DAY 77: SAN JOAPUIN - HELM - FIVE POINTS - & EAST, CALIFORNIA

Please say HELLO to Frank. Frank works at the Nitrate Plant (Fertilizers, Explosives, Etc.) 6 miles South of SAN JOAQUIN, CALIFORNIA. Thanks for the ride this morning, Frank. This area has many small lakes...great for the birds...this Valley seems to go on forever.

Lots of Farm Equipment are driving on the roadway. The fields look to be around 500 acres or so.

Post Card Perfect. Crops bursting out of the Earth with the 5th straight day of Sun after Weeks of heavy rain.

An interesting Tree. I don't know what they are called, but are well cared for...

That Green Oblong Pipe is a Water Filter.. The water being pumped from the Canal is often full of sand, grass and other debris that will plug up the water sprinklers. The filters remove them.

Please say HI to TONY. Tony also gave me a ride today. Thanks loads, Tony.

FIVE POINTS, CALIFORNIA...SPIA, SAM & ME are staying here tonight.

This fellow is "Discing" the edge of his field.

All the San Joaquin Valley fields are maintained in pristine trimmed care...and there is virtually NO trash along the roadways...a good recommendation for the locals.

The Discs up close. There are two sets of discs...one opposing the other to cut the soil up quite small.

The field edge after the Disc has done it's job.

Well, well...another Crop Duster. This fellow flew directly over my head for over 15 minutes. The telephone poles where I walked were about 25 feet high. When swooping down across the road, the pilot had to be VERY careful not to snag his wheels on a wire...and NOT TO HIT PASSING TRUCKS.

He started actual spraying about 5 feet off the ground about 200 feet from me. The wind blew the spray away, so I did not get covered with it.

A good photograph of the spray squirting from several nozzles under the Crop Duster Wings.

He whizzed by VERY close to me.

An elegant Ranch.

A Motel-like row of small homes on the road heading East out of FIVE POINTS, CALIFORNIA.

This big tractor took up the entire roadway lane...and he was moving FAST.

A beautiful 18-wheeler loaded with Straw (the stalk of harvested Wheat), ready to roll.

This is a "Wading Bird". Do not know it's name. It has a mate. The Mate's beak is Red.

DAILY REPORT: Received 3 rides today. Walked 22 miles.

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: Credit 22 miles @ $0.092 per mile = $0.44 for the day.

In the morning, will drive East of FIVE POINTS towards RIVERDALE, CALIFORNIA.

We should be in BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA Monday or Tuesday...then comes the BIG climb up Tahachapi to the town of MOHAVE...with 2,000 miles of Desert awaiting us.