First Catchup Post

Trip from Crescent City CA to Picacho Peak AZ

Start 8.30 am 29 August 2009

Very foggy at the coast, needed lights and crept along. Five miles inland, no fog at all.

Drove 199 to Grants Pass OR. Stopped by the Great Cats Park, saw bengal tiger, black leopard, snow leopard, cougar, etc. Didn't take the tour as didn't have the time, just wandered on my own for about 30 minutes. Bought a big cats card deck and a bolster pillow in b/w zebra-stripe and bright blue.

South on I-5 from Grants Pass. Overnight at Flying J in Corning CA. Then Sacramento, Fresno, and onto CA-99 to Bakersfield, Barstow. Picked up I-40 there towards Needles. Saw sign "Wilmington NC 2,450 miles" which I finally realized was the other end of I-40; didn't know that I-40 begins/ends in Barstow. Nothing exciting along the way.

Lots of smoke from the LA-area fires; spectacular sunset on the way to Needles. It was so hot, I hung out at the Flying J in Barstow until 8pm, when it cooled off to about 90. About 40 miles from Needles, found a rest stop packed with trucks. Some trees, some wind. About 11.30. Crashed until about 3.30 or so. Opened the windows and the door to catch the breeze. Nice temp, too, about 70.

On to Needles. Dawn when I got there. South on 95 to Blythe (road full of dips up down up down up down), where I stayed at the KOA (I get a discount). It's a bigger park than I'm used to, about 200 spaces, many of which are permanent abodes used seasonally. It was an okay spot but I couldn't hookup my cable TV as their cable was frayed at the end and the connector was missing. I called to report this. A few hours later, I looked outside and saw my cable running across the next spot to its cable connection, so I was able to get hooked up. However, nobody had let me know I could hookup so it's a good thing I looked out, isn't it?

Even with them giving me a "special" discount the site was $38, so it must be about $45 or $50 regularly. I didn't think it was all that great. And a Flying J was about a mile away (though I didn't know it was so close). I could have slept there for free. I have to start reading my "Next Exit" book before I get somewhere.