You can see the enthusiasm when we crossed the Cali boarder...finally. Emma titled today "Highway to Hell" after one of her favorite AC/DC songs...which we played as we traveled the Mojave Desert. Hell as in our tailbones finally hurt...Hell as in we are so dang close...Hell as in we are over being in the car. When we crossed from Arizona desert to California desert the difference was strangely obvious. I can't put my finger on it...but it was different.
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| As Virginians we were a bit confused about the check point to enter California. No they were not looking for humans but insect when they had us open up the trailer. Cali has strict laws to protect their produce and waters from invasive species. They gave us a souvenir in government-ese that sounds like we have been retained while in California...no worries we are still free to roam. |
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| It is hard to see here so I stole someone's pic to show a better detail. The sides of the train tracks are covered with Rice, CA Desert Graffiti where years of visitors have written their names in rocks and debris. We even saw a family leaving their mark with shiny store bought rocks. Only if we had known this was a thing...good plan for next time. Across from the tracks were shoes on fences...after some research we found that it was shoes on trees and there is some interesting history that you can read more about. (again, no good photos) |
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| We managed to reach a music destination before pulling into our final destination. Joshua Tree National Park...music connection...Joshua Tree Music Festival. The park gave us a chance to get up close to all the cacti we had been trying to identify (check that off the homeschool check list) along the way. We studied with google about the birds, snakes and critters that live out there and picked up some more info from the park system. |
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| Our little one and the boy especially enjoyed learning about the fault line and different biomes. I promise you Emma wasn't upset...she is staying with the theme of "Highway to Hell". |
Once back on the road the winds picked up again and the temperatures dropped by 20 degrees...and still holding from our Carlsbad destination. Not getting out of the upper 60s while we are here.
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| We have learned quickly that when we see these it is for a reason. The wind gusts were in the 50mph range and husband had us all tighten up in case we flipped. I thought we were going to end this vacation with tragic movie beginnings. |
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| The last time we hit traffic was Nashville; now just outside Los Angeles. Understandable. And a holiday weekend. Honestly, I didn't find the traffic any worse than D.C., Tampa or Orlando. While Nashville traffic and roads bug the Hell out of me I don't know. |
The rest of the photos were taken by my mother-in-law as the Garell Gathering commenced.
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| Our little one talked some of the guys into beaching it with her...she knows now that the water is cold. Let's see if she still wants to take a dip everyday. |
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