The Road Less Taken

Morning                early              coughing                 Yeah, half           voice              doesn't work                often.  That's pretty much what I sound like!  There is always the long morning coughing session that is quite debilitating!!  My ribs feel like when I got bucked off my colt and hit that fence made of 2x8 boards to keep the bulls in.  But I will survive!!  Actually, I'm coughing a little less this morning, so ... progress!

Mr. Cooper and I wandered the RV park in Indio, watering trees and saying hello.  I was surprised that hardly any rig on this side of the park was actually occupied.  Even the next door MANKAVE was empty.  It worked out perfectly however, since he provided all the shade I needed to stay cool.

I tried to get that GOOD MORNING feeling by sipping on my special fake coffee.   Nothing.  I got nothing.  It just didn't taste good.  Could be that coffee can that has a 2023 date on the bottom.  

I tried breakfast, but that didn't work either.  Might as well get on the road.

Once again, I took the road less taken.  Past Palm Springs is Highway 62, heading off into the desert mountains towards Yucca Valley.  The weather report of no wind was a complete sham.  I didn't pay too much attention though, since I was trying to figure out if I would make Barstow before running out of fuel.  

I get 20-23 mph, but when that gauge gets down to 1/8 tank, I get nervous.  

All of a sudden I saw tons of flashing red and blue lights.  YIKES!  I expected a HUGE accident, mostly because this is about where I almost got smashed last year.  Or was it the year before.  

That CHP guy above yelled at that car ahead of me to get CLEAR OFF THE PAVEMENT.  Okay ... it's a wide load, but not THAT wide.  Once behind us, we sped up, only to slow down once again.

This is the King of the Hammer 4 x 4 race, the hardest in the world. They were stationed just off highway 247.  It was fun to see all the race cars turning onto the dirt road heading to Hammertown, where they all park.  This race runs over 100 miles in total.

Finally full of fuel to the tune of $4.99 a gallon, I pulled into a rest area to let Cooper out.  This one is pretty fancy, with separate parking spaces and picnic tables.  More coughing ensued, and now I'm getting tired.  

KA-BOOM!!!  Woohoo!  That woke me up!  I imagine it was one of the pilots training in this area, but that sonic boom was a BIG one.  Haven't heard that since I was on the ranch.  We were within a few miles of the military base, and it was a daily happening back then.

Soon I was heading through Tehachapi Pass, glad that it was a bright sunny day in spite of the snow on the mountains.

Just for kicks, after about 13 years of passing this place outside of Bakersfield, I finally decided to stop in.  It is Murray Farms, a nice place to stop for food, jams and even gas.  That's gas for your rig.  Due to construction, there was no way to get a decent photo.  

I saw a big sign that said PIE.  How could I turn that down.  They probably had ten different kinds sitting on the table, and I grabbed the Peach Pie without hesitation.  I'm sure it will make my cold (or whatever this is) SO MUCH BETTER!  There were also racks of homemade jams and jellies, along with lots of candy.

I was right.  OMG ... FRESH homemade peach pie.  What could be better?  Maybe the blackberry, or the apple, or the strawberry, or maybe even the CHERRY!

Wasn't I surprised when just down the road I pulled in to my next stop.  It was like a ghost town!  There are usually folks staying here year round.  You all know this one ... I stop here for the oranges.  

I parked ... dumped my tanks ... and hooked up the electric just in time to crash.  It was a long five hours, coughing most of the time.  

Lucky for me, it's a New Day .... the last day of January.  My how times flies!  The good news is that I'm not coughing as much this morning, and I actually have some semblance of a voice.  AND I don't feel like I walked all the way from Quartzsite!!  Will wonders never cease!

In a few hours, I'll be home sweet home.  I can't wait to actually cook something ... like the scalloped potatoes I've been craving!  Let the lists of "camping" food and supplies begin.   I think I need a new pad of sticky notes!!  Maybe TWO!