We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert ...

We drove south to Bakersfield where we stayed at the local Costco for the night. On the pro side for staying at Costco, it closes early, and then we were the only ones in a private lot. It was very quiet and felt very safe. On the con side, we had to wait until the next morning to go shopping. There is something nice about being able to grocery shop at midnight in Walmart.

The temperature got much warmer, and hit 92F. Harold has a hard time recognizing the temperatures on the west coast and the desert. Being from Arkansas, he is used to the high humidity there, so when it hits the 90's here it just doesn't feel that hot to him. He always guesses the temperatures here are at least 10 degrees cooler. When I got heatstroke cycling in 102F heat, a few years ago, he was telling me it was at most 80F.

Just about 12 miles past Barstow, is a small town named Yermo, that is more of a trucker's outpost. It has a couple of gas stations, a few restaurants, an airport, and our overnight location for the night, Peggy Sue's 50's Diner.

We found Peggy Sue's by way of our Harvest Hosts membership. It's an old roadside diner built in 1954 that has stuck to it's original design, food, and ambience. The walls are lined with photos of the owners and staff with all sorts of famous people who have come through here. They have a diner-saur park out back, a gift shop, candy shop and ice cream bar, and allow truckers and RVs to stay overnight in their lot.

Right across the road is the Barstow-Daggett County Airport, where we were excited to see hundreds of military vehicles being loaded and offloaded from open train decks.

We went inside for dinner and not surprisingly there was little for me to eat here. Harold opted for the liver and onions (Yuck! Even when I was a meat eater, I hated liver!) and I had a grilled cheese sandwich. Harold really enjoyed his dinner. I thought mine was just okay, about what I'd expect from grilled cheese in a diner.



The next morning, the temperature heated up quickly and sat at about 83F at noon and 94F by the time we pulled out to get on our way . We were perfectly fine working in the trailer without a/c, but the dogs get tired out quickly when we take them outside for a walk. Ironically, Teddy was rescued in this area, somewhere in San Bernardino county, and he's the one who seems to be more uncomfortable here. Toonie thrives in this weather and could lay out all day in the dust. Of course, her breed is from Mexico, and Teddy's is from Tibet. Their DNA is showing.

I heard from my parents that they were close by and would be driving by soon, so they stopped in and stayed long enough for my Mother and I to have a couple of glasses of wine. Then they were on their way out west to the coast, and we headed southeast to Quartzsite, AZ.