This was my first hazy glimpse of the green, flat Central Valley. It took me 2-1/2 hours to get there from this point.

As this panorama shows, Banducci Road was one of the most scenic roads on my trip. Warning: 173K. For an even larger version, click here (380K).

Uh-oh. Decision time. The paved road went  to the right, but the sign said " Not a Through Street."

The road to the left was dirt. My map didn't say anything about dirt!

At the beginning, it looked pretty good for a dirt road.

Uh-oh #2. There was a gate ahead with " No Trespassing" and " Private Property" signs. With encouragement from some local ranch hands, I continued.

Cows blocked the road ahead.

The cows tried to get away from me, but their mistake was staying on the road.