We drove from Bakersfield north along the mountains. The problem is that the smoke from fires in the south were hiding them. We could see some outlines of the higher peaks but not much more. The drive was not bad. No one in California expects us to go over 55 mph. When we crossed the state line we were confronted by signs that made it very clear that any "towing" vehicle was restricted to 55 mph maximum speed. For the most part even the truckers obey this law. It also means longer drives for the same distance and better MPG for the trip. Today we got 13 mpg hauling the 5th wheel which is good for us since fuel is more expensive in California . The hills that are not farms look like this. Yellow grass that is dry, a few trees and rocks. It is no surprise that fires run quickly across the hills here.
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Our drive over the mountains from the Mojave desert was interesting. The slow climb on the east side was deceptive. We topped the mountains at over 4000 feet and then on the west side we had a steep decline to Bakersfield. At times we were dropping with the engine break slowing us and me using the breaks from time to time to help.
Tonight we made an overnight stop in Bakersfield to stock up on groceries and get ready for the next two stops. Tomorrow's stop will be a full hookup park but not near any stores. The next after that will be in the mountains at the King's Canyon portion of the Sequoia National Forest. No hookups. No cell service. Just mountains and huge trees. It will be a real test of the booster if we can even get a phone call out at all. I really doubt we get anything. As we came over the mountains, we dropped into a valley of citrus and fields of produce. Even the RV park is in a citrus grove. Our 5th wheel has orange trees on both sides. To bad they we are early in the year because nothing is ripe. We left Needles California and drove all the way to Bakersfield. A 5 1/2 hour drive with a half an hour for stops. Wow! It was blazing hot but the truck and RV did great. Most of the drive was flat with limited traffic on good roads. The last few miles were unpleasant with lots of curves up and down the mountains. At one point we were at 4070 feet. The drop on the west side was 20 miles of 5% and 6% downgrades to get to the 531 feet it will be at the next RV park. Ouch our ears hurt. There is a lot of desert between where we are and the mountains far ahead. I can not image how those who crossed this on a wagon.
Today, we are in a luxury rv park. Nice sites, pool, and hot tubs. We had time to relax and just rest before our drive across the desert. Even then, it was 111 midday at the park in Needles, California. Ouch! We are hoping for cooler temperatures. The river was full and flowing fast.
Off from our first boondocking site, we move to another first. Driving into California, it has been a trip with lots of firsts.
As we approached the state line, we read signs that all vehicles must stop at the border. Of course, I started joking that we might need our passports and that we had not seen anything like this since the 60's when you could not cross the Mississippi river without being checked. Looking online we had found that many things were not allowed across the state line. Downloading a PDF of allowable items, we found that all citrus and nuts not from California are not allowed. Many other items are not allowed if not bought in state nearby. Still I joked that maybe we should get out our passports. It was like what you see at a border crossing to Canada. It was just weird. So Mom got worried and realized that we had fresh lemons bought in Arizona in our refrigerator and pecans still in the shell from last year. So when stopping for fuel in Lake Havasu, Arizona, Mom went into the RV to juice the lemons and find the pecans to throw away before the checkpoint into California. So upsetting all around.
As we approached we could see the car in the next lane being inspected. From what we could tell they had found an orange and were documenting the discovery.
In our case we did not need to worry about anything because as we pulled up and stopped we were waved through without even a single question.
Our last sunrise at Homolovi.
On the way to our next camping spot, we stopped at Walnut Canyon National Monument. It is the site that the Hopi had a settlement along the walls of the canyon.
At first glance, I just cannot look at this canyon and think "What a great place to live."
We are going to take a short hike at 7000 feet.
Ok it was 1 mile and a bit "interesting" at 273 steps down and then back up.
Down we go.
More Hail! Really?!!! Yes on the road around Flagstaff, Arizona we drove through hail two times.
Okay, we boondocked for the first time. Boondocking is to stay in a camp site that has no facilities and is usually on public land where camping is allowed for free. The site we picked was on an open field. Several other people were also camping.
Even the weeds next to our RV had pretty flowers.
We survived. No power but our 12 volt batteries and propane. It was very dark and very quiet except for some sound from the interstate in the distance.
I know it is a bit silly but we are here at Winslow. Why not stop and visit a "famous" corner? In 1977, the year I graduated from high school, the Eagles released a song that made Winslow known all over the country to people of my age. The song "Take it easy" was a favorite of mine. Of course, as we drove into town, the song was playing. Winslow has made it clear that they appreciate the song and those who come to town because of that song. They also will try to get you to spend some money if they can. Two of the other corners are stores and the third is a restaurant. It was fun but we are hungry. Just down the block was a great restaurant. RelicRoad Brewing Company not only had a wide selection of arizona craft beers and really good sandwiches. After lunch we walked a great park. It was just a block south of route 66. Notice that the information about the Navajo People referenced the trail back from Fort Sumner area. We did not realize that they were coming back to this area. We love learning about history this way.
From about the 1200's to 1300's the Hopi people built homes in two different locations in the park. The first was flooded out and when they decided the second was no longer a good place to live they moved on. The warning sign near by gave an indication of one reason why they may have moved from the first site. The Hopi indian sites at the Homolovi State Park are not in very good shape anymore. In the past people have robbed the sites for materials to build their own homes or to find relics to steal. When the destruction was brought to the country's attention in a National Geographic magazine article, the government stepped in to protect the sites. Even today there are those who try to steal from the park. When we arrived at the first site there were two men there. One was walking along a ridge and kept looking down and bending to pick up something from time to time. The second seemed to be annoyed that we were there and told us that there was not much to see. We walked to the site and along the marked path. Rain from the day before had exposed many shards of pottery. It was amazing that so many were still right there on the surface. On the way to site 2 we passed a ranger. I let him know my concerns about the men at site 1. As we approached site 2, we saw a mother and her baby. She was not amused that we slowed to take pictures. Later on the return trip we noticed that they were not alone and that there was an entire herd of donkeys in the next field. Some of site 2 was still intact. It was interesting seeing the skill they used in making the structures. It was upsetting to see the damage that had been done to the site. So many greedy people had taken and destroyed so much. We returned to the visitor's center and the ranger was there. He did confront the two men at site 1 and had them empty their pockets. They had filled them with relics from the site. So sad that some people do not respect others property.
Wow, it looks like we have a stormy day.
This storm had steady 27 mph winds with 52 mph gusts, pea to marble size hail, then pouring rain. Here are two different perspectives.
We did not have any damage. YEA! It was pretty loud for a while.
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