Leaving Las Vegas was not difficult. The very hot weather combined with strong winds made camping for us a real challenge. Dolly prepared a great breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon then we cleaned up, packed up and headed out. First on our list was filling the gas tank with "cheap" gas as we had been warned repeatedly of the expensive fuel prices in California. I think we paid somewhere around $3.55, refilled the ice cooler and made our way to I-15.
 The distance from Las Vegas to the California border was only about 50 miles . On the way, we could see a large mountain range ahead of us, at first difficult to see due to the distance, and hidden by fog, smog or dust. The further we drove, the closer we were to the mountains (duh). 
 The instant we crossed the California/Nevada border the speed of all of the vehicles went from 75 mph to 40. We didn't see any accidents or reason for the slow down, other than occasional minor construction. We were also surprised at the amount of traffic on a Sunday morning. Check out the photo of all of the vehicles on I-15 from our vantage point at the first Rest Stop/Visitor's Center. Also, the first gas price I saw in California was $4.89. That noise you heard was my chin hitting the floor of the pickup. Luckily I had gone on a bit further to refill and found a Pilot Truck Stop at $4.25. I was thrilled. At Barstow, we pulled over for a few minutes, took a bathroom break and stretched our legs. 
 Down the road, we came upon about a mile backup of traffic on the interstate, they have a vehicle inspection station where suspect vehicles are searched for "forbidden" imported vegetation . After crawling along for a few minutes, we came upon the inspector in a bright orange vest who looked at our vehicle and waved us through. Evidently we didn't look like illegal pot importers or carrying contraband Nevada cacti.
 We then left I-15 and headed northwest on California State Highway 58. A very good road, some two lane, some four lane.
Also, along this stretch of Highway 58, we saw a large group of what looked like decommissioned commercial airliners in an area outside the small desert town of Mohave. I'll have to research that a bit further to find out more.
 We started climbing from the Mohave Desert floor into the lower end of the Sierra Mountains and when we reached the top and began to descend, our surrounding countryside changed dramatically. Green grass in the pastures, large trees with bright green leaves and acres and acres of irrigated truck farming farmlands and orange groves. Also, the temperature dropped from the 90's to the 70's. It was like we drove into another world, a very nice world . Thousands of huge wind turbines lined the ridge tops. An awesome visual spectacle. 
 Onward into the city of Bakersfield. The first order of business was to find a campground. We don't ask for much, a space large enough for fit our "RV," a picnic table, electricity to recharge our cell phones and computers and, of course, wifi. When we pulled into Bakersfield, we usually just find a McDonalds and "borrow" their wifi to find out whats available in the area. The closest one we found was only about 5 miles away, so off we went. We arrived at 5:01 pm, and the office closed at 5:00. There was a sign that said, find an open site, and stop back and pay in the morning when the office opens - so we did. While looking for a site, a little older lady in a golf cart stopped by and gave us a site to set up on. After the desert, this place is beautiful. Large trees, green grass, temps in the 70's, no wind and all of the amenities available. Wifi (strong signal) cable TV, (yes, we have TV with us) water and electricity. We have it all. Then, after our evening meal we found a glitch. Dolly saw a sign that said the bathrooms were locked after 9pm and unlocked at 7am. A look of sheer terror on Dolly's face - as she has the bladder capacity of a sewing thimble. This morning, although, we found the bathroom open at 5:30am, I don't think they were locked overnight.  
 Once again, we have to slow down. We have 10 days to go 500 miles to Eureka/Arcata/McKinleyville. 

 Love ya,

 Cheers,

Jan, Dolly and Chi Chi.