Journey to California, Day 5
Jul. 6th, 2007 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragoness_eKingman, Arizona was quite a bit cooler in the morning, and after a good night's sleep, I felt a little more like taking pictures and doing outdoor things like pumping gas into the car. The hotel had quite a nice view of the moutains; I snapped a picture before I left.
View off the hotel's back parking lot
The remaining stretch to California went more quickly than I expected; before I knew it, I lost cellphone communications as the road plunged down through a range of hills and I crossed the Colorado River. Water! Blue river water, the first I'd seen since leaving Louisiana. It was very refreshing to see that river out in the desert.
Next came the border inspection--every vehicle entering California gets stopped and the driver asked if you're carrying fruits or plants or walnuts or pecans in the shell. I didn't have any of those, so I got waved on through. I have no idea what happens if you say "yes".
Next stop was Needles, California for a cold drink and information. In this case, the Mojave Desert Information Center was run by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM guy was quite chatty, and we had a nice conversation. I get the impression he doesn't get a lot of visitors. We talked a bit about the heat--it was bloody damn HOT! 126°F there today. Felt like Kingman all over again--like stepping out into a blow-dryer's blast.
From a parking lot in Needles, you can see a bit of desert, then the green of the land next to the Colorado River.
Then it was across the Mojave. My car has a coolant temperature gauge as well as an engine temperature gauge--it gives me an idea how well the radiator is working to cool the engine. The first long hill out of Needles, I drove the car normally, at highway speed with the A/C set on full freeze mode. I learned not to do that. I also learned that when the coolant temperature exceeds 220°F, the engine temperature will start climbing. I do not want the engine temperature to climb when I am in the middle of the Mojave desert and it is 126°F out, because I do not want to be stranded by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck to arrive.
I learned that I could tweak that coolant temperature by various combinations of (a) slowing down, and (b) turning the A/C to something less cold. Dropping from 70 mph down to 65 mph on hills was often enough to stabilize the coolant temperature; if not, pushing the A/C up a notch usually did. I watched that coolant gauge carefully and kept the temperature below 210°F. On downhill runs, the engine wasn't working so hard, and the coolant temperature dropped back to normal, and I went back to highway speed, and cranked the A/C back down to "freeze my toes off" mode.
Thus and so I made it across the Mojave desert with my A/C and my car running.
The Mojave is the most arid desert I've seen yet.
It's also a long way between exits or help of any kind.
The height of luxury stops in the Mojave
There are lava fields in the Mojave Desert. I saw a huge field of old lava, like the Malpais in New Mexico but without the plants; in the middle of it, there was an old, eroded cone.
Lava field just outside the rest stop
Even the raven thinks it's too damn hot!
Tree, shade, raven, water
I made the mistake in Barstow of not stopping for lunch or gas, thinking I could catch some on the far side of town after I caught the right road for Bakersfield. Alas, 58 is the far side of town; there was only desert beyond. I had to "hold it" until Four Corners, which was not fun. Four Corners was another one of these tiny desert places; it consisted of about 5 gas stations and a motel.
I caught up with lunch in Mojave, CA. I was getting pretty punchy by that point, and still had some ways to go. On my way through the Tehuchapi pass, I was surprised to find the mountaintops covered with wind farms--even thicker than that bunch south of San Jon, NM.
One of many windfarms
Wind generators
Another surprise: once through the pass, the vegetation changed abruptly from the sandy barrens of the Mojave to grass and pines. The hills were covered with golden, dry grass, thick as any lawn, and spotted with pine trees. I was out of the desert at last.
So began the long descent, too--from the high desert down into the valley. Long, steep, winding grades dropped me through the mountains; as I descended, more trees appeared--some kind of scrubby oak, in addition to the pines and grass.
Finally, I hit the outskirts of Bakersfield, and was surprised when vineyards and orchards suddenly appeared on either side. The sight of such lush farmland was quite the relief after three days of desert dry. However, it was still hot.
I found my hotel room and collapsed. It's too hot to do anything--I'll just have my leftover munchies for supper. The hotel A/C barely kept up with the heat, but I tried a tip of Ravyn's--run the shower on cold and let the chilled water cool the room some. It seemed to help.
Tomorrow's destination: San Jose!
View off the hotel's back parking lot
The remaining stretch to California went more quickly than I expected; before I knew it, I lost cellphone communications as the road plunged down through a range of hills and I crossed the Colorado River. Water! Blue river water, the first I'd seen since leaving Louisiana. It was very refreshing to see that river out in the desert.
Next came the border inspection--every vehicle entering California gets stopped and the driver asked if you're carrying fruits or plants or walnuts or pecans in the shell. I didn't have any of those, so I got waved on through. I have no idea what happens if you say "yes".
Next stop was Needles, California for a cold drink and information. In this case, the Mojave Desert Information Center was run by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM guy was quite chatty, and we had a nice conversation. I get the impression he doesn't get a lot of visitors. We talked a bit about the heat--it was bloody damn HOT! 126°F there today. Felt like Kingman all over again--like stepping out into a blow-dryer's blast.
From a parking lot in Needles, you can see a bit of desert, then the green of the land next to the Colorado River.
Then it was across the Mojave. My car has a coolant temperature gauge as well as an engine temperature gauge--it gives me an idea how well the radiator is working to cool the engine. The first long hill out of Needles, I drove the car normally, at highway speed with the A/C set on full freeze mode. I learned not to do that. I also learned that when the coolant temperature exceeds 220°F, the engine temperature will start climbing. I do not want the engine temperature to climb when I am in the middle of the Mojave desert and it is 126°F out, because I do not want to be stranded by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck to arrive.
I learned that I could tweak that coolant temperature by various combinations of (a) slowing down, and (b) turning the A/C to something less cold. Dropping from 70 mph down to 65 mph on hills was often enough to stabilize the coolant temperature; if not, pushing the A/C up a notch usually did. I watched that coolant gauge carefully and kept the temperature below 210°F. On downhill runs, the engine wasn't working so hard, and the coolant temperature dropped back to normal, and I went back to highway speed, and cranked the A/C back down to "freeze my toes off" mode.
Thus and so I made it across the Mojave desert with my A/C and my car running.
The Mojave is the most arid desert I've seen yet.
It's also a long way between exits or help of any kind.
The height of luxury stops in the Mojave
There are lava fields in the Mojave Desert. I saw a huge field of old lava, like the Malpais in New Mexico but without the plants; in the middle of it, there was an old, eroded cone.
Lava field just outside the rest stop
Even the raven thinks it's too damn hot!
Tree, shade, raven, water
I made the mistake in Barstow of not stopping for lunch or gas, thinking I could catch some on the far side of town after I caught the right road for Bakersfield. Alas, 58 is the far side of town; there was only desert beyond. I had to "hold it" until Four Corners, which was not fun. Four Corners was another one of these tiny desert places; it consisted of about 5 gas stations and a motel.
I caught up with lunch in Mojave, CA. I was getting pretty punchy by that point, and still had some ways to go. On my way through the Tehuchapi pass, I was surprised to find the mountaintops covered with wind farms--even thicker than that bunch south of San Jon, NM.
One of many windfarms
Wind generators
Another surprise: once through the pass, the vegetation changed abruptly from the sandy barrens of the Mojave to grass and pines. The hills were covered with golden, dry grass, thick as any lawn, and spotted with pine trees. I was out of the desert at last.
So began the long descent, too--from the high desert down into the valley. Long, steep, winding grades dropped me through the mountains; as I descended, more trees appeared--some kind of scrubby oak, in addition to the pines and grass.
Finally, I hit the outskirts of Bakersfield, and was surprised when vineyards and orchards suddenly appeared on either side. The sight of such lush farmland was quite the relief after three days of desert dry. However, it was still hot.
I found my hotel room and collapsed. It's too hot to do anything--I'll just have my leftover munchies for supper. The hotel A/C barely kept up with the heat, but I tried a tip of Ravyn's--run the shower on cold and let the chilled water cool the room some. It seemed to help.
Tomorrow's destination: San Jose!
