We drove to Barstow and stamped my passport book of the Mojave Desert. We didn’t drive through the Mojave since we’ve done that many times before. But, I will say the very best time to view the Mojave is now...during the spring when the flowers are in bloom. If you wait until June and through the summer, it's just WAY TOO HOT to want go there for you or your tires. I had my passport stamped at the Barstow Visitors Center - it's a new building they recently opened. The best place see all of the Mojave is in the town of Kelso, CA, a ghost town and defunct railroad depot. Mojave does have a few trails to enjoy: Lava Tube Trail at Cinder Cone National Natural Landmark and Castle Mountains National Monument that you can access through Walking Box Ranch Road of CA-164. Also, at Barber Peak, there are a few trails there to enjoy: Hole-in-the-Wall Nature Trail, Barber Peak Loop Trail and Rock Springs Loop Trail, to name a few, where there is also a campground and all are located just off I-40 and Essex Road. Here are a few photos that others have taken of the Mojave Desert in spring:
Photo: Steve Berardi |
Photo: National Park Service |
Photo: Rennett Stowe |
Once inside the visitors center I stamped my book in the bookstore and while the ranger was helping two other ladies I took that time to see the exhibit and things on display. It was a small but informative exhibit on the lifelong dream of Chavez and others to pursue their dreams of a farm worker's union.
Cesar Chavez was born in 1927 to Mexican immigrant parents outside of Yuma, Arizona. His family lost their farm in the 1930 during the depression and so they joined thousands of other migrant farmers streaming into California from the Southwest and Midwest. He quit school after 8th grade but never lost his desire to learn and was a life-long avid reader.
In in 1946 Cesar Chavez joined to Navy and then in 1948 her married his wife, Helen Fabela, a gal he met while working in the fields and vineyards. Eventually, they made their way to San Jose. After ten years as a community organizer throughout California with Dolores Huerta, Gilbert Padillo and other farm activists, Cesar Chavez decided to pursue his dream of a farm worker's union.
I walked the grounds and took in the beauty of the location! The trees were full of blossoms and the water features and garden were lovely. Through the gates was the final resting spot of Cesar and his wife Helena in a lush garden with waterfall with tranquil gurgles; a serene and tranquil final resting spot.
After we left Keene, we drove to Bakersfield, our final place for the day. We stayed in the Golden West Casino parking lot for the night. It's a small mom and pop casino and we had a little bite to eat and then rested up. The girls were in doggie heaven since there was a nice big patch of REAL grass at the rear of the coach and they were so happy to just roll around in grass after three months of no grass except in the doggie park.
We did take the opportunity to do something that has bugged us since we bought our Montana and raised the rear jacks two notches. We just bought jack pads and Scott installed them before we left. When we fueled up at a Pilot, the dip to get back on the road was enough that both read pads came off and since Scott had already gone ahead with the dogs, I had to get out of the truck and walked way back to where they came off and carry them back to the truck bed. They aren't light. When we stop for a longer period of time, we'll probably raise the middle jacks just one notch and we should be riding much better.
Now, the sun is setting and we're off for a long-deserved sleep after a long drive today. Sunsets never get old. We heard the churn of the "grasshopper" all night which lulled us to sleep. My dad used to call oil drills "grasshoppers" when we would travel the country. It was a fond remembrance.
No comments:
Post a Comment