South through California, Oct. 2012

October, 2012
Leaving Oregon we traveled south through California stopping at Maxwell to visit friends we'd met at Diamond Lake.  Virgil took us out to the rice fields to see how rice is havested.  Rice cultivation began in California during the Gold Rush when Chinese laborers immigrated into California and began growing rice for their own use.  Commercial production began in 1912 in Richvale and by 2006 California produced the 2nd largest crop in the US, second only to Arkansas.  The rice fields are concentrated in 6 counties north of Sacramento.

Rice was not the only thing we found near Maxwell.  They raise many varieties of fruits and vegetables including watermellon oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit and pommegrantes as well as olives and almonds.

Ginny and Virgil were excellent hosts, showing us the area around Maxwell as well as providing a place to park the RV for a few days.  Thanks Ginny and Virgil!!  See you next summer in Diamond Lake.