We wake refreshed. The day is clear but cold. Should be a straight shot down the mountain to Redding. We eat breakfast, then take to the road and have no further incidents. The car seems perfectly functional. Hooray to BMW Service! (But questions to BMW Seattle who serviced the car on Monday and didn't seem to do a really capital job.)
For lunch, we stop in at Cousin Melissa's for a visit with Bob and her. They are doing fine, and really enjoy the wedding photos we share with them (Melissa was unable to attend Sarah's wedding). Back on the road, we have an uneventful drive to Bakersfield. We have a good dinner at the Temblor Brewery and spend the night at the Holiday Inn Express Central Bakersfield.
March 19
This morning, we turn east toward Arizona. After breakfast, we head over Tehachapi Pass to the Mojave Desert. This is stark, but beautiful country.
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| Cacti Near the Highway |
We pass the famous parking lot for used airliners (lots of 747s) and then Edwards AFB, where there were major tests of faster-than-sound aircraft and early tests for space flight (think "The Right Stuff").
After gassing up in Mojave, we stop at the Wagon Wheel in Needles, CA. We know we aren't on the coast any more because Fox News is playing on the TV. The meal is good and we are far enough from the television that our digestion is not threatened.
After lunch, we strike out and decide to take a slight detour on AZ 10, the historic Route 66. I believe my family took this route on our '64 cross-country journey (I was 12). But I can't remember it at all. It is very narrow and winds up through the mountains to the east of the Colorado river and on to Kingman. This highway winds through Oakman, AZ, where the Biker Week traffic takes some patience. The view through our windshield:
We continue on to Kingman:
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| The view from Hwy 10 West above Oakman |
We get gas in Williams, then arrive in Flagstaff. It is very cold, it being 7,300 feet above sea level. Yep, it's still winter here. We have a nice meal at the Silver Pine Restaurant then settle in for the night.
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