Part One:
Thursday dawned clear and crisp. Frost on the windshield and 37F. Brrrr. We got off early to ger ourselves on the chosen route to Palm Springs, via Barstow. This means a trek eastward up from the Imperial Valley and over the low range of mountains.
At 9AM, we cross the valley floor heading east.
As we rise up, I look back at the valley floor.
It's a short hop over the mountains to Barstow where we fill up at a gas station. There are wind cautions
posted all along the freeway. We are feeling lucky to have a fifth wheel instead of
a trailer, as we watch the poor fellow ahead of us weaving from side to side, buffeted by
very strong wind gusts.
While filling up, we note the palms and flags being bent sideways.
From Barstow we see that a side trip to Joshua Tree is not going to happen this
day as the wind is slowing us down considerably. So we head south towards
Palm Springs. Here we are crossing a high desert of sage and creosote brush.
Out in the middle of nowhere, we run across this saloon run by the local ranch. It
looks deserted, except that the sign says it is open on weekends..
In the back of the saloon is an old wind driven water pump and the metal carcass of an old truck
.
Old water tanks like this dot the countryside. A lot of these wells have been pumped
dry.
In the distance is the small high desert town of Lucerne Valley.
The intersection at Lucerne Valley. Rick commented to me "Now you know why
we have GPS".
END Of Part One.
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