We awoke to another quiet morning. We don’t have a long drive today and so took our time getting ready for the day and packing up. We were on the road shortly after 11:00am. We are sad to say goodbye to Sawtooth Canyon as it has been a very tranquil place to spend a couple of days.
We started with a short drove North to Barstow before heading west on I-15 and then NW towards Bakersfield, CA on Hwy 58. The campsite for the past couple of nights was the most southerly point on this journey as we now head North through California.
Heading towards Bakersfield, we pass Boron, CA the home of the largest Borax mine in the world. The open pit mine is owned and operated by Rio Tinto. Hwy 58 also takes us past Edward’s AFB where the Space Shuttle conducted many of its landings and Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1. We couldn’t see much but still cool to think about the aerospace history that took place here.
A little further along the highway we pass Mojave, CA the home of Virgin Galactic. They fly their aircraft from the Mojave airport which then launches the Unity rocket powered craft from the air towards space. If you are wealthy you can book a seat and earn your astronaut wings.
We stop for fuel in Tehachapi, CA and then drive to Keene, CA where we detour to see the Tehachapi Loop overlook. We see a long BNSF train hauling freight eastward up ‘the hill’ and around the loop. The loop has a 1200ft diameter and rises 77ft. The trains that arrive here are traveling from Bakersfield (400ft elev) and arrive at the loop which is 4028ft elev in a distance of just over 60 miles. The locomotives were working hard as they rounded the loop still with several miles to go to the top.
The landscape west of the mountains is vastly different. Gone is the flat sandy desert to be replaced with rolling hillsides. Covered in grasses and trees.
We descend towards Bakersfield, CA and find ourselves in a lush citrus growing valley.
We arrive in Bakersfield mid-afternoon to stay at the KOA Journey in town. The place is immaculate, grassy and park like. They have a pool & hot tub as well as an onsite restaurant that we have chosen to enjoy this evening.
It is warm and I’m thinking of firing up the rooftop A/C unit. Will wait until the evening settles in before making that decision.
The sky is clear and the moon is up. It’s going to be a beautiful evening. Check back tomorrow to see where we go from here.
Stay happy. Be positive!
P.S. Note that limited internet access may result in the next couple of posts not being posted on the day that they represent. Check back often and we shall post as soon as we can.
