27th September 2022

Our aim today was to drive across the Mohave Desert to Palm Springs which involved miles and miles of long straight flat roads……..

Sometimes you got to see nodding donkeys (pumpjacks) like these on the outskirts of Bakersfield………

Sometimes it was electricity pylons with a mountain range in the distance……….

But then sometimes you got a bit of excitement as a freight train slowly lumbered by sounding it’s mournful tune, a sound everyone is familiar with from the many movies and TV shows we get here in the UK. It normally signals (in the movies) that there is an impending disaster, but here in the desert it is mainly to warn car drivers that it is about to cross the road!

But I’m sure I would have seen it coming without the horn!

Along the way we saw an airfield that they use to store aircraft that are not needed. They can wait here to be called back into service, as the conditions here are ideal to preserve them in good condition!

There are a few airfields like this around these arid deserts, we have passed military strips where they keep the aircraft for spares I believe.

Still a long way to go……….

I’m sure there must be a speed limit for these huge trucks but they were often overtaking me when I was doing 70 mph!

Getting closer, I’ve never seen so many wind turbines in all my life……..

I guess you need a lot of electricity in the desert just to power the air-conditioning……………

This was a bit worrying when we eventually got to our motel an air-con van outside our room!