WHERE IS {IT}~Searching For What We Need; Corning-CA

April 13th: It was time to leave CA, and head back up North; so, we got everything ready to move out - and I shot a text off, before locking the front door and settling in Betsy's cab ;-)

We were expecting warmer temperatures at lower elevation: so, we wore shorts and sandals … Holland had a tee on; I had a sleeveless pullover.

Not "winter storm" clothing :-(

Goals moving forward …

Stone ruins - I like seeing stuff like this ;-)

Destination pinned down ;-)

Les Schwab; #3012 Buck Owens Blvd, Bakersfield, CA

NONE of the roadways in CA make any sense at all!

Warming our burritos on the sunny dash ;-)

3 hrs. later, we get a severe weather warning.

'Winter' Storm Warning IN THE SPRING!

Tumbling tumbleweeds; they are fun to watch.

Train Tunnels - 3 in a row - thru the Tehachapi Pass Summit; 4,064 ft. elevation.

You can literally see large chunks of the blacktop missing …

The hillsides are pretty with color, now.

Coming into Bakersfield, I smelled a wonderful scent that permeated the immediate area: kind of a citrus-floral blend - it was strong enough to linger miles into the distance, yet delicate enough not to overwhelm the senses … or our lungs.

We learned a bit further down the freeway, that the scent was from high winds blowing through the Orange Orchards, lining the roadway.

It smelled refreshingly like Spring :-)

Bakersfield had surprises in store for us, too: after waiting an hour or so - and finishing off our chunky burrito's … we were told there were no tires of the size we needed (we'd have to have them attended to in WA); so, we hit the road again, and we prayed they would hold up that long.

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-CA; Pt. #2~'Strong Wind' Post: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/04/death-valley-national-park-ca-pt_10.html

And a blinding sand storm blew across the landscape :-(

I was worried about Holland's nerves & Betsy's pretty red paint being roughly sanded off her, in patches … Holland was worried about my lungs.

We arrived at the junction of our destination; in the middle of a blinding sand storm.

Holland's Breakfast Burrito; bacon, fried egg, tater tots in a large tortilla. YUM!

While we ate, we watched the storm rage from inside Betsy's cab.

Holland is used to crazy - I am not; I expect roads to lead somewhere logical, and without wasting precious fuel at CA sky-high prices; the endless looping is ridiculous.

I'm convinced CA roadways were designed by hookah suckers. Seriously.

There is only a very small window of opportunity to jet across the lanes … traffic is not forgiving, so you hold your breath-pray-and step on the accelerator, hoping no one T-bones your vehicle.

CA freeways are a madhouse affair; I could feel a few of my hair strands turning white.

The sand storm blowing across the freeway, was blinding.

Holland cracking jokes at my expense … bless his heart ;-)

As the Day progressed, WA was looking very good to us.

Along the road route, we were treated to a double rainbow, and a pretty sunset.

A double rainbow; between Lodi & Galt ;-)

Sacramento sky at dusk.

Sacramento skyline.

The roads were bad enough in the daytime - night driving was downright dangerous: we spent the night in a Rest Stop, in Corning-CA

The roads were so bad, we pulled over, for the night …

Corning-CA from Barstow-CA; 8 hr. 2 min (524 miles) via CA-99 N and I-5 N

The night was cold and rainy; low 30's.

We can't wait to get to WA, where we have been told by friends that the weather is a beautiful 70-degrees :-)

WEDNESDAY HUMOR

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me," said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me …"

He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.

"Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls!"

The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk." When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.

Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."

The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord …" Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.

At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done …"

They say the old man had the lead for a good half-mile before the kid on the bike passed him.