Day 1, Saturday, April 10, Home to Tulare, CA via CA99: 152 miles
The day finally arrived for my lovely Trail Buddy to join me for an adventure out of state – the first one together since September! If there’s family at the end of the journey, she’s all in. If it’s just a trip to go bummin’ around the country as I love to do – she’ll pass.
This trip we planned to head south to Arizona where we’d visit with a cousin of Lavonne’s that she hasn’t seen in many years. And while there, we planned to visit an uncle that we haven’t seen in a few years. Arizona is not our kind of summer fun, and we avoid it on our adventures in the summertime. But it was April, so we figured we could handle the Arizona heat, which, as of Day 1, was predicted to be in the high 80s when we planned to arrive. We could handle that.
Yes. Arizona has hot summers.
No. Such weather is not for us! (Photo credit: The Arizona Republic.)
The morning of Day 1, as usual, was a lot of work for two old folks in their late 70s. For over two hours I loaded the coach with clothing, food, electronics, and more for the trip. I was pleasantly surprised by how well I handled the exertion, having to stop only once for a few minutes as I perused my checklist. My life runs on lists. My Trail Buddy has her own list for all the stuff she needs to take along.
After the loading was done, I turned the house off, including heater, water heater, and a few more things that needn’t run when we’re gone. Finally, just before noon, we pulled away from our home and headed for the abominable CA99 and headed south.
Heading south on CA99, and look at that awful Kalifornistan traffic! There was a bit of a backup on the other side, it seemed. I looked forward to Day 2 when we’d head west from Bakersfield and find lots of rural driving over the Tehachapis and through the Mojave Desert.
Our drive was unremarkable as we like – but crowded most of the time. There are sections of CA99 that are very rough, and some sections that are just fine, as the photo above shows.
We stopped at a rest area a few miles south of Modesto where I made a quick sandwich, but Lavonne wasn’t yet hungry. So we stopped later in the town of Chowchilla, where there is a Mickey D’s that is very easy to access and even easier from which to get back on the freeway. It also has a big rig parking lot that we appreciate. I brought her a Filet-O-Fish, and as much as I love those sandwiches, I had nothing. One lunch would have to be enough for me. And soon we were back on the highway.
Along our drive we passed this old Chevrolet. I believe this was about a 1946 Chevy, made right after the war. In the mid 1950s we (my mom, sis and I) had a 1941 Chevy sedan very similar to the one above. It was the first car my mom ever owned, and we were mighty pleased to have it.
We poked along for a while wondering what the slow down was about. Then we came across this fender bender. There was an ambulance present, so it may have been worse than it appeared.
Good news for those who love Kalifornistan wine – the vineyards were leafing out nicely!
We arrived at the Walmart store in Tulare (two-lair-ee) at 1600 hours, and were pleased to be out of the traffic. I set Big Blue up for the night, and we relaxed the afternoon away. I edited photos and began this travelogue. Lavonne played games on her laptop, and we enjoyed the very mild afternoon in Tulare. With windows open, the coach was very comfortable – clear up past 2100 hours.
Big Blue set up for our stay at Tulare’s Walmart lot. The weather was perfect.
This awful mess was nearby, also on the Walmart lot. I cannot imagine why Walmart allows such goings on as this. (The next morning they and all the stuff they had scattered about were nowhere to be seen.) We’ve never seen so many homeless people as we see nowadays in these valley towns.
As usual during a stay in Tulare, after evening chores, I ordered a Panda Express meal online, then walked the short distance to the store and picked it up. I enjoyed a double order of their wonderful Orange Chicken, a side of white rice, and plenty of teriyaki sauce to drown the rice. Lavonne wanted just a small order of chow mein, which I also brought home. What a treat that meal was for me – I am addicted to that very excellent chicken and also to teriyaki. And my diet was shot for that day!
After my Panda Pig-Out, I continued clacking away on the laptop to update this travelogue. We both spent the evening on our laptops, as usual.
The night turned out to be the single noisiest night I’ve ever spent on the motorhome – or anywhere else that I can recall. I guess the Tulare teens and twenty-somethings consider hanging out on the Walmart lot to be a very cool way to spend a Saturday night. During much of the evening people were often hanging around their parked cars, chatting and socializing with one another. The nearby street seemed to be the main drag for the fools with booming, very loud car audio systems, and we heard entirely too much thump-thump-thump during the evening and even a bit past midnight. Lavonne and I agreed that we’d never spend another Saturday night in Tulare.
I called it an evening about midnight and climbed into bed. Lavonne had retired a couple hours earlier. Once the partying stopped along the main drag, we had a good night aboard.
Day 2, Sunday, April 11, Tulare to Barstow, CA via CA99, CA58: 196 miles
I was up and around at 0630. Lavonne was already up – and had been since 0400. Our morning was slow and easy as we had less than 200 miles to drive that day. I looked forward to the drive over the Tehachapi Mountains and into the Mojave Desert.
It was a pleasant Sunday morning drive with light traffic along CA99.
I had to fuel up somewhere before the Tehachapis, and had two stations picked out from shopping on Gas Buddy. The fuel prices are all high in Kalifornistan, due to the way the state is run, and the best one can do is shop for the lowest high price. I pulled into a Chevron in Earlimart and pumped on 65 gallons for $3.50 per. Meanwhile, the stuff sells on average for $3.08 in the entire country. But enough complaining.
Kalifornistan politics.
We continued south to Delano where we pulled into the local Walmart for breakfast in the coach, the same Walmart I spent the last night of my recent Louisiana trip. I walked into the store to buy some syrup, which I had forgotten to load, and we enjoyed a quick and tasty breakfast of toasted waffles and fruit. And we continued south.
At Bakersfield we turned east on CA58 which goes over the Tehachapis and then drops into the Mojave Desert. I was surprised by some areas of the mountains and their acres of green grasses – they must have had more rain than we did up north. And yes… Kalifornistan is in yet another drought.
Climbing the Tehachapis – the Tehachapis are usually parched, but after some winter and spring rains, it was looking pretty green.
We topped the mountains where the town of Tehachapi sits at about 4000 feet, then cruised on down the other side and into the Mojave Desert.
The Mojave Desert in April. These are Joshua Trees along CA58.
We arrived at the Barstow Walmart at 1315 hours, and set up for our overnight stay. It was pretty warm that afternoon, in the mid to high 80s. Barstow can be miserably hot in the summertime with average high temperatures around 100°.
Parked for the night at the Barstow Walmart store.Â
Once we were set up for the night, and I had a frozen dinner for lunch, I took my daily walk. I walked along two sides of the huge store, the shaded sides, then walked a lap around the inside where it was cool and comfortable – and pretty crowded.
Everyone was wearing masks in the store, except the few ignoramuses who wore their masks under their noses – essentially not wearing a mask. Lavonne and I had our second Covid shot over a month ago, and we’re feeling a bit more confident these days. Still, we always wear our masks inside stores and such places – and have yet to eat inside a restaurant. I guess that’s still forbidden in Kalifornistan, but not so in Arizona, where we might have our first restaurant meal in over a year.
We spent the afternoon in the coach, and ran the air conditioner for three or four hours to stay comfortable. After evening chores (that means shower, etc.), I zapped some of Lavonne’s homemade pork and beans and poured them over cornbread that Lavonne had also made. It was a very good dinner.
The evening cooled off very nicely, and eventually open windows and a breeze kept us comfortable. For our entertainment, we sat in the coach at the laptops, of course. I watched a bit of my DVD O Brother, Where art Thou? and have almost memorized the words of that very funny movie. I’ve probably watched it too many times.
Lavonne headed to bed around 2200 hours, and I followed around midnight. The night was certainly much quieter than the prior night in Tulare.
Day 3, Monday, April 12, Barstow to Parker, AZ via I-40, US95, CA62: 207 miles
Monday dawned a bit breezy in Barstow, but the night was mild and I looked forward to the desert drive to Parker.
I wanted to get some shopping done in Barstow’s Walmart, so once up and around and morning chores done, I headed to the store. After the shopping and stashing the groceries, I continued walking around the lot for the day’s exercise.
We wouldn’t have breakfast on the road that morning, as we dawdled much of the morning away. I zapped a breakfast sandwich and peeled a mandarin orange. Lavonne made oatmeal for herself. We were purposely killing time so as to arrive in Parker later in the day. It was predicted to be in the low 90s there.
After the leisurely breakfast, I updated this travelogue. Then I tended the bug collection on the huge windshields. As it turned out, with all that dawdling, we finally pulled out of Barstow’s Walmart lot at 1030 hours. That was about as late as I remember leaving an overnight stay, but with my memory, that observation means very little.
It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it!
What a great start to the day – the highway was lightly traveled, smooth, and the landscape was wide open and empty!
We drove the short distance to the I-40 onramp and continued east to US95 in Needles, about 145 miles away. The drive was just the sort of adventure I seek; it was relatively light traffic, the road was usually smooth, and the country wide open and empty. Those qualities made it pretty much the opposite of the rotten areas of Kalifornistan I usually have to drive.
Shortly after we began the drive, we drove by this single wind turbine. It must be the loneliest wind turbine in the state.
We turned onto US95 South about 1300 hours, my usual lunch time. We planned to pull off the road in town and have a good lunch in the coach, but the area of town we drove had only dirt shoulders and no businesses or parking areas. All along the shoulders signs were posted stating “No Stopping Anytime”, so we had to keep moving. Several miles down US95 I finally found a safe, wide shoulder area and parked. We enjoyed a good lunch there, and ran the house air conditioner the entire time – it was pretty warm. We’d been running the dash air as we drove to stay comfortable.
US95 is a 70 mile, sometimes curvy, sometimes straight as a string sort of drive to our next junction, CA62. Traffic on the highway was pretty light for Kalifornistan, and it’s all two lane road.
Crossing the Colorado River into Arizona. I was out of Kalifornistan and it just felt good!
We arrived at the Parker, AZ Walmart at 1500 hours. Yep, we arrived smack dab in the middle of the afternoon when it was plenty hot and would get a bit hotter. The high was 93° in the town, and it was likely hotter as we sat on the asphalt parking lot. So much for planning.
Shortly after arriving and setting up, I walked into the store and bought each of us a pint of ice cream. I chose the low-calorie light with “just” 330 calories, a flavor called Peanut Butter Cup. It was only Ok, as most low-cal ice creams are.
Big Blue parked at the Parker Walmart. It was a warm afternoon and those roof air conditioners worked to keep us comfortable.
We spent the afternoon as usual, but ran the house air conditioners ’til nearly 2000 hours, and tried to turn them off. At 80° outside and the sun down, I thought we’d do fine with open windows. Not so; I had to turn them on again to stay comfy. So it goes when one chooses to visit Arizona in April, I suppose. But we were happy aboard with the air conditioners keeping things comfortable.
I edited photos and updated this travelogue. Lavonne was on her laptop much of the afternoon, too. We were in a much quieter area than the prior nights, and with the roar of the air conditioners, we wouldn’t have heard much outside anyway. We had basement air in our prior coach, Cecil the Diesel, before she was totaled. The air conditioner was mounted below the living area where all the storage areas are, and the air ran almost as quietly as home central air. Not so with Big Blue – the air conditioners are roof mounted and they are noisy! Next to the excellent fuel mileage Cecil got, we miss that very quiet basement air the most.
For dinner I zapped a frozen turkey dinner and added bread and a mandarin orange for dessert. Lavonne counted her afternoon ice cream as dinner, and at dinner time she had a banana for dessert.
It was well after 2100 that I was finally able to turn off the air conditioners and open windows to stay comfortable. These Arizona folks have to be very tough to handle all the hot weather – and it wasn’t even hot yet!
I perused a couple movies to find one that really interested me, and I couldn’t find one. I enjoyed a cool one as I viewed, and called it a day about midnight. Lavonne had already called it a day around 2200. It had been a good but somewhat challenging day.
Day 4, Tuesday, April 13, Parker to Marana, AZ via AZ95, AZ72, I-10, AZ85, I-8: 263 miles
Day 4 would likely be the busiest day of the trip. We wanted to arrive at the Walmart in Marana, AZ about 1530 hours. En route we absolutely had to dump the holding tanks, add fresh water, and fuel up. Of course our idea of busy is far removed from working folks’ idea of busy, but for us it was pretty busy.
After morning chores, I headed to the store and bought two 10 pound bags of ice to put in the fridge as it had been struggling to stay cold. The fridge was mid 40s and the freezer was about zero. That’s not awful bad, but ice would help out. During the day the fridge stayed in the mid 40s and the freezer stayed near zero. I still don’t have that fridge right in spite of all the things I’ve done to it. Perhaps it was time to have a pro fix it.
We pulled out of the lot and headed south on AZ95 and eventually to I-10. We’d take a route that would add about 10 miles so that we’d completely miss the Phoenix area, as I don’t do metro areas if I can possibly avoid it. Well… except when we see the kids who live in Denver as it’s kinda hard to avoid that.
Another great start for the day. Smooth and empty.Â
Our drive included some gnarly back roads which somehow are labeled Arizona state highways. As we drove through the area of Bouse, a small town along AZ72, our teeth rattled as we drove that very rough road. It should not be designated a state highway, but more properly called a glorified goat trail. But we managed through it.
Near one of the RV parks I stopped at to inquire about dumping, we simply pulled off the road a bit and whipped up a good breakfast.
I stopped at a couple RV parks to see if they’d let us dump and if so, their price. Both told us they don’t allow dumping except for overnight customers. For us, that’ll never happen, as we believe in dry camping for free. I really don’t know why anyone would buy a self-contained RV and then park every night at a RV park. I think they miss the concept. With all the travel plazas with dumps which charge about $10, and the few rest areas that have free dumps for RVs, I cannot imagine paying $40 per night, or more, when one can pocket the money and stay at a safe and clean Walmart or other accommodating retailer for free. Enough rambling…
Our drive would take us through the Sonoran Desert National Monument. It is a 776 square mile desert area managed by BLM. It’s a relatively new national area, established in 2001. The desert beauty in that area is just stunning with what must be millions of Saguaro cactuses that stand as sentinels. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive through that area.
After checking Gas Buddy for the best deal along the route, I found this station selling Diesel 2 for just $3.06 while others were quite a bit higher. When I pulled into this Pride station at Eloy, AZ I discovered that the price was even lower at just $2.98! I was mighty pleased to pump on 73 gallons and save the difference of over $23 compared to the station just across the street that was selling the same stuff for $3.30.
Lunch break! The pump at the Pride station was so painfully slow, that pumping on the 73 gallons took more than a half hour. During that time I made a sandwich, then sat on the dash where I could watch the pump, and ate the sandwich. And an apple. A fella working there told me the slowness was due to the many trucks fueling behind the station. But I didn’t mind at that bargain price.
A few miles down the interstate after fueling, we pulled into the TA truck stop, known as Travel America. They had a RV dump and we pulled right up to it. Lavonne went inside to pay the $10 and I began the process of dumping and adding fresh water. Here I’m filling the fresh water tank.
It was good to be done with those chores, and we had just 40 miles or so to reach Marana’s Walmart store – a part of a very large shopping center. We arrived at Marana a little after 1500 hours. I set up the coach for the night, and Lavonne prepared for an evening out with her cousin, Glenda. They spent some time together as children, but hadn’t seen one another since. It would be quite a reunion for them.
Parked for the night at Marana, Arizona’s Walmart.
The plan was for four of us, counting the men, to have a restaurant dinner together. But Glenda’s boyfriend, Dennis, couldn’t make the gathering. So I told Lavonne to enjoy the evening with her cousin without me – those two would have a much better time together alone without me tagging along. I do not like restaurants, anyway, and I’d much rather stay in the coach and enjoy the quiet and the solitude.
My evening alone included my first ever meal from Chipotle, since there was a store near our “camp” site. I ordered their triple chicken taco online, then walked over and simply picked it up. I was underwhelmed by their idea of a taco – nothing but beans and meat. There was no tomato, lettuce, onion, nothing like that. I may try one of their bowls sometime, but never again their tacos.
Lavonne and Glenda were back from their dinner out about 2000 hours. Glenda joined us in the coach for a few minutes of visiting before heading home. They had a grand time together and I was pleased that they got together after all those years apart since they were kids.
I watched more of the Coen Brothers movie, Millers Crossing, and just couldn’t get interested. I also tried another of theirs, Barton Fink, and it was a bit better, but it got late and I’d have to finish it another time. Some of the Coen’s movies are my very favorite, but those two had me scratching my head.
I headed for bed about midnight, a couple hours after Lavonne did. It had been a good day and I slept well.
Day 5, Wednesday, April 14, Marana, AZ to Parker, AZ via I-10, Loop 202, AZ72, AZ95: 259 miles
We woke up to a beautiful day in Marana, AZ, but a bit of a breezy one. After morning chores, I joined Lavonne in the living room and perused the ‘net for a few minutes.Â
I had to do a bit of shopping, so I headed to the store fairly early and bought a few items. I also brought along our six one gallon jugs to fill at the Primo water dispenser. For 29¢ each, I filled them with filtered water. We use that water for coffee and drinking as I don’t particularly want to drink water from the coach’s big water tank. We use the tank water for everything else.
The morning of Day 5 would find us heading up a nearby hill to her Uncle Bill’s place. He’s a fine old gentleman who turns 90 in September. His wife passed a couple of years ago, and he’s now dating an 85 year old he met at his church. He told us he wants to marry her, but so far she’s not convinced. We were inspired by his new romance and his love of life. There is plenty of life after 80 years! His son, Gordon, who lives on the same property in another house with his wife, joined us for the visit.
Uncle Bill (L) and his son, Gordon. (Photo credit: Lavonne)
About 1100 hours we bid Uncle Bill and Gordon good-bye, and headed down the hill to I-10. We would drive back to Parker, AZ to begin our drive home. It was a blowy day, and I had to work a bit at times to keep Big Blue straight on the highway. She’s a big, heavy coach, but she can still be knocked about a bit by a strong wind. Back in my trucking days as I drove a loaded set of doubles weighing around 40 tons, I was blown from one lane into another in an instant, so I do have a lot of respect for the power of wind.
The day’s drive would take us entirely too close to the Phoenix area because I made a mistake on the navigator. I have to place a “waypoint” on the routes if I want to change the initial route the navigator comes up with. But that morning I forgot, so I wound up mindlessly following I-10 toward Phoenix instead of continuing west on I-8.
Click to enlarge and read the captions:
We drove so close to Phoenix, that I believe this is its skyline. Pardon the lousy, long distance telescopic photo.
The traffic was very heavy – like every big city.
We drove through the Phoenix area on what is called Loop 202, which misses downtown but still gets into heavy metro traffic. We were slowed by one fender bender, but made good time otherwise. Still, we put up with so much awful traffic. Eventually we drove back into the country west of the big city, and things were fine.
I believe this is a farm in the desert. The palm trees really dressed up the place nicely.
We arrived at the Parker, AZ Walmart lot at 1630 hours, our latest arrival time this trip. After setting up the coach for the night, I took my daily walk around the lot. It was still blowy, but by 2100 hours there was just a pleasant breeze blowing.
We enjoyed a beautiful sunset in Parker, Arizona. It was just stunning.
We ate dinner aboard and enjoyed the evening. We spent the evening as usual, on the laptops. I wrote the travelogue for the day and edited photos. Lavonne played games to keep occupied. As usual, I watched more movie, finishing Barton Fink, and never figured it out. I also enjoyed a couple cool ones, and finally headed to bed at my usual midnight.
Day 6, Thursday, April 15, Parker AZ to Delano, CA via CA62, US95, I-40, CA58, CA99: 364 miles
I was up and around at 0630 hours. Lavonne was already up, and had been for over an hour. The day dawned sunny and calm, and promised to be a good travel day.
We wanted to get an earlier than usual start, and after morning chores and setting Big Blue up for the highway, we pulled out of the lot at 0800. I also wanted to fill up with the last cheap fuel we’d see all day, so I drove just across the intersection to Running Man Fuel. They were selling Diesel 2 for just $3.08 per. I pumped on only 39 gallons to fill our 90 gallon tank, but it took nearly half an hour. Their pump was as at least as slow as the last one we used that also took so long to fill up.
Big Blue slowly – very slowly – being filled up by another very, very slow pump. We were there nearly half an hour for only 39 gallons.
Finally, we drove through town to CA62 which right away took us across the Colorado River and back into Kalifornistan. Ugh. But it’s home, so I have no choice. We pulled over to a parking area right after we crossed the river, and whipped up an oatmeal breakfast. And we continued on.
Our drive was uneventful. We stopped only one other time, and that was for lunch on the side of CA58 where there was ample room to park. I ate a light sandwich because I’d promised myself a Panda Pig-out that evening.
Click to enlarge and read the captions:
Ugh. I hate the place, but it’s home.
US95 was a lovely drive on a very nice morning.
A desert view along US95.
How Needles, CA charges these high prices, I don’t understand.
A barn find?? This old 1930s Ford was heading down I-40 at 65 MPH backwards!
Desert beauty along I-40.
As we entered the climb up the Tehachapis there was a warning posted for high winds, but we never encountered any. I suspect the wind developed later in the afternoon.
We cruised over the mountains and down into the Central Valley and Bakersfield where I feared there might be a traffic jam. The only slowdown was at the CA58/CA99 junction due to construction. The highways through Bakersfield have seen a lot of construction projects in recent years, and the work has paid off. The drive was almost entirely over new, smooth concrete highways on both CA58 and CA99 in the Bakersfield area. And I just said something nice about Kalifornistan. That may be a first!
More click fun:
Some motorhome! I called that Papa Bus and Baby Bus. They were both very well done.
Scenic view along I-40.
This classic 1963 Ford Galaxie passed us along I-40.
More I-40 scenery.
Cattle along CA58 as we dropped into Bakersfield.
The heavy traffic along CA99 – note that very new and smooth concrete highway. It’s about time!
Big Blue parked for the night. We’d be home the next day and we were ready to be home.
FishWisher's Home Page 
Hi Dale!
We just came back ourselves from a 2 week trip; first to AR and then LA to visit our children and meet the newest granddaughter, Autumn, who was only 2 wks. young when we met her. She is so beautiful! Got to see her give a big smile just before filling her diaper! hehehehe
Anyway, great weather in AR but it stormed constantly at our daughter’s place in LA. During one night the lightening and cracks of thunder and the pouring rain woke me up. The day before we left to come home and the morning of, all sunny! Then we ran into SNOW in IL at Bloomington and Bloomington Normal. Then on Tues. after we arrived home, it SNOWED overnight! Thankfully it all melted on Wed.
Riding in the truck, we finally went from 17.8 to 18.1 mpg! The best yet! But sitting all the time made me so stiff! I’m still suffering a bit from all that riding!
That’s the highlights of OUR trip. We told the kids that we wouldn’t be going to see them any more as in 2 years we’ll be going on 74 and it’s just too hard on our bodies. THEY’LL have to save money to come and SEE US!
We saw MANY seniors driving what you drive, and at one point I said to Jim, “If I saw a rig like yours with ‘BIG BLUE ll’ on the back, I’d be waving to the driver like crazy!”
I’m glad that you both enjoyed your trip, as usual. Should you two ever decide to drive to WI, let us know and we could meet somewhere and actually meet in person and visit!
Safe travels,
Sandy & Jim Aerts
Hi Sandy –
Thanks for the visit and the note. Glad you all got a good trip in even though the weather wasn’t so good. Now, if you had a comfy motorhome, you might enjoy those long drives more! Those Class A passenger seats are usually recliners with an extended foot rest and are very comfy.
That’s an awful long drive from Wisconsin to LALA Land. I told my kid, who lives with his family near San Diego, the same thing four years ago. Since then I refuse to drive through LA ever again. So, for the past four years, I rarely hear from him and see him even less. I hope your family is a bit more willing to make the effort!
Thanks for the invite. It seems pretty unlikely I’ll be driving in Wisconsin, but I’ll keep you all in mind if I ever do.
Thanks again. -Dale
Dale, it’s not California. It’s Louisiana. lol
Huh??