Saturday, April 25, 2020

What Happened Here???

As I left Tucson, right off the bat I got fuel.  I'm a top of the tank driver, since I've really no idea just how much fuel I have or how far I can go.  Supposedly I have a 100 gal tank and I get 11-13 mpg.  That being said, I never go further than 600 miles at the most before fueling up.

Pilot on Rita Road in Tucson was $2.62 a gallon.  Not bad says I.  This is going to be a cheap trip!!
I took my normal Butterfield Stage route off Highway 8 and was shocked to find my parking spot all fenced off.  What happened here??
It looked like a bomb exploded.  The entire RV park, fuel station, hotel (if there was one, I can't remember) and restaurant were completely destroyed.  Nothing!!  Even the dinosaurs were gone!!  Lucky for me there was room for two rigs to pull over and ponder the wreckage.  Remodeling?  They've torn the entire thing down to the ground!!
I dined on 6 Oreo cookies for lunch, having completely forgotten to plan for the occasion.  There's no way I was going to dig through that packed to the very brim freezer for something to eat.  

The people of Arizona do not know there is a stay at home order, or maybe there really ISN'T for Arizona.  The highways were as crowded as normal with both trucks and cars.

As I pulled in to Quartzsite, the RV parks were not completely empty as normal for this time of year.  The temperature was in the high 90's, but doable with only one AC unit running.  The kids and I were tired after five hours of driving.
Early the next morning we were off again as I hit the Arco Station to top off my tank.  Fuel here was $2.36 a gallon.  Seems to be the perfect time for a trip.  Luckily road construction was limited to this.  I have no idea what they were doing.  As we headed down into Indio California, I noticed all the trucks were heading OUT of the State, as were cars and RV's.  No surprise there.
This was an interesting distraction.  I think it had a hundred tires on it and could only go 50 mph.  I honked and waved as I went by.  Yay for our military guys!!  The bad news is that wind dogged me the entire trip.  At one point I even had to slow down to 55 mph!!  
Along the way, there was still snow on the mountaintops, but I couldn't get any good pictures.  If you saw that picture on the internet of the smog in L.A. that has now gone away because everyone is not driving, don't believe it.  It's all a lie.  It's just as smoggy as ever ... maybe even MORE so.
As I got into Banning, Beaumont and up Cajon Pass, traffic got even worse.  It's business as usual in Southern California.  

I stopped in Kramer Junction for lunch, but this time I had a plan.  Canned chicken, stolen apple from Jonathan, pecans that I only found because they fell on the floor when I opened the drawer and mayo atop a hotdog bun wasn't bad at all.  Better than Oreo cookies anyway.  Somehow my last piece of cake disappeared also.

By the way, that bypass is WONDERFUL, once you figure out how to get on the freeway.  That's when this huge truck load of garlic passed me.  I wanted to flag him down since there was no garlic available in Tucson that I could find.
After seven hours of tough driving with winds STILL beating me up, we landed in Bakersfield.  The Orange Grove RV Park is open for business if you call ahead and reserve a spot.  They charge your card and you pick up your site number from the board out front.  This is a GREAT way to do business.

I hoped to have lots of pictures to show you, but my camera didn't want to focus on anything but the bug guts on the windshield ... and there are MANY!! 

One thing I did want to note if you are in Southern California.  Every single marijuana dispensary has a billboard along the freeway that says they are OPEN for drive up business.  No wonder there were so many cars on the freeway!!




14 comments:

  1. Probably no good oranges left, but at least it is a good, safe spot to stay. Now for the fight along US 99, the bumpiest road in Amerika (spelling is fitting since you are in Newsom land)

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    1. Hahaha Dave .... SO true!!! Although it IS getting a tad bit better.

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  2. Wish our fuel prices were that low.
    that Army fuel truck must have been full to need that many tires under that load.
    Be Safe and Enjoy your SoCal house.

    It's about time.

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    1. I haven't seen fuel prices this low for 30 years!! LOL

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  3. Thanks for the info about our bathroom stop on Butterfield Trail! Next time we go to Yuma (to see family) from our home in Tucson, we'll go to the next exit into Gila Bend. Have a safe and healthy trip.

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    1. I was sure surprised to see it gone. The big newer hotel next door is still there, if that helps.

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  4. Your poor babies look so tired. I have always loved the drive thru Beaumont, Banning and Cherry Valley. Cajon Pass.... nope....don't like it. Be safe!

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    1. It's not fun Elva. I was hoping for less traffic, but it was not to be. The alternative is to be chased by trucks going 60 mph on a curvy two lane road. I hate that even more.

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  5. Sound like you're moving right along. I wish we had warmer weather here. Bounces up and down like a yo-yo. I had the same problem with bugs. Not fun taking pictures through dead bugs:)) Take care and drive safe.

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    1. What are your temps Doug? I arrived to a lovely 92 degrees. That's pretty hot when you're unloading.

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  6. Was that the Holt Shell Station in Gila Bend. When we were there back at the beginning of February I noticed the dinosaurs were for sale which I thought was odd. Then Shirley, Seeing America with Ken and Shirley, mentioned when they stopped there they heard it had been sold to the Flying J, if we are remembering correctly. We will miss that stop, we have spent the night parked there more then once including once in the RV Park. Continued safe travels.

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    1. That's it Deb. It's entirely gone, as in raised to the ground. They must have bought both sides of the highway because even the trucker parking lot across the street was completely closed off. I'm sad to see the dinosaurs go.

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  7. You are moving right along. Love the pooch picture, they have full trust in Mama to get them to CA safely. Do they sleep while you drive too?
    Our fuel prices are great now too but we know that will change.
    stay safe and stay well!

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    1. Jessie cowers in the bedroom while Cooper has to stay in his kennel. I rather doubt they sleep since the highway is always so rough!! With Coops back, I can't take a chance of him jumping or or falling off the couch.

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