Big Blue Visits: The Olive Pit in Corning, CA

On the Saturday we started our Oregon trip, we headed over to I-5, the inland road that runs from San Diego to Seattle, then we turned north. The I-5 sucks along here. Actually, the I-5 in California sucks pretty much the whole way. But the area to the north and south of Sacramento are just awful.

We had strong headwinds (making 50 mph about top speed) and were anxious to get the parts of California we had seen behind us. With music blasting and the excitement of starting a new vacation, our first real stop for anything besides gas and bathroom breaks was the Olive Pit store, in Corning, California.

Located about 30 miles south of redding, travelers are warned of the approaching point of interest by some really cool designed signs. EP and I were hoping for some good old American roadside kitsch, so we got off the exit and went the one block to the store.

We were let down on the kitsch. The aisles are chock full of just about anything that you are able to put in a can or a jar. We picked up some Sierra Nevada mustard the PJAlau had turned us on to at Bikes, Buses and Bunkum. Good stuff. But other than that it was a bit of a disappointment. Not even a kitschy bumper sticker.

But, it was good to hit that point where we were "on vacation". Corning was far enough in the middle of nothing that we started feeling relaxed. Perhaps it was the first act of getting off the highway and seeing something that marked the vacation's start. Perhaps it was the mustard.