Replace 'Highway City' with Merced City- near the CHP station (not to be confused with Merced). One exit I recall is Sandy Mush Rd., north of Chowchilla. This area had some typical Valley photography arrangements. The orchard is to the west, with a couple hundred acres of open land to the east. Drive south-west (all the roads in this area are roughly 45 degrees perpendicular to the highway, so take my directions with a grain of salt) on Sandy Mush Rd, then turn back to the freeway on Athlone Rd, and you can get some good distant shots, or roll up closer. If you're on Buchanan Hollow Rd., you're going the wrong way. You can also frame your shots with the orchard. I like to use a two-foot ladder on the roof of my Jeep to emphasize the foreground and really get the sun reflecting off the blossoms.