6. THE CALIFORNIA DESERT AND ON TO ARIZONA

Overnights in

California	Arizona

Day 14: Friday, March 24

(hazy)

I'll remember today for two main reasons: I must be the cleanest person on earth today, and I saw some fabulous scenery.

The day started at 5 AM, when the first of many freight trains rumbled past the campground. Bakersfield is the staging area for the run through the mountains, so five huge diesel locomotives get together to pull the load. The exhaust noise of five diesels is undescribable - music to the ears of a train buff like me - but not at 5 AM.

Got up, took a long hot shower in the comfortable bathhouse, fixed breakfast, used "my" phone line to connect to the internet and caught up on some web sites and newsgroups that interest me. Packed up and was ready to roll by 8:30 AM when I noticed that the hottub cover had aready been removed. Obviously, an invitation that could not be refused - in for a 30 min soak, followed by another shower.

Gassed up ($1.839/gal) and finally hit the road at 10 AM. Outside temperature had already climbed to 60F from the night's low of 47F. Found CA-178 for the scenic drive to Lake Isabella and on through the Kern Valley (2,800') to Onyx. There I saw the first filling station that advertised regular gas at above $2 - $2.059 to be exact.

The road wound upwards through the California Desert to Walker Pass, elevation 5,500' and on to Ridgecrest (gas at $2.299). CA-178 became the Trona Road, leading - of course - to the town of Trona. Trona Lake is an extraordinary interesting dry lake. Minerals such as soda ash and potash are harvested. The scenery is pure desert - the ground is dry, dusty, and only supports small shrubs. Not a bird in the sky, not an insect to hit the windshield. But the vistas are impressive.

From Trona took the Trona-Wildrose road, which leads right into Death Valley National Park. I hadn't realized that the park is not just one large valley, but includes a huge area of desert and mountains. Thus while I waited anxiously for the road to take me to the sign "Altitude -282" (the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere) it instead climbed up to the Emigrant Pass (5,300')

It's a bit scary to drive the Trona-Wildrose road. Not that the grades and curves are much to worry about - it is the desolate landscape, the washed-out road, the incredible silence when one stops and turns off the engine, and the absence of humans. Did not see another vehicle for miles and miles. Took small comfort in the knowledge that my van's engine is in top condition, that the gas tank was almost full, and that I carry enough fresh water (and ingredients for gin & tonics) to last for many days.

Ultimately the road joins up with CA-190, there is a bit of traffic, and scenic vistas abound. The road drops down to sea level and below.

The valley got its bad reputation in 1849 when a group of pioneers in search of gold thought that crossing the valley would be a shortcut to the gold fields. They were wrong, and many of them perished. Also, there was no gold in them thar hills - but huge borax deposits were found. Actually, finding them wasn't difficult - the trick was to get the borax out. The early prospectors built the road for the mule teams, which ultimately lead to the TV show "Death Valley Days" which made Ronald Reagan well known, which led to his becoming president. Isn't history fun to study!

I had always thought that the name "Death Valley" meant that the climate was so hot and dry that nothing could survive there. After all, it gets to be 132F in the summer. But that's not true - over 900 species of plants and trees have been found, of which more than 20 are unique to the valley. I was surprised to see lush green shrubs.

But there are also sand dunes - my idea of a desert - but not all that many.

All in all, Death Valley is an interesting place, worth a visit - but don't go there from May to late September.

Continued through the valley on CA-190 and then picked up CA-127 to go to Shoshone. From there it is a short drive to Tecopa, famous for its hot mineral springs. There is a county park, $8.00 for electric hook-up site, and the bathhouses.

Rules are: decide whether you're male or female and pick bathhouse accordingly. Strip - no clothing of any kind allowed. Cameras aren't allowed either, so can't show photos of the scene. Shower and soap down. Get into the pool and soak for 5 minutes in the very hot mineral-enriched water. Emerge rejuvinated, shower again to wash off the minerals, and repair to your mobile home for rest and liquid refreshments.

Needless to say, I followed the routine and that's why today I'm superclean. A shower on getting up, 30 min soak in the hottub, shower again, shower before entering mineral springs pool, soak in pool, shower again.

Other than that, was on the road for all of six hours, traveled 290 miles. Max temperature was 90F in Death Valley, evening temp is a comfortable 68F. I'd like to grill and eat outdoors, but this park is the first public campground I've visited that does not have picnic tables at every site.

Day 15: Saturday, March 25

Another good and warm day. Woke up at 5 AM, fixed breakfast, and headed for the mineral springs pool. Showered, soaked, got rid of all the aches and pains, rested, and finally got under way at 9:00 AM. The night's low temperature was a bearable 45F (54F inside the van) and it had already climbed to 68F by the time I got under way.

Continued on CA-127 to I-15 northbound and had about 50 miles of interstate driving. I-15 is quite scenic in parts and on this particular stretch climbed from about 2,000' at Silver Lake to the crest at Mountain Pass (4,800'). Shortly after, jumped off on Nipton Road, which first drops down to 3,600 and then climbs up to the pass at 5,000'. It's a pretty byway, very little traffic, and the small settlement of Nipton is quite artsy-crafty. Yoshua trees abound at the higher elevations. Crossed into Nevada near the gambling town of Searchlight, NV - an intriguing name, but I couldn't find a marker that tells the story of how the town got its name.

Then continued on US-95 to South Pass. This stretch is both boring and very scenic - desert, mountain vistas, desert, mountain passes. US-95 joins up with I-40 for the run to Needles, where I bought gas for $1.959/gal (tank average was 16.3 mpg). Continued on US-95 to Parker Junction and Vidal Junction. Switched to CA-62 and Parker Dam Road. Very scenic! Driving over the dam can be a bit tricky if your rig is on the wide side. I had a scary moment in the middle of the dam when the driver of an oncoming class A didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that at least 25% of his rig was on my side of the yellow lane. He definitely had no business being on that road - he would have been just about OK if he hadn't been afraid to hug the kerb on his side of the road.

Rejoined US-95 for the run to Lake Havasu City. Some lovely views along this scenic stretch.

Tried to get into the Lake Havasu State Park, but they were having a special event and all sites were taken. The ranger referred me to the Crazy Horse Campground - right across London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. Went there and got a site overlooking the beach - $24, including water and electricity. The view from my site is quite beautiful.

However, while the setting is lovely, the enjoyment is lessened because of abysmally poor campground management: The roads in the campground are strewn with litter, the West bathhouse is incredibly filthy, the water in the spa is green, the pool looks as if it hasn't been vacuumed in days. This place has potential, but doesn't seem to know how to achieve it.

Grilled a cheeseburger in the balmy 80F evening temperature, watched TV for a while, and would have been asleep by 11 PM were it not for the boombox noises coming up from the beach - enforcement of quiet hours seems to be another task that management is incapable of. My recommendation: don't go all the way to Lake Havasu City. Stay in one of the many attractive-looking campgrounds, both private and public, that line the Colorado River below Parker Dam.

Was on the road for 6 hours, drove 300 miles. Highest temperature was 96F in Needles, CA.

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