Welcome to Weed!

by Pa Rock
Weary Road Warrior

I put over six hundred miles on the old red pick-up today. The drive took me through a long portion of California's beautiful and rich central valley. It would appear much of what goes on the shelves of America's grocery stores has its start in this very fertile region. I wonder who picks all of that produce?

I was impressed with Sacramento. The city had it all - skyscrapers, beautiful landscaping, and a healthy river coursing through its center. It was just north of Sacramento where the very last palm trees waved me northward.

Political signs were sparse in central and northern California. One car passed me with a Boxer 2010 bumper sticker, a sentiment with which I agree, and there were several large, professionally painted signs dispersed in the groves and vineyards blaming Congress for a lack of water. Strange, though, because I didn't see any dead trees of grape vines.

Northern California is mountainous and beautiful, with the central focus being Mount Shasta and Shasta Lake - postcard views in every direction. I did pass the semi-infamous Jefferson Barn that sits along Interstate 5 close to the Oregon border. The barn, actually a shelter for hay, has an enormous banner on its roof promoting the "State of Jefferson." Some of the locals in this area have been pushing the idea of creating a 51st state - Jefferson - from several of the hilly counties in northern California and southern Oregon.

(Many of the teabagger types and Paultards have a rabid respect for Jefferson because of his statements promoting individual liberties - never mind that he was a slaveholder! In fact, being a slave holder probably just adds to his luster for that group.)

The community of Weed is located in what would be the State of Jefferson - where else would it be? As I was cruising past Weed, I noticed an older married couple taking pictures of each other under the sign proclaiming "Weed City Limits." (Misspent youth, anyone?)

I am in the Medford, Oregon, tonight, and should be at Scott and Molly's house by noon tomorrow. Medford is also located in the State of Jefferson. The evening news featured a story about a teabagger rally that was held this afternoon in Medford's city park. It looked as though twenty-five or thirty individuals showed up - the usual pot-bellied, dentally-challenged morons who seem to be at all teabagger events, any of whom would be right at home in the Arizona legislature. One of the local television stations paid its respects to the group by sending over a young black man to interview the cretins. What a nice touch!