Mississippi River to SFO by plane

I suspect many of you have already done this flight. Since I go to Oz most years, I have flown to SFO or LAX many times and know to sleep until the Mississippi and then wake up to watch the scenery of the western half of the USA. I try to get a window seat on the northern side so that there is less glare from the sun.

We took a puddle jumper flight from BWI to Newark Airport. We had a beer and some snacks at the United lounge while waiting for our direct flight to SFO.

I had  a couple of naps before we reached the Mississippi.

The western part of the route.

Small town on the Platte River. in Nebraska.

Circular irrigation farms.

Windmills.

You wonder what it is like at ground level.

Finally the flat plains give way to the Rocky Mountains and the view becomes more interesting.

Fall foliage.

The patterns are wonderful.

Smoke from fires.

Salt pan lake with the strange colour.

They look like pebbles but probably enormous boulders.

The clouds impede the view.

Notice the shadow of the contrail in the lower left.

They look like car headlights shining up at the plane. When the clouds thinned a little I thought I saw mirrors for a power generating plant. It might have been this one based on position, but I am puzzled why there were two beams of light.

You can just make out the mirrors.

Possibly Mono Lake.

Farms in the Central Valley near Stockton. We drove out here the following day to visit friends at a winery.

Crossroads. You do not realize just how much the USA relies on its road system until you fly over it.

Del Valle Regional Park.

Mysterious windy roads on the hills just east of Fremont.

Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge.

San Mateo Bridge.

An hour later, we drove west over the bridge on our way to Alameda where we would stay at my niece's apartment.

Whenever I rent a car I walk around the car and take several photos to show the state of the bodywork at the time that the rental started.

The cross country flight to LAX is just as interesting.