Kris and I are at Angel's Camp now. It was a decent drive, but we had to keep the top up on the car due to our already reddened necks and the high temperatures. It's supposed to be in the upper 90s all week, and us Portlanders just aren't used to it :).

We got here around noon, and checkin time wasn't until 4, so we drove about 30 minutes in either direction of Angel's Camp, and checked out 3 or 4 teeny towns along the way. Kris was starting to wonder "Why did we choose to vacation here again? It's hot and there's no shopping." But that's exactly why we chose it :). Out of the way and few people.

The land around here is gorgeous. As we drove Kris was giving it all a look of slight distaste. It reminds us both of Texas to some degree, and we're spoiled by the lush greenness of Portland. But I like it... it's like the difference between Martha Stewart and Ikea. Martha loves to have a vase full to the brim of flowers... falling out all over the table. In an Ikea catalog you'd see a single tulip in a glass vase. They're both beautiful in their own way. This area of California is dry, hot and not all that thickly wooded, but gorgeous nonetheless.

Tomorrow we're heading to Murphy where there are several wineries. We'll visit a few and get a better lay of the land. We're also going to check and see how far a drive it is up to Yosemite, and we may take a trip there. Neither of us have been, and it would seem a shame not to go given how close we are.

More updates to come :), but you won't get to see pictures until I get home. No way I'm uploading them over this dialup :)