Left the Sierra Nevada foothills and headed northwest across California's great Central Valley, taking mostly back roads and secondary highways. It was a good day for it with mild temperatures. Often this time of year this inland valley is like a reflector oven with temps of 100 or more.
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Reached to Pacific Coast via Hwy 20. The 34-mile stretch from Willits to Fort Bragg takes nearly an hour -- it's that twisted. But it's also beautiful, and pretty soon you're at the coast, which is cool and lovely.
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Stopped at Mendocino to walk down to the beach and enjoy the scenery.
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Then kept heading south.
The rig ran really well, but at a gas stop I noticed a little pool of gear oil and a slow but steady drip, drip, drip. I wiped off the trans and tanfer case, and the leak appears to be originating at the shims for the rear bearing cap. Everything was tight, so I opted to just check it periodically, add more as needed, and keep driving. Over the course of 700 miles it took about a quart, though half of that was in the initial dose. It must have started leaking last weekend, after I checked it (it wasn't leaking then) and took a drive to the mountains. Hmmmm. Just glad I noticed it before it got low enough to hurt anything. As for motor oil, it used or leaked about a pint over the course of the trip. More later.
By the way, most of the old buildings along the coast are built entirely of redwood. Back in the day it was abundant and cheap.
