After the serenity of Royal Oak Park we faced the possibility of culture shock and headed south on Highway 99... the freeway... soo to be known as 'Historic' Highway 99 we hope. In Bakersfield we take off on the 58 to cross the Tehachapi Mountains. We had some thin fog in the valley but it cleared as we gain altitude. Caught behind a couple of tank trucks we lost speed and traffic kept us from passing for a while, but hey, a good friend, a good book to listen to, and beautiful scenery bathed in warm sunshine... who cared how fast we went.

Gas prices in Mojave were a shock compared to what they had been in Kingsburg, but we filled up at the Chevron station and headed for Boron.

Just north of the highway that goes east out of Mojave is where a lot of airplanes are being stockpiled when taken out of service by the airlines... because of fuel prices? Maybe. Or is it lack of interest in flying by the public?

Arabian Trailer Oasis had a pull-thru space and Domingos Mexican restaurant had a magnificant lunch/dinner for us. Mark had recommended we try Domingos and we heartily recommend you try it if you ever pass through Boron.

Thursday we took our cameras and headed for the Borax Visitors Center. We had been there two years ago but wanted to see it again. It is an amazing place. From the windows in the Center you can look down into the deep pit and watch some of the work going on. The monsterous 190 ton load hauling trucks look like Matchbook toys in the huge hole in the ground. A docent told us he had tangled with an ecologist one day. She insisted there was not need to mine a hole that big. He asked her if she used laundry detergent, any sort of medication, plastic, make-up, a barbecue, golf clubs and balls, tile in her kitchen or bathroom, cookware, anything made of glass, fertilizer, a garden hose??? All these things and more in the process of their manufacture used products mined from that very pit. Was she willing to give up these things so that the desert could remain as it was? She answered with the question.... Will the hole be filled in when the mining is done?

Yes, is the answer. The Borax company has plans to refill the whole in 40 to 60 years when they are finished. In the meantime they stack the 'overburden' ...stuff that does not contain useful product... in neat mountains around the hole.

After Borax we went to the Boron Museum and Aerospace Center to see if the aerospace part was open yet. It wasn't. the building is complete but there are no exhibits.

News of serious health problems of my daughter-in-law's mother changed our plans of going on to Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Mark did not want to desert Janette at such a time and we did not want to go without them so we backtracked through Mojave and visited with them in Lancaster over the weekend.

Tuesday, February 19, we headed for Baker. We don't like long travel days and had decided to make it to Las Vegas in two days. After a great lunch at the Mad Greek in Baker we felt fairly rested and decided to head on east to Las Vegas and the Thousand Trails park.