Acting on a tip from intrepid explorers Jack and Tres, I have located a mother lode of fossil artifacts. According to legend, a tornado spawned by the Great Blow of 2015 vacuumed up several feet of the desert surface, uncovering magnificently preserved fossils from the distant past. This vast trove will keep fossilologists gainfully employed for a period of time. Read more.
The first leg of the Grand Adventure involved a transit of the Mojave (pronounced Moe Ha Veh, accent on the middle) Desert. After departing the Oakland Bay Area and overnighting in Bakersfield, I entered the inhospitable domain of the desert, which, to the surprise of many, was neither hot nor dry! The temps were bitterly cold, dipping as low as 40F degrees! The rainfall became so severe that windshield wiper use was necessary. Conditions extremified as I passed through Yucca Valley; the rain turned to slushy rain and actual snow flakes. Rapidly devolving into a an epic man-versus-nature contest, the situation required application of all available technology and native driving skill. Ha! Man wins!
So far, road tripping as a way of life is agreeable