After a refreshing break at Juan y Pat's, Meg and I drove out of Tempe on Thursday morning. Madge, our little GPS, was a godsend for navigating us through that wonderful maze of highways and heading west on I-10. After a few hours we coasted into Quartzsite, AZ, had a bite to eat and wandered through an assortment of kitsch-filled tents that spring from the dusty parking lots.
We had heard traffic advisories about high winds through California and were into them soon after Quartzsite. Pulling Bea the Boler made driving more difficult. Meg was steady behind the wheel. It was a long day - miles and miles of miles and miles - north from Quartzsite to Needles...
along that desolate stretch to Barstow where the winds whipped us through town...past Edwards Airforce Base where we had the tire blowout last year...through the Mojave Desert...past those unworldly windmills...through that fairytale landscape around Tehachapi...down the hill to Bakersfield and Orange Grove RV Park. 
Bea looked so tiny compared with those huge Class A rigs surrounding us.
along that desolate stretch to Barstow where the winds whipped us through town...past Edwards Airforce Base where we had the tire blowout last year...through the Mojave Desert...past those unworldly windmills...through that fairytale landscape around Tehachapi...down the hill to Bakersfield and Orange Grove RV Park. 
Bea looked so tiny compared with those huge Class A rigs surrounding us.1 DD/ 4 UFO
Day 6 - Bakersfield and beyond...
One of our treats when driving through the States is the ability to eat the Senior's Breakfast at
- fast, reliable and friendly. Not so in Bakersfield (Buck Owens Drive). After waiting over 30 minutes for our meal, it arrived stone cold and tasteless. Yuck!! Avoid this spot!!
- fast, reliable and friendly. Not so in Bakersfield (Buck Owens Drive). After waiting over 30 minutes for our meal, it arrived stone cold and tasteless. Yuck!! Avoid this spot!!Another long day of driving though today Madge set us onto Hwy 99 through Fresno, up to Stockton and onto the I-5. Still quite windy so Meg stayed behind the wheel until we spotted an RV site just past Sacramento. It was a little seedy but a refuge in the storm.
0 DD / 5 UFO
Day 7 - into Oregon...land of ducks and beavers...??
Out of the park and on the road at sun up and, a little reluctantly, into Denny's in Williams,CA. A cute retro decor...great food, friendly staff...Denny's has been redeemed!! 
With Mt. Shasta looming on the horizon, the drive was magical. The day was warm and sunny...much better than last year's monsoon from Medford to the Canadian border. While Meg drove on, I got to snap pictures of the beautiful vistas that emerged around each bend. A strange metal cow...
With Mt. Shasta looming on the horizon, the drive was magical. The day was warm and sunny...much better than last year's monsoon from Medford to the Canadian border. While Meg drove on, I got to snap pictures of the beautiful vistas that emerged around each bend. A strange metal cow...
a 
whimsical dragon...??
whimsical dragon...?? Again with Bea on our butt, manoeurving through Portland meant staying on the I-5 North and through town. No stopping this trip. As the sun set, we rolled in the 99 RV Park in Vancouver, WA...dinner at Applebee's and shut eye.
0 DD/ 20 UFO
Day 8 - Homeward bound...
Another early morning...34F...a tad crisp for tanned folk like Meg and me. Still, it was sunny, making it easier for Meg to continue driving. Another Denny's - Kelso, I believe. Stopped for provisions in Mt. Vernon...up the Lynden Highway ...5 mintues at the border and we are back home in Pioneer Park.
1 DD/ 11 UFO - I could requalify the UFOs - they are MUFOs - mostly unidentified flattend objects - and some are UFFFOs - unidentified formerly flying flattened objects (wings and feathers present).
5100 grueling kilometers...Meg drove it all except for a token 100 km in Arizona for me. 
She definitely deserves a medal.
She definitely deserves a medal.
1 comment:
Glad you are home safely. All you missed here, aside from the glorious weather, were the noise and crowds of Easter vacationers. The disco is shutting down tomorrow so peace and tranquility will return soon. See you next season.
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