21 March Headed to Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas

We are en route to Dallas / Fort Worth area to visit with the boys and their family's (especially the GRAND KIDS).
Thursday we traveled 608 miles from Las Vegas to Albuquerque N.M. then today 555 miles has found us in Oklahoma City, Tomorrow (SAT) will find us in Forth Worth, Good Lord willing.

Jana and the kids are traveling from Alabama ( Headland Spring Break) to visit her brothers and their family's.  It will be good to see everyone.

The Lord has blessed us with safe travel and good health to enjoy the beauty of his creation.  It has been a special eight weeks, but I am looking forward to getting home.  Judith is almost anxious as I am, it has been a great trip but its time to rest in our own bed.

19 March-- Alabama Hicks in Las Vegas

Las Vegas- the "Strip" artificial grass, lots of traffic casinos, high prices.

 

                                              We have not been here in several years and were blown away by the shopping areas in the new casinos, like the Wynns and Balagos.(?)

                                                                    Large water falls

                                         Carousel , everything covered in flowers.

                                              Flowers, flowers everywhere.

                                        Suppose to be St Marks Square in Venice, Italy.   This is all inside (Sky and clouds are painted on the ceiling) complete with gondola rides (only $75 for 10 minute 200 yard ride) .  Leaving at 0600 tomorrow, next stop Albuquerque, N.M.--headed EAST!

18 March -- Death Valley then on to Las Vegas

We departed China Lake and the hospitality of the US Navy and traveled into Death Valley. The Spring rains have been a bit more than usual so the wild flowers and other greenery were in full bloom, not a lot of color just less drab than would be the case.

 

   Miles of sand, miles of rock then miles of sand and rock mixed.  Rock here

                                                             Sand here.

                                     We got off the beaten path and hiked a couple of miles up this canyon, very narrow in places.

                                              A wide spot (the canyon gets wider)

                                                                  A Narrow spot.

                                                 Large sand dunes.

                                           This area was covered with a large lake and the mounds are sediment that settled on the bottom, then as the lake dried up erosion washed away the softer materiel.  Lots of borax mined in this area in the early 1900's, not so much today because the National Park won't allow.

                                            Driving through the desert with snow capped peaks in the distance

                                                                    More sand.  God created man with eyes that cannot be equaled by a camera,  The beauty in the valley is suttle, we could not have ask for a more perfect day temps at75 with a light breeze..  Departed the park about 1600 headed for Vegas.

!7 March-From Beautiful Farm Country to the Mojave Desert

Today we drove from the fertile Joaquin Valley to edge of hell known as the Mojave Desert.  The wind was blowing about 40 miles per hour which gave me good gas mileage as long as the wind was behind us, but the dust was awful.

 

                                                     Wind Turbines everywhere

                                            Several hundred wind turbines, all sizes.

                                                  Then almost nothing-dust and sagebrush (and cheap land)

                                                                  No water--no nothing.

                                         Finally a small town in the distance.  Look how straight the street is.

                                            Their sense of humor is great and correct, they are at least 100 miles from anywhere.  Have you ever heard of Inyokern, CA ??

                                       This is the only curve in 20 miles so lots of folks run off the road here, (not me , I was taking a picture)

                                           Streets are not paved so --- dust control.

     We are staying at China Lake, CA a Naval Air Weapons Range.  There is no lake here and yes I know the clothes bag is useless.  The bag came apart when the temp got to -40 at Big Sky, they don't make things like they use to.

                    No grass here, Judith said she would be crying if we were moving here.  But with no city around the sky is full of stars and the full moon is bright in the sky.  Tomorrow we venture into Death Valley then on to Las Vegas, finally we are headed EAST.

Farming in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern CA,( from Larry the farmer)

For the past week we have traveled through the Central and Southern Coastal farm regions of CA.  The soil is rich in minerals but there is little rain

, so irrigation is a must.  According to which report you read CA has been in drought condition for 7-9 years.  Since most water comes from the winter snow and the snow is only 25% of normal the drought is on for at least another year.  Add another bit of bad news, most of the water used for irrigation comes from the big CA ditch ( a large cement trough that brings water from the North of CA, where the CA State Government has had to cut water availability more than half since 2008).  So look for the cost of fruits and vegetables to increase as the drought grows deeper.

 

 Strawberries are everywhere, large fields and are picked by hand so the fields have lots of manual labors.

   Strawberries are on a raised bed covered in white plastic.

                               Lettuce, not iceberg but Romain.

  

                                   Fields in the background are covered in plastic.  Pacific Ocean is just over the hill.  Many of the strawberries are grown within 3-4 miles of the ocean.

                                                                      Cauliflower

                                          Getting ready to plant.

   Broccoli Harvest, a one time harvest, lots left in the field -a bit old or young.

  This broccoli was being harvested and packed for oversees shipment.  First grading is done by the cutters on the ground then the ladies that are packing the boxes may discard some, but it is a quick visual grading process.
     Sat, Sun ,Mon we are in the Joaquin Valley, lots of Fruit Groves, dairies, both cattle and goats.  The dairy cattle and goats are kept in dry lots (no pasture) it looks like a beef cattle feed lot until you see the milking barns, and there are super large pole barns to provide shade  (but not a tree in sight)
  Lots of cotton grown here until 20 years ago now wheat and vineyards.

17 March Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Another beautiful day, we are staying at the Naval Air Station in Lamoore, CA, about 225 miles North of LA, and about 50 miles South of Fresno. 

 

 The Sequoia and Kings Canyon Parks are home to the "Largest Living things on Earth" the Giant Sequoia Trees.  The parks are on the CA, Nevada border and have mountains peaks up to 12,500 ft.

   Judith stands in the road blocking traffic so I can take a photo to send everyone.

                                                        The Giant Sequoias

                                           A fallen Sequoia that has been cut to show another example of their size.

   This fallen Sequoia was used in 1900 to house a logging crew, bunk beds and kitchen were included.

Lots of orange groves here and the oranges are being harvested, oranges, lemons and grapefruit everywhere.  Orange juice is still expensive (and diesel is $4.33 a gallon)