Yesterday's push made today a tolerable 22-miler (vice 28) again on the de Anza Trail through our Salinas farming community. For 9 hours I experienced the hustle and bustle of harvesting operations. I saw up close many fields of broccoli, artichokes, romaine and iceberg lettuce, grapes, string beans, and fennel. In fact, as I entered Gonzales, workers were just getting off from harvesting fennel. They were beat, as I was, and we shared the moment--total empathy with one another, as we gave each other the victory sign.
Couldn't miss the opportunity to rest at Talbott Vineyards with a glass of their Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow signature wine--exquisite. I just wished I weren't as exhausted--it hit me harder than I wanted, but I was near the end of the day anyway.
Farm labor contracting is apparently central to much of the agricultural operations here in the Salinas valley (as it is in the Oxnard plain). Their biggest cash crop is lettuce, supplying 80% of the US needs--I find that amazing! And so I felt I was watching the beginning of the making of a salad. A few pics capture the agricultural theme of the day (lettuce, artichokes, and fennel).
