• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Local Geography Lesson

I took this picture today while sitting on a levy just outside Davis. I'm looking East, towards Sacramento. The circled area has two tiny red dots in it. These dots are the tops of the towers on the drawbridge that spans the Sacramento River on the west side of Sacramento.In other words, the banks of the Sacramento River are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over there. All this water you see in the picture is Sacramento River water. When the river gets too high, they allow it flood the valley. This area is called the Yolo Bypass. It's about three miles wide. It's a freakin' great idea. When we have relentless rain (like we are having this Winter), the river doesn't wipe out Sacramento and the land is fertilized by the river silt. It is farmed in the Summer. It is a habitat for all kinds of birds too.It's the the sort of thing that most people look at and say, "Wow! Good thing we have THAT." It's the sort of thing that others look at and say, "Wow. We could build a shitload of houses there."