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Monday, 30-Mar
- Left the house in San Jose at 0500. Stopped to drop off property tax payment in mailbox, deposit check in ATM (also get some cash), and get some drinking water at the machine near Fresh & Easy. Was rolling on Bird & I-280 by 0520.
- Trailer rode smoothly. Lots and lots of traffic on Hwy 101 heading into San Jose – a solid stream of headlights.
- At first rest stop on I-5, I checked the axles and wheel hub temperatures on trailer and noticed that both hubcaps had been lost somewhere along Pacheco Pass. Oh well. Guess I wasn’t meant to have baby moons on this trailer. Otherwise, trailer rode very, very smoothly, compared to last year’s jolting and crashing ride. Things in the galley and cabin all stayed pretty much in place.
- Lots of bug splatter on the windshield going through the San Joaquin valley. Saw lots of horse trailers heading north on I-5. The smell of orange blossoms was very fragrant and strong along I-5.
- Got to Manny’s place in Mojave at noon. The place is a mess. A construction warzone. He needed to go to the planning office in Tehachapi to get a permit for the shed he’s building. After that we went to lunch (Italian place) nearby.
- Manny talked a lot about the UFO experiences he had in Olympia. He’s a firm believer.
- Since the sleeping situation inside the house is pretty much old mattresses on the floor (which is full of tools and construction debris), I spent my first night in the trailer. Quite comfortable, although the wind really kicks around here in the Mojave.
- Slept fairly well. Hot, needed to use ceiling fan until early morning. Breezy outside this AM. Considering sleeping at some camping area in Tucson, then move out early towards El Paso. Not being able to get online to check things out has been a hassle that either I’ll need to get used to or find another way. Should have been easy here at Aunt Rosa’s house, but turned out to be a non-starter with the internet access. Will hit up a Starbucks along the way to check email, campsites, road and weather conditions.
- Drove through Ajo, AZ, which I’ve always wanted to do. Not much here except old copper mine and lots of old hippies. Most of the restaurants are closed up.
- Drive from Ajo to Tucson was nice. Lots of desert landscape as I remember it. Highway was quiet and peaceful, since most people don’t drive this section going through the Indian reservation.
- There was a lot of construction on the highway going towards Tucson, just west of Robles Junction. The wind really started to kick up west of Tucson and didn’t seem like a very time for camping, much less cooking. So I stopped at the Karichimaka restaurant, picked up some food to go and headed towards the airport to find a hotel to stay at. Going into the Karichimaka seemed like going back in time, to another part of my life. Yet I still felt pretty detached. It was somebody else’s restaurant, somebody else’s problem, somebody else’s life.
- Drove around the airport area hotels for about twenty minutes looking for hotel with vacancy and a parking spot big enough for the truck and trailer (where I could monitor from the hotel window – this area of Tucson isn’t that great). Ironic that the only place that I stayed at a hotel on this trip was my hometown of Tucson. The only family that I have here now is in the cemetery…
- Hotel was decent, not cheap, but not expensive, and had internet. Ate the takeout food from Karichimaka (which was very good) and did some research on places to stay in the next several days.
This is the first post of the 2014 Drive Across America road trip
- Up at 4:40, without alarm going off. Slept well enough
- Jim helped me load truck
- Ate two bowls of oatmeal and chatted with family
- Ice tray had not frozen thoroughly overnight
- Goodbyes and well wishes
- Took almost ten minutes to get out of the driveway. Down the road by 6:10
- Stopped at Safeway for quart of motor oil, since truck was about that low on oil. Leak somewhere?
- Also stopped at Chase ATM to deposit Silicon Sage check and get $400 more in cash
- Finally on the road by 6:40
- Foggy through first part of Hwy 152
- San Luis reservoir was pretty low
- Air quality much better along I-5 compared to back in January
- Traffic along I-5 quite reasonable
- Stopped at two rest stops and two gas stations before getting to I-210
- Odometer stopped working on early part of I-5, just about the time that I began using cruise control. Coincidence? It was also rolling over from 12099 to 12100 when it stuck. Trip odometer also quit working. Hmmm.
- Nevertheless, it appears that I’m getting between 25 and 30 miles per gallon with cruise control, 60mph (indicated) and 2500 RPM.
- OAT near Indio got into the 90’s
- Huge backup on northbound Hwy 86 between Salton City and Brawley due to Border Patrol checkpoint
- Car wreck along desert stretch of Hwy 86 before Brawley. Pickup truck belly up, cab crushed. Lots of emergency vehicles