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Our morning walk was really nice walking down the open road past the empty acreage covered in grass and scrub. I discovered a new type of critter hole. It was way too big for ground squirrels anyway. Maybe they were marmot holes. We walked down to a parcel with pine trees over grass and Indian Paintbrush. It was cool with no wind and low clouds. All of a sudden we felt a hot breeze in our faces. We saw the clouds raining but the water evaporated before reaching the ground. Eventually, a few drops hit us before we went inside. This meant that rain fell on us on each of our travel days during the big adventure. Pretty weird for a Southern California dog.
We packed the car again and hit the road after getting diesel, coffee, pumpkin bread, and road gum. We were heading home! It was nice when we left Williams, but it immediately got hot as we descended the Colorado Plateau. First the trees disappeared, then it became scrubland after which, desert.
We drove towards the California border loosely following Route 66. At Bullhead City, we looked for Noah Joad. I don't think I knew him. We drove and drove through the California desert in the 110+ degree heat. At a rest stop, we saw a black lava field in the desert. Hours passed and we reached Barstow. At Victorville, we went back to "Blue Highways" again rather than the prospect of Los Angeles freeways. We could then get great bean and cheese burritos at a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall for dinner when we got home. Leaving Victorville, we passed the Joshua Trees. They were the first trees we had seen in a long time. After entering the Canyon Country, we saw a wildfire at Agua Dulce. It had just started and was running up the hill. It was still way over 100 degrees outside. I am glad we have good air conditioning in the car.
We drove towards the California border loosely following Route 66. At Bullhead City, we looked for Noah Joad. I don't think I knew him. We drove and drove through the California desert in the 110+ degree heat. At a rest stop, we saw a black lava field in the desert. Hours passed and we reached Barstow. At Victorville, we went back to "Blue Highways" again rather than the prospect of Los Angeles freeways. We could then get great bean and cheese burritos at a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall for dinner when we got home. Leaving Victorville, we passed the Joshua Trees. They were the first trees we had seen in a long time. After entering the Canyon Country, we saw a wildfire at Agua Dulce. It had just started and was running up the hill. It was still way over 100 degrees outside. I am glad we have good air conditioning in the car.
After the desert landscape, first we had the Joshua Trees. Then we had the Valley Oaks, Eucalyptus, Sycamores, Orange, Lemon, Avocado, and finally Palm trees. The air finally started to cool as we entered the Santa Clara River Valley. That was great news for the humans. We stopped to get our burritos and then at the grocery store for the next morning's coffee milk. I started to really know where I was when we drove through Ventura. By the time we got home it was only 72 degrees with a nice ocean breeze. I was so happy to get back to my house and my bed. The ocean was still there. The park would be waiting for tomorrow's walk. I had a grand adventure, but I was glad to be home!
