Page 151 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

DRIVE
»
TOUR
It may be tempting to cover
the Central Valley by zooming
along on Interstate 5, but
instead, take the slower
HIGHWAY 99—often referred
to as “California’s Main Street,”
and the very same road the
fictional Joad family traveled
in The Grapes of Wrath. Start
in oil-town BAKERSFIELD and
head north toward FRESNO,
MERCED and MODESTO. As
you pass from the San
Joaquin Valley into the
Sacramento River Delta, take
a jog over to Interstate 5 to pass to the west of Sacramento and into
Yolo, Colusa and Glenn counties at the north end of the great
Central Valley.
»
MUST
SEE,
DO
» Expansive Wetlands Explore Grizzly Island
in the Suisun Marsh, which makes up more than
10 percent of California’s remaining natural
wetlands.
› suisunwildlife.org/grizzly.html
» Basque in the Desert Get to know Basque
culture in Bakersfield, where there’s a rich history
of transplanted sheepherders.
› noriegahotel.com
» Wine Tasting Visit wineries in Lodi, which
produce more than 40 percent of the state’s
premium Zinfandel.
› lodiwine.com
» Fresh off the Farm Reap the benefits of
Fresno farms’ bounty at the Vineyard Farmer’s
Market, held every Wednesday and Saturday,
year-round.
› vineyardfarmersmarket.com
» Old Town Wander through the delta town of
Locke, the only U.S. town built exclusively by the
Chinese for the Chinese.
› locketown.com
LONE BULL TULE ELK at Grizzly Island
Wildlife Area, left; canoe tour with the San
Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation
Trust, above; Stockton Sailing Club and
Brookside, opposite.
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 149