts and a rocky marriage. He started building his fort in 1840 and it became a haven for immigrants and a workplace for many.

It's a nice state park with reconstructed living quarters that have motion-activated audio descriptions and living history volunteers. My quick stop was well worth the visit.

Sacramento Temple Compound

After coming down out of the mountains, it was a bit of a bummer to be back in a town, even if it was the state capitol. I went right to the Sacramento Temple. The church has a "sweet as" deal going here. You go in a gate at the bottom of a hill, then drive up a curvy driveway to get to the temple. It's basically in a compound of about 5 acres with a ward house, bowery and 2 private houses- for the temple presidency, I'm thinking. And there are lots and lots of trees. Surprisingly, the temple was open on a Monday evening. I got nosy and asked a lady why and she said it was a for a special stake session. Interesting. There were missionaries there too and they were loud- laughing and having fun.

Since it was after dark, I used my tripod and the timer on my camera. It's so tricky with different angles and spotlights and such. I loved this temple. In fact, I quite liked Sacramento. It's location can't be beat. Within 2 hours you can be up in the mountains, or visiting San Francisco, or picking grapes in the Napa Valley.

I'm Feeling A Bit Peckish

By far, the prettiest part of my drive was over the Sierras. Piles of granite and lots of pine trees. Donner Pass was the highest point of the whole trip, and I loved being up in the forest.  There wasn't much snow...

Thinking about the Donner Party was a little creepy, and sad. They would have been much better off with a Winter like this one.

Lichens are cool, don't you think?

I've Been Everywhere, Man

Last week I had a little adventure. I went on a week-long road trip to do some research for GetAwayToday. I put 3,300 miles on my car. I went from the summit of Donner Pass in the Sierras at over 7, 000 feet to below sea level along the Inland Empire of California. I went from a lovely 84 degrees in some places to 24 degrees. I left my jacket behind at a hotel. (I got it back in the mail today.) I was within 58 miles of Disneyland, and didn't go there, (although I really did have to talk myself out of it.) I stayed on the 60th floor of a shwanky Las Vegas casino by myself- and loved it! I drove 8 to 11 hours every day for a week, then fell into bed at the end of the day. I listened to a LOT of talk radio and really got into the Republican primaries. Honestly, I don't know if I like anyone who's running. They all mean well, in their own way. I think the media throws too many angles at us and it all ends with confusion. At the top of every hour I would drink a bunch of water. I was well hydrated. Like I said, it was an adventure.

I didn't have much (any) time for sightseeing or down time, but I did make a point of stopping by the LDS temples that were located along my route. Taking pictures on their quiet grounds was a perfect way to relax and decompress after hours of driving with truckers along different interstates. So, lucky audience, over the next few days, you get to see some of the pictures I took along my asphalt trail.

First temple: Reno, Nevada. Reno's temple is set up on a hill that overlooks the city- imagine that! I was there on a Monday, so the temple gates were all locked up but there were a few cars in the parking lot. As I was walking around the grounds I saw a man inside, dressed in white, watching me. I waved. He waved back. Wouldn't it be nice to have the temple all to yourself? So quiet and peaceful.

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter

Have you ever made something for a big party that everyone goes crazy for? Where people point at their food-filled hands from across the room and nod their heads because their mouths are full? This is one of those recipes.

Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter -makes about 2 cups
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. honey
2 tsp. cinnamon
Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. That's it!

I served this with sliced French bread at the Stratford Christmas Party and it was a HUGE hit. Where did I get the recipe? Pinterest.

Encouragement

What would we do without encouragement?