Drove yesterday from Pismo Beach, where we woke up  to a foggy chill, to Bakersfield, where the temperature mid-afternoon was 107 degrees. Every rare rustle of breeze felt like a furnace. You could just melt on the asphalt if you stood in one place too long.

Got to Monterey just in time to see the Sunset. This is John Steinbeck country — remember he not only wrote Grapes of Wrath, but also Cannery Row and many other wonderful novels.

…Monterey, but with a stop in San Jose?

But first – all about the heartland. A quick breakfast at the hotel. Still worrying about those eggs. But my, oh my, the fruit in this area is enough for any meal. We saw orchards of cherries driving in, And watermelon–all kinds of melons–raspberries, sweet oranges.

Driving from Santa Rosa, to Sacramento, to Stockton has a middle-earth feel. You’re leaving the foggy coastlands, mountainous terrain for the heart of the state, the flatland center where drama is left behind.

Goodbye Napa – hello Sonoma! Found two good independent bookstores in the town of Sonoma. Sonoma is a picturesque town with a slower pace than Napa. Harmony reigns. And it’s unusual to find two really great independent stores in a town of this size. In my view, independent bookstores have a special charm–different personalities, like people.

Long flight from New Orleans to San Francisco, and long drive from SFO airport to Napa, through bumper to bumper rush hour traffic. Beautiful sunset as we arrived though. Relaxing after preparations–having to ship boxes of books and bookmarks to our hotel ahead of us. Too heavy to carry on the flight. Last time I did this, UPS had a freak fire in their warehouse and the books arrived days after I’d already left for home and smoke damaged!

Come along with me on an adventure. Jimmy and I are doing our own version of a book tour–lot’s of fun along the way, and introducing my newest book–Secret of the Shroud–to stores around the country. This part covers Northern and mid-California, all the way to Las Vegas!