Today I start as a cyclist, pedaling 2 easy miles from Quality Inn south of downtown Merced to Enterprise car rental north of downtown.

I got the 1-way rental car without much delay. The short wheelbase recumbent is a tight fit in the Intermediate Size SUV. A crank and the chainrings were between the front seats.

Today is a long drive. 550 miles, all on expressways. The central valley expressways are always congested.

This was apparently my first time to drive I-5 through the Sacramento valley in May. I discovered that the median is planted with Oleander bushes for many miles. I saw at least 100 miles of flowering Oleander bushes. Oleander is poisonous to most animals, so it can't be planted most places. But it's okay in the middle of a busy freeway.

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California's central valley is flat and boring. The northern half, the Sacramento valley, has a few distant views of Mt. Lassen.

I-5 has many views of Mt. Shasta as it threads through mountains north of the valley. I stopped at the Weed Airport rest area for the obligatory photo of Mt. Shasta.

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The temperature dropped steadily as I drove north. 80F in Modesto at 11 AM. 62F at my house at 7 PM. Still far below normal.

I returned the rental vehicle in Roseburg the following morning. Another successful trip!