Long Day

Dashel supervises tire placement at Alex's tires

 Google maps suggested 8:22 to drive the 432 miles from Flagstaff to San Diego.    I figured 10.  It took 14.    The bad stuff started on Arizona 71, 20 miles south of Prescott (press cut, not press cot).     Tooling along at maybe 60 with a 30mph headwind I was quite surprised to see in the rear view mirror a tire, or most of a tire, rolling along behind us.    After a few nanoseconds of reflection, and realizing we had not seen a car in twenty minutes, I came to the realization that it was most likely our tire.    It was.   The tire I fixed in Tuscon.  And the trailer didn't come with a spare.    That cost us roughly three hours, but taught us a very important lesson:  Salem Travel Trailers are not supplied with tires that are actually meant to be used on the highway.   So . . . not too much further down the road, in Blythe, California, we replaced the other three at Alex's Tires.    Gave the shop a heads up with a cell call.   The good men there got us out in about twenty minutes.   Looked like a Indy 500 pit stop with five technicians on the task.  

Although we were more than three hours behind schedule, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves.  That's when one of our progeny threw up all over himself and the back seat . . . .

Unlike Whitesands, you can ride four wheelers at Imperial Dunes.  Whoopee!

Welcome to California!   

Dashel took this picture today.   Kid has talent.  

Pretty Cactus Flower - Photo taken before everything went to hell.   

Very  disappointed to learn the Chocolate Mtns in CA are not actually Chocolate.  Turns out they are made of  ROCK!

Imperial Dunes.  Windy Windy Windy.  Had sand in my mouth after getting out of the car for 30 seconds.

Imperial Dunes from a safer perspective.