Close but yet so far.

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.