And what can be more exquisite than the drive out from Clear Lake to
Ukiah by way of the Blue Lakes chain!--every turn bringing into view a
picture of breathless beauty; every glance backward revealing some
perfect composition in line and colour, the intense blue of the water
margined with splendid oaks, green fields, and swaths of orange poppies.
But those side glances and backward glances were provocative of trouble.
Charmian and I disagreed as to which way the connecting stream of water
ran. We still disagree, for at the hotel, where we submitted the affair
to arbitration, the hotel manager and the clerk likewise disagreed. I
assume, now, that we never will know which way that stream runs. Charmian
suggests "both ways." I refuse such a compromise. No stream of water I
ever saw could accomplish that feat at one and the same time. The
greatest concession I can make is that sometimes it may run one way and
sometimes the other, and that in the meantime we should both consult an
oculist.

More valley from Ukiah to Willits, and then we turned westward through
the virgin Sherwood Forest of magnificent redwood, stopping at Alpine for
the night and continuing on through Mendocino County to Fort Bragg and
"salt water." We also came to Fort Bragg up the coast from Fort Ross,
keeping our coast journey intact from the Golden Gate. The coast weather
was cool and delightful, the coast driving superb. Especially in the
Fort Ross section did we find the roads thrilling, while all the way
along we followed the sea. At every stream, the road skirted dizzy cliff-
edges, dived down into lush growths of forest and ferns and climbed out
along the cliff-edges again. The way was lined with flowers--wild lilac,
wild roses, poppies, and lupins. Such lupins!--giant clumps of them, of
every lupin-shade and--colour. And it was along the Mendocino roads that
Charmian caused many delays by insisting on getting out to pick the wild