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Published: April 28th 2009
Photo 9
282' below sealevel. Sealevel sign way up the cliff.It has been awhile since we were last able to blog - - so this one is going to cover a lot of ground!
Left Pahrump before 8 AM in order to beat the heat in Death Valley (it was forcasted to be 107). We were able to stand at 282' below sealevel and see snow capped mountains over 12000' high. It is only ~130 miles from the lowest point to the highest point in the continental US. We stopped at a big pullout on the way down into the Panamint Valley to cool our brakes and had lunch. That hill dropped something around 4500' in about 11 miles of curvy road. After climbing out of Panamint Valley, we stopped at Father Crowley View Point to take pictures of the road we had just driven down into the valley and back out. On our way back to the car, we heard a jet. He came around a butte, turned on his side and dived down into Rainbow Canyon and out of sight. That canyon is narrow and has a left turn to be negotiated before emerging out into Panamint Valley which is about 5 miles wide. We saw him make
Photo 5
Jet coming out of Canyon (You gotta blow this up up !) a big U turn and head back. We ran for the ravine hoping to see him in the ravine, but he flew up out of the Canyon before we could get there. Gena managed to get a good picture of him. I failed to catch him in the video camera. MADE MY DAY !!!!! We drove on to Lone Pine, NV to a very nice campground for the night. Was finally able to fix the persistant low battery problem in the trailer battery - - turned out to be a blown fuse in the Jeep. It has been 5 days since then and it is still working fine.
On Wed we drove from Lone Pine, NV to Tulare, CA. Saw LOTS saguaro cactus and a really pretty river. Emerged from the foothills ito a very flat San Jaquin Valley with citrus, nut, alfalpha, grapes, and millo, oats, and olive trees. Our campground in Tulare was between a very busy interstate like highway and a busy railroad - - NOISY!... Kerry and I did go swimming on Tue afternoon and it really felt great! On Thursday, we drove up to Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon. The Giant Sequois were awsome!!
Photo 1
Kerry & Charlie in front of the Gen Sherman There was a lot of snow about 5000'. Stopped at a Sizzler for a great dinner and then crashed.
Friday AM we split up. We went to Temecula, CA to visit cousins and Kerry & Charlie went to Bakersfield to visit cousins. On the way to Temecula we stopped at a Farm Store and bought Navel Oranges, tasted all their samples - - they were all really good. Took the turn off to the Tahachapi Loop View Point. Couldn't turn around, so had to continue on. Finally got to a gas station and had to ask directions to get back to CA 58. Took the I-15 down to Temecula - - traffic was horrendous - - took almost three hours to go 60 miles.
Had a great visit with Shana, David, Aunt Leone, and David's mom, Madeline. Shana took us to an Olive Oil Store where they offer "tasting" just like in a winery. Bought some Olive oil called "Just Dip It". Can't wait to try it on some steak. We spent several hours going through an old photo album that had belonged to Grandmother Hixson. What fun! Got to see hot air balloons from Shana's house before
Photo 2
Charlie walking through a Sequoia trunk we left Sunday AM.
Drove back roads over to Jashua Tree NP. Not many Jashua trees to be seen !!! Saw many more between Lone Pine and Tulare. Rest of the drive to Surprize was uneventful - - just long. Had a really good visit with Bob & Lorraine, Joannie, and David. Had a very nice vist and a great meal. Bob and Lorraine never seem to change. Joannie has been putting up a good fight against cancer but seems to be losing the battle. She was to get the latest news from her chief Dr. today.
This morning (Mon) we left Phoenix heading to Tucson, AZ, Saguaro NP, and Old Thombstone. Tucson is spread all over and took forever to get through. Saquaro is small, has only a few Saguaros, compared to what we saw between Lone Pine and Tulare. But the cacti were in bloom and it was beautiful. We ate lunch sitting in one of the pull-offs - - with the breeze, it was delightful. We then headed on down I-10 and turned off to Old Tombstone. It did look old. Went into the Courthouse which was interesting. Walked through the town. There were guys
Photo 3
Looking up at the Gen Grant dressed in old west outfits standing around (gun belts & all) but all of the museums charged admission and we are too cheap to pay. We had parked beside the Courthouse and as we headed back to the car, we saw billowing black smoke. Concerned that our trailer was on fire, I went to check it out. Turned out to be a trailer about 2 doors north of the courthouse. The trailer burned and caught the house next to it on fire. We left before it was out. Drove to Willcox, AZ where we're spending the night. Grilled bratts for dinner. Will drive down to Chiricahua Nat'l Mon tomorrow and then head east.
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