Barstow to Bakersfield

This is an Athol Tree, also known as a Smoke Tree.  It is a fur tree, but very different than any I have seen before.

Wild flowers and springtime in the mountain pass.

Calico Ghost Town, CA

On Sat. we went to Calico.  It was a fun day. The weather was nice, not too hot or too windy. 

The town was set up for tourists with shops and places to eat.  We bought post cards in 1 shop and shared a beer at the local saloon.

Calico was a Silver mining town in the 1800's. When the silver
price dropped it became a borax mine. 

 Scotty finally got a bath!

Ash Meadow NWR

Jim & Linda, Scotty & I spent Sat. exploring the hot spring and walking the boardwalk at Ash Meadow National Wildlife Refuge.
We had a really nice time and saw some really cool things. Here are some pictures.

Scotty & Jim learning new stuff

Crystal Lake



Blacktailed Jackrabbit

Zebra tailed Lizard



One of several hot springs

endangered pupfish (they are blue)

Big Rock



We also stopped to see Devils Hole in Death Valley which is actually located in Ash Meadow.
You can't get close enough to see much, but we were there.

Mohave Desert, Death Valley & China Ranch all in 1 day

China Ranch Date Farm, Tecopa, CA

These mountains are in the Nopah Range, Death Valley area of California.

Here we are driving around in the Mohave Desert. No, Really! No road, just sand.

Oatman, AZ

Lake Havasu City

We drove down to Lake Havasu City today (about 70 miles south of Laughlin) to see the London Bridge.The day was sunny and warm and there were many people out on the water and enjoying the park.

Laughlin, NV

Today we drove about 160 miles form Salome, AZ to


Laughlin, NV.











It was an uneventful drive. Which is always a good thing.


We walked around the River walk and checked things out. The weather is great here. The river is very clear and we could see lots of ducks and fish.

Another day in Salome

Happy Hour

Salome "Where she danced"
& Where he was buried

Salome, AZ

We are staying in Salome, AZ. If you don't know where that is, I'm not surprised. It's in the middle of the desert. 45 miles from Quartzsite, in the Harquar mountains.

We drove the 155 miles here from Casa Grande yesterday. The day was warm and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. No wind. A great day for driving.
We were about 6 miles behind Jim & Linda, west of Phoenix on I 10 when Jim's trike rack on the back of his 5h Wheel broke and was lost. We watched for it as we drove, but didn't see anything.
He & Scotty have driven back today to see if they can find it. I'll let you know in a later post.

On another note, the Dynamic Duo made here. They looked a bit hot from the trip so they pretended to be swimming.