For me, spectacular scenery is being on top of a mountain, or a high ridge, and looking down over a valley of flat agricultural land as far as the eye can see. When I’m overlooking such a valley, I sometimes think of what Moses must have thought when he stood on Mount Nebo and looked down over the Promised Land that God was giving to the Israelites. Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge in what is now western Jordan. Moses could only see the land of Canaan from a distance; God did not allow him to enter the land. It was Joshua who led the Israelites across the Jordan River to the land that God had promised them.
Now that I’ve seen the view from atop Mount Nebo, I’m a little disappointed. You see the northern shores of the Dead Sea, the Mount of Olives, the Jordan River and Jericho, which is on the opposite bank. You see mostly dry landscape and rocky hills that go on forever. You do not see a green fertile valley.
When you drive north of North Bay, Ontario to New Liskeard you see forest and rocks. There is no productive land. Drive for two hours and then suddenly the bush ends and you look down on a beautiful valley of flat land and modern farms. Thousands of years ago it was a sea. Now it’s fertile agricultural land. It’s quite a change of scenery as you descend into the valley that continues for hundreds of miles.
I’ve been in small agricultural valleys in mountainous countries like Switzerland, Austria, and Norway. I photographed Simmental cattle in the small Simme-Valley of Switzerland –the original home of the breed.
Stand on high plateaus, ridges or mountains in countries like Germany and France and you can also see breath-taking scenery — miles of green farmland. I saw beautiful flat green farmland from Vimy Ridge in France.
How green was my valley
But the best view of a huge agricultural valley is from the Tehachapi Mountains when you drive north from Los Angeles to the San Joaquin Valley in central California. Interstate (highway) 5 winds through the mountains at Tejon Pass, the narrowest point. The pass has a mostly gradual rise from its southern approach, but there is a precipitous descent to the north, as you descend from an elevation of 4,100 feet to the valley.
After what seems like hours driving through mountain terrain there are signs posted that you are going down the mountain. Transport trucks are to be in the right side lane; the posted speed limit is 45 miles per hour. There are numerous runaway truck ramps if their brakes fail. It’s a long and steep descent. Part way down the mountain there’s a little break in the trees and you can see the huge valley below. What a spectacular sight! When we drove down the mountain on a clear September day we could see flat land all the way to the horizon.
The 225 mile long San Joaquin Valley is one of the world’s most fertile agricultural zones. Farming is done on a massive scale. There’s a cotton farm that has 40,000 acres. The Valley extends from Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains in the south. For most travelers, the Valley is primarily a place to pass through en route to Yosemite, Sequoia, and King’s Canyon national parks, or driving to Sacramento.
The sun-baked region contains a wealth of rivers, lakes, and waterways. The water, in turn, nurtures vineyards, dairy farms, orchards, croplands, fields, and pastures that stretch to the horizon. It has been called “The food basket of the world”.
Until the mid-19th century the Valley was a desert waiting to bloom. Millions of acres of flat, often-parched land lay in wait for workers and water. When settlers and irrigation techniques did arrive, the region was transformed into a miracle of cultivation. It truly is a land of milk and honey.
Had Moses seen the valley from atop the Tehachapi Mountain (like we did) he might have called it the Promised Land.
