Many years ago, when we lived in Winlaw, R played General Sigfried Von Konningsvald in "Happy Birthday, Wanda June" by Kurt Vonnegut, and one of his few lines referenced "oceans of orange juice". So today we are in Bakersfield, swimming in that same ocean. There are a couple of really nice RV resorts here, but we like to stay at the Orange Grove RV Park, (nice, but not a resort) so called because it's smack-dab in the middle of an orange grove and one of the perks of staying here is that you get to pick the oranges. H is beside himself. We hadn't even hooked up yesterday afternoon when we got in, and H was busy picking. And then he thrilled himself by squeezing oceans of orange juice. All by himself. Drinks all around! Very cool for a kid from Canada. The oranges are at their best right now and the juice is delicious.
However -- El Nino: 14, Woodwards: 2. It is raining. Again. It truly was a beautiful sunset in Chowchilla, but nothing to get attached to, apparently. It poured that night, then held off long enough for us to get set up in Bakersfield, before pouring again last night, and as I write this, it's pouring some more. AND if El Nino didn't have enough recognition already, there is a HUGE front coming in today that the weather office is predicting will bring high winds, gusting to 75 mph for tomorrow, our travel day. They advise high-profile vehicles to stay off the highways in the desert and mountain slopes. That would be us. Sandstorms can be highly problematic in the desert. Flying debris is highly problematic anywhere. No thanks. So we will stay here tomorrow and swim in the oceans of orange juice.
Our trip down Hwy 99 yesterday was uneventful -- we did note great improvements to the road in most places, with just a few bumpy, pot-holed stretches remaining. Stopped at a very impressive roadside stop just south of Tulare. (Has it come to this, that I get blown away by a Roadside Stop? Apparently. Many pictures. Sorry. I was just so impressed. )
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| Philip S Raine Rest Area, south of Tulare |
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| OMG! Architecture! |
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| Lots of cool stuff to look at |
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| Really interesting panels on all kinds of subjects |
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| Including this photo on a panel about birds |
Saw some interesting signs: "Prisoners $62,300. Education: $9,100" and "My baby gave me hope and helped me heal" from a group called Teen Mothers From Assault, and "Railroads or Water?" Also saw three young men lined up against a wall surrounded by cop cars, lots of really barebones housing, lots of feedlots, orchards, and a gigantic Kraft factory. A peek into a culture as we pass by.
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| The latest in aerodynamic trucking? |
After we left Chowchilla, we learned that The Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County lives there and that in the 1990s workers found a mammoth tusk that led to the discovery of 15,000 bones and fossils from animals that lived in the area a half a million years ago. How cool is that? Never thought that Chowchilla would be a destination, but we'll make time for it next trip.
And then there's the underground garden in Fresno. Fresno? A destination? In the early 1900s a man named Forestiere built a whole subterranean enclave based on the catacombs in Rome that included gardens and housing. Gotta see it! Half a million people live in Fresno. I think we'll be stopping there next time, too. Turns out, what with this ugly windstorm forecast, we could have stopped there this time. But. We didn't.
So, as I write this the rain is lightening up. We have peacocks to see. Geocaches to find. And then there's that ocean of orange juice.
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