...Here, let's have a look...
...Our route of travel...
...As you near the California border, you'll see Primm, Nevada. Primm boasts the world's highest roller coaster...so high that they close it on windy days, lest the cars get blown off the track!!! (Do you wonder, as I do, how this wind determination is made??? Is it AFTER a car full of terrified teens is launched on a short, but exciting flight over the Mojave desert???)
...Primm also has a fascination with mobsters of the past...They have the Bonnie and Clyde death car, a 1928 Cadillac armored sedan which belonged to Al Capone and a bullet riddled Dusenburg once owned by Mr Dutch Schultz...(it is not clear whether or not Mr. Schultz was aboard at the time of the perforation of his beautiful automobile...)
...And the we enter California. State Motto: "Ya wanna see WEIRD, We invented WEIRD!!!"
...Proceeding southwestward, we see this blinding sight...
...This picture does not do justice to the incredible brightness of these lights (there are 3 of them)...
...Research done after this leg of the trip revealed that these are NOT the vehicles of advance forces of alien invaders who have come to do evil to us...They are solar power generating towers of the Ivanpah Generating Plant in the California Mojave Desert...
...They generate 382 megawatts of electricity from the relentless sunshine available there...
...Next, we pass...
...Zzyzx is the modern name of the town. It WAS called Soda Springs. Apparently a renaming committee consisting of one truly weird local dude decided to change the name officially in 1944 to Zzyzx. He chose the name claiming that it was the last word, alphabetically, in the English language.
...Today, a lake in Zzyzx is known as the last refuge of the endangered TUI CHUB.
...Cute little bugger ain't he??? Let's hope he and his hometown of Zzyzx grow and prosper...
...Next, along Interstate 15 crossing the wide Mojave Desert is a sign warning truckers (and I presume RV operators) that ther is a 17 mile long hill ahead. Did I read that right??? Seventeen miles downhill??? Yep, Dear Reader, right smack dab in the middle of a barren stretch of desert nature has placed a hill that is 17 miles long. Interstate 15 descends this his in an arrow straight line for the entire length. I couldn't believe that the Beast actually went 17 miles without using an ounce of diesel fuel...
...Soon we arrive at Barstow, California. Barstow is know for...well,..uh...hmm. Oh yes, the world famous Route 66 passes through there. Like Rt. 66, we chose to pass through as well...
...It was at Barstow that we got off the great Interstate 15 and proceeded down what could be best described as an "alley in the valley". The Lucerne Valley to be precise...
...South of Barstow...
...it was down this seemingly endless path that we reached Yucca, California, where blessedly we were able to turn to the right...(Your Captain had barely touched the steering wheel since leaving Barstow on this monotonously straight alleyway.)
...This area is what your Captain refers to as "Shock Collar Country". (Ya know how people employ an "invisible fence" to keep their dog safely contained in his own yard???) I firmly believe that the town fathers in Yucca employ similar technology to keep the citizens of Yucca in town...Why else would they remain here???
...Shock Collar used to keep residents of certain areas in the community...
...At any rate we were soon able to rejoin civilization as we entered Palm Springs, California...
...The old downtown section of Palm Springs...
...You can just imagine Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra strolling along here...
...Your Captain wanted to see this statue of Marilyn very much, but local construction made that impossible...Damn those Palm Springs construction guys...
...Next we found ourselves in Palm Desert, an are which is decidedly more upscale than Palm Springs...
...Welcome to Palm Desert...
...One of Your Humble Captain's more successful clients lives along this Palm Desert Boulevard...
...Typically modest little residence in this neighborhood of PART-TIMERS...
...We decided that the difference between Palm Desert and Yucca, California was MONEY and IRRIGATION, both in abundant quantities!!!
...While in Indio, we checked out the two highly regarded RV Resorts there. They are reputed to be on a par with Pelican Lake of Naples, Florida. They are not. They are really nice, but somewhat crowded, and at least one (Indio Outdoor Resorts) does not have any form of coach house on the coach sites. This means absolutely no storage or washer/dryers on the lots.
...As we considered this beautiful valley area of Palm Desert, Indian Wells and Palm Springs, we decided we really liked it...a lot. But here's the rub...Your Captain does not play golf and golf as near as we could tell is the ONLY thing to do here other than shop (Captains hate this activity) and eat.
...Probably time to leave here and continue the adventure...
...So far we've traveled this path...
...Probably time to start heading back to Naples and our great friends at Pelican Lake...
...But what route will we take??? Check out Chapter 43 (when available) for the next episode...
Great post ... I assume New Orleans and Cajun country will be one stop along the way back to sunny Naples for the winter ... safe travels my friends.
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