June 7, 2005

Flagstaff, AZ to Ridge Crest, CA

We were up and on the road at 6:30 a.m. (4:30 local time) Arrived in California at 9:30 a.m. Gas was $3.18 per gallon when we crossed over into California!!! Going to stop complaining about how high it is back home!!

Stopped for breakfast at Denny's. This was a picture taken just outside of Denny's. We were fianlly seeing palm trees. Also, since we had stayed at Motel 6 most nights, it just seemed appropriate to take this picture.

Rode through the Mojave Desert!! Its unique beauty reminds me of a coral reef. The plant life resembles that of under the sea. There are coral shaped cactus and plants that look like sea cucumbers and sea urchins! WOW! The weather has been unusually wet and cool for this time of year and the dessert was very green. Didn't relly look like what you would imagine a dessert to be.
Death Valley was next. Unbelievably hot, dry, and just unreal. Just past the borax mines in the bottom of Death Valley, we rode past sand dunes. They are just there in the middle of flat rocky barren land; about 50 acres of huge piles of sand. They looked so out of place, but there they were.

We rode 641 miles today. Arrived at the motel at 6:30 p.m. after twelve hours of riding through the desert. California so far is great. Mountains on both sides. We can see mountains from our motel room window!! The best view yet!!

Jeff is mapping out our trip for tomorrow then we will get something to eat. Found a little Mexican restaurant that was almost empty when we arrived, but soon filled up with locals. Good food and beer.
End Point: Ridgecrest, CA
Odometer at End of Day: 17775
Miles Traveled: 641

 

Places visited:

Mojave National Preserve
Death Valley

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