It was a high desert day. The first sight out of Tehachapi was a line of wind mills on the ridge top of a nearby mountain. The spaces were big, the cars small passing through Barstow and Needles and finally to Seligman, AZ. The Historic Route 66 Motel had WiFi but no smoking rooms, but the Deluxe Inn had them and a low price. The Pizza Joint was closed, but Lilo’s Westside Cafe had a great bacon cheese burger and crinkle cut fries. A great day to consider life!
Not just a day, but a season and time of day. The last time I came to Tehachapi, it was January and night time, today it was May and day time. Last time I was in the dark and afraid of the snow, today it was light and lightly raining, and the hills and mountains were glorious!
Tomorrow morning I motor East, figure to go about 360 miles, which lands me in Tehachapi, CA. Six years ago I took the same path, starting in the evening from Sacramento after a day of loading. After driving many miles on a totally dark road, I found a highway that took me up the mountains in snow to the prison town of Tehachapi and found a decrepit motel to spend the night. The next morning I was grateful to wake to sunshine on the Tehachapi Mountains.
Interstate 40 covers most of what once was Old Route 66, and I have many fond memories of it. About 3 decades ago, one evening my bus pulled into Oklahoma City and the number of big old cars in great shape amazed me. About 15 years ago I lived in Albuquerque and loved the feel of the mountains and desert. And almost three years ago had some of the best laughs ever in Arizona. So I’m looking forward to the trip.
Going by way of I-80E would let me see Winnemucca, Salt Lake City, and Cheyenne again, as well as some new places. By way of I-80E and US-50 would take me through Colorado and Kansas again. But I’ve decided to take I-40E for better weather and the chance to see Old Route 66 for the sixth time. If you are on the route and would like to meet up, let me know and we’ll work out the details.
Well, Sunday I’m taking off on a Road Trip of about 2010 miles, and yes, I’m on a mission from God. I could go by way of I-80 E or I-40 E or I-80 E & US-50 E. I have in mind to drive about 6 hours a day, about 360 miles a day, to shoot and post several Twitvids and one or two Flip videos each day. I don’t know if I’ll wear sunglasses.
