Ghost Town

Well, here I sit, sipping a MGD and trying to get my brain to slow down. This is so much like going to sea, when you stop moving your brain takes a while to realize it.

Yesterday was not the most fun I've ever had. I was too ambitious in my goal of driving from Salem to Stockton. I made it to Stockton, beyond even, but let's start at the beginning. I awoke early (normal) and hit the road at 6:30. I stopped for gas and the attendant (I was still in Oregon) broke my locking gas cap. The weather was nice and the drive to the outskirts of Sacramento uneventful. My second stop for gas caused more problems. The big dip in the driveway knocked the trailer off the hitch. The chains held and I stopped without causing much damage. A trucker helped me hook the trailer back on. Every bump caused me to look back for the trailer. It was dark when I got to the other side of town, looking for the KOA in Stockton. I saw the sign and took the exit. No more signs, hard to read street signs - crap. I stumbled around until I found my way back south on I5. Near Lathrop I saw a sign for a county park that had RV sites and found my way to a parking spot and climbed in to bed. I slept well. The stars and coyotes were plentiful.

Today I was determined to take it easy - or easier. On the road at 9 (better, huh?) and I keep an eye open for a Wal-Mart. Until I bought an RV I was not a Wal-Mart shopper. Anybody that will let me park overnight for free deserves some of my business. I bought a new ball for my hitch that did not have a 2" drop from the receiver. The trailer doesn't drag and I feel better. I stopped at Starbucks for coffee and in hopes of using the internet. Don't they make enough money off of their crappy coffee? Why do they charge $9.99 for internet access? It's free at most other coffee shops I've frequented. While I'm speaking of coffee, don't they make those single cup drip funnels anymore? Nobody in California knows of which I speak.

I'm just east of Barstow at a KOA that had good signs and free internet near the ghost town of Calico. The drive from Bakersfield left me yearning for the gentle breezes of Ellensburg. The hills surrounding Tehachapi are littered with wind power generators (can't call them windmills) with blades spinning like the props on a B47 at full song. I drove past 20 Mule Team Road, Edwards Air Force Base, Boron, Mojave and in to Barstow. After seeing the lush fields in central California with soil capable of growing just about anything, I am at a loss as to why anyone decided to settle this area. It's pretty, but very empty.

I'm going to head down Hiway 247 tomorrow, then decide if I want to explore Hiway 62 or just fly in to Phoenix on I10.