Lemoore is the name of the town I'm in, sorta just SW of Fresno. I enjoy seeing the valley, and this time I took a road that's between CA99 and I-5 which was very quiet, through the almond orchards. Local billboards demanded that the draught ends now, while it's obvious that the Sierras are missing a lot of snow for this time of year. I have no idea why someone would think that billboards will make it snow. My thing is to spend $5 at the casino...
I found a good mechanic here (tattoo artist/martial arts/race car driver/Disneyland frequent flyer/ghost chaser) and ended up with new plugs and wires. I wasn't expecting to have to change them yet, because the first set lasted a lot longer. I've never met a mechanic yet that doesn't posit his opinion on what I've been doing wrong; in this case he claimed it was the gas I was using. I explained I likely never (almost never) bought gas at the...
My truck has been running badly for quite some time, and I finally got tired of it. Turns out it's spark plugs, so tomorrow I have them replaced. Compression and fuel injectors check out OK. Wind warnings up in the Tehachapi Pass were 30-40 MPH, while down here in the valley they are 5-10. It's Spring here, and I'm not in a hurry to get through the valley.
This is for those that like railroads. The drive up to the viewpoint over the Loop is pretty, pleasant, but not suitable for big rigs. I was lucky enough to catch a long train, quite a sight. The Loop is a 360 degree turn of the tracks which allows a train to climb a distance in a short space. Long trains catch their tail going through it. There are other loops around, but this is a BNSF and UP mainline which makes it very busy, and accessible....
Colorado recorded $14 million in sales of retail cannabis sales in January, with $2 million going into the state treasury as taxes. January is a terrible month to use as a guide, but these numbers are the very first that aren't estimates, guesstimates, or outright guesses. They are about half what the predictions were. Better numbers will be available after the first quarter. If these numbers hold, and I doubt they will ever be so low, it casts...
I'm in Tehachapi in the hills that have actual trees. The grass is green, and since this is at some elevation, it's cooler and more Spring-like. Quite the difference from the desert floor. Wind machines are everywhere because I doubt the wind ever lets up through the pass. The Mountain Valley RV Park has two important features that make it especially nice: It's away from the railroad in a railroad town, and it sits on the field of the Mountain...
I wanted to check out a free parking area at the rest stop near Boron, so that's where I am tonight. Rest stops are seldom good parking places, but this one has a big gravel area that's not terrible. OK in a pinch. Tomorrow I'll go to Tehachapi, partly to see the Tehachapi Loop (a railroad thing) which Jim Tidball reminded me of. I'm looking forward to some semblance of elevation and trees. And that will get me around the Sierras into the...
Stiff winds are expected tomorrow so I'm sitting for two nights near the town of Joshua Tree, which is in between Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley. There are no flowers of any kind to be seen. I don't like the Mojave Desert, especially the crappy-looking towns scattered here and there. The geology is plain and very uninteresting, there are very few natural formations of any interest whatsoever. Towns are always of the California Strip Mall and...
I have never seen the Spring-time desert with absolutely no wildflowers. There are none, zero. In fact, as dry as it is it looks like fall. Even the deep-root perennials aren't showing any green. That's weird. My route from Slab City was Mecca, the Box Canyon Road north to meet I-10 at the southern end of Joshua Tree NP. Go back east about 4 miles to Chiriaco Summit, and behind the General Patton Museum is a free dry-camping area on private...
It's been nice here at the Slabs. Couldn't ask for better weather, though the storm dusted everything then added just enough rain drops to put a mud coating on my vehicles. I washed my windows so I can see out, but everything else will have to wait until I'm in a place that has water to spare for such profligate endeavors. It's dry down here. I think I'll pull out on Wednesday. Go up and around the big cities, head up CA99 to Sacramento, cut...
It's a bit windy here at the Salton Sea, blowing dust with just enough rain now and then to paint my vehicles with mud. Over in San Diego the water is more plentiful, causing more a mess than being helpful. I took a quick drive through Slab City and was impressed at how it's being cleaned up over the years. I saw a tour bus going through. A tour bus? At Slab City? Anyway, as the trash gets removed the place starts to take on an artsy feel. Oh...