By DENNIS WYATT 209 Living Highway 4 is the quintessential east-west drive across the 209. It starts in the Delta at the crossing of Old River a few feet above sea level and crosses lofty Ebbetts Pass at 8,730 feet some 139 miles to the east. Along the way it takes in the water paradise of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta with its diverse ecological system and rich farmland, it passes through the 209’s largest city — Stockton with 307,000 residents and California’s eastern most seaport, passes over the rolling farmland in eastern San Joaquin County that inspired “The Big Valley” TV series of yesteryear, runs north of the state’s fourth largest reservoir, New Melones, that is also the largest body of water in the 209, meanders through the Calaveras Wine Country, climbs toward Big Tree Calaveras State Park, passes Bear Valley Ski Resort and narrows down to just over a lane as it squeezes through the Stanislaus National Forest to reach the crest of the Sierra at Ebbetts Pass.