STORM SHELTER IN BARSTOW-CA

March 29th, 2024: This morning, we pulled stakes in Santa Cruz-CA, and aimed Betsy's nose towards Bakersfield-CA - hoping the weather would cooperate and let us get that far, before setting down again.

Leaving the Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay Holiday KOA, this morning.

Bakersfield is the goal …

Bakersfield-CA from Santa Cruz-CA; 3h 55m (241 mi) via US-101 S and CA-46 E

Once on the highway, Holland said, "We are going to work our way through everything we can see in CA … because we are never coming back this way, again; this will be our 1-chance adventure through CA."

He hates CA, so the concession {to see everything} is for my benefit; and I am appreciative of his generous willingness. The state laws, and the roads here, are ridiculous: and I'm in agreement with what he said - having experienced some of the ridiculousness.

I do like Brenda and Theresa, though (and Jeff and Mike): so I am hoping we can come back this way to visit them again, now and then ;-)

The CA highways are seriously in need of attention …

If newbie travelers plan to visit CA - purchase a small RV.

If you choose a max-size RV, expect to experience limitations.

CA roads are trash …

The google maps (online or GPS) read that we should reach our destination in about 4 hours … but CA highways being what they are (cars at 77 mph; 55 mph max when towing): Betsy is towing Independence, so we should reach Bakersfield by roughly 5 PM.

The scanty sunshine felt good, and the drive was pleasant; there were occasional raindrops, but no heavy raining.

Gabilan Range-CA: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabilan_Range)

The route we took.

Hmm … what is this for; they are stretched into the distance, for miles.

Historic El Camino Bells: 

(https://www.conejovalleyguide.com/welcome/the-story-behind-those-historic-el-camino-real-bell-markers.html, https://www.californiafrontier.net/the-women-who-saved-el-camino/ & https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-03-21/mission-bells-indigenous-remove-el-camino-real)

Nice, clean Rest Area along our route; it is made to look like a Mission Building.

Camp Roberts Southbound Rest Area: 

(US 101 Rest Area (SB) at Camp Roberts, Bradley, CA)

CA mountains are basically giant rolling hills ;-)

The rolling hills crevice (pronounced, krev-is) folds are steep, and deep - but I guess I'm just used to the majestic mountains of the PNW … MPO is that a better fitting term to describe these hills is {knolls}, rather than mountains, because some of them are separated from each other by large distances; and the height is relatively smaller in scale, than an actual mountain height.

The hills are green now, but Holland (who has traveled this road several times) says that they will be a burnt brown in a month or two; where the sunlight catches them. The vegetation will be scorched by the sun's heat.

Gaining ground on Bakersfield, I looked out my side window - and spotted a setting cloud shaped like a hovering UFO ;-)

Hills of Kern Country; outside of Bakersfield-CA

A {UFO} shaped cloud; LOL!

We also drove through kern's oil field that had pumping jacks busily doing their job … just about entirely covering the ground for miles - both sides of the highway.

Back-to-back oil pumping - some pumping jacks were busy, some were resting.

Kern County Oilfield-CA

Bakersfield is a fairly good-sized city (larger than Vancouver-WA; smaller than Portland-OR) that still retains a small-town vibe; even though it has a serious infatuation with overpasses: overpasses literally cover every square inch (in every direction) surrounding the city core.

Bakersfield-CA: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakersfield,_California)

It has a small town vibe. MPO

Overpasses literally cover every square inch of Bakersfield - in all directions.

Barstow-CA from Bakersfield-CA; 2 hr 10 min (130.8 mi) via CA-58 E

We were making good time, and the day was pleasant; so, Holland decided to push on toward Barstow ;-)

Tehachapi-CA; & Tehachapi Mountains -CA

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi,_California & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Mountains)

Windmills.

Around Edwards-CA, the weather took a turn, for the worse :-(

30 to 50 mph winds through the day, and overnight.

It was very, very windy when Holland pulled over in Edwards-CA to stretch his legs … and was pushing against the strong winds like he was walking through a gusty blizzard. I opted to stay in Betsy, where it was safer than being blown away.

I may be on the fluffy side, but I'm still only 5'2" - Holland is 6'4" and outweighs me; and the high wind gusts were nearly blowing him over :-(

And Elohim gifted me with a tumbling tumbleweed - I enjoy watching these things; my first tumbleweed experience was in Montana, when I was 10 years old; we had gone to Montana to visit my Uncle Don and his new wife, Jan … and tumbleweeds blew pretty steadily across the highway. I have missed them ever since - and was hoping I'd see one this trip.

I'm thinking being chased by storms is going to be our Life going forward; we've been chased by storms since the day we married.

Found a place to park for the night :-)

Skyline RV Park-Barstow-CA: 

(30384 Old Hwy 58, Barstow, CA)

High winds dustup; Barstow-CA

Tumbling tumbleweed.

Sons of The Pioneers - 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds' song:

 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-YLGUHIqhU&t=32s)

We found shelter 'just in the nick of time'.

The sky cried, the wind howled, and Independence rocked us the entire time we were parked at Skyline, in Barstow.

We slept like babies ;-)