Continuing the Journey

Williams, AZ

We left our BW campsite in Bellemont, AZ to continue westward and stopped in Williams, AZ at the Pine Country Restaurant for breakfast. Our BW hosts had suggested the Pines as a great place to eat and said they also had fabulous pies. The restaurants suggestion is to enjoy a slice of pie while you decide on your meal. The breakfast was delicious and we also got a piece of their pecan pie which we enjoyed later in the day. We were in Williams on our trip in 2008 and were pleased that the town still had an authentic old west look.

The London Bridge

When we were both in elementary school we read in our Weekly Reader papers that the London Bridge in London, England was literally falling down. About 1961 the British government started working on a plan to replace the famous bridge. Since it was originally built in the 1830s, had a world famous notoriety and had even survived the vicious bombing of World War 2 the British did not want to just demolish it but rather come up with a way to preserve it for its historical significance. At the same time an American businessman, Robert McCulloch, was trying to devise a way to get people to come to a new town he was developing in Arizona. McCulloch bought the bridge and workers carefully disassembled it numbering each piece then shipped it to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Workers then put it back together and now the famous bridge that once spanned the River Thames in London spans a lake fed by the Colorado River in Arizona. The project was initially referred to as “McCulloch’s Folly” but actually helped turn uninhabited desert land into a successful city with a beautiful lake and bridge.

The Mojave Desert

Large Joshua Tree

Joshua trees only grow in the Mojave desert and as we turned west at Searchlight, NV on the Joshua Tree Road we began to see thousands of these uniquely shaped trees. The desert itself was a vast and fascinating place to see. Magnificent desolation is one way to describe its beauty. The rocks, sand, scrubby brush and Joshua trees on display with the high mountains as a backdrop are another truly beautiful part of God’s majestic creation.

Town for Sale and Solar Collectors

As we drove into Nipton, CA we saw a large sign saying “Town for sale”. It seems that the town of Nipton and its 20 residents have an interesting background. The town was actually sold 5 years ago for 5 million dollars to some investors who intended it to become a marijuana growing, processing and distributing center. That plan fell through so its back on the market for only 2.75 million dollars now.

In the same Nipton area is the Ivanpah solar facility. When we first saw this facility we thought we had stumbled into something like the infamous Area 51 because we saw what looked like three huge 40 story high brightly lit light poles in the distance. There are acres of mirrors reflecting the suns rays to these 3 collectors which create high heat that is used to generate electricity. One downside to this technology is that birds flying into the path of the intensive reflected light are vaporized. The workers refer to these unfortunate birds as “streamers” as the smoke plum is visible as the birds go down.

Speaking of Area 51, the town of Bakers is known for many alien sightings.  Businesses have brilliantly capitalized on the reputation.  We attempted to purchased a sticker for Wander and some "invisible jerky" but the check out line was wrapped around the inside of the store.  

Oranges and Pump Jacks

On the drive from Bakersfield, CA to our next camping area near an entrance to the Sequoia National Park we saw beautiful and fragrant orange groves and interesting oil pump jacks. The orange trees were heavily loaded with oranges and there were hundreds of bushels of oranges that had fallen off the trees laying on the ground. The pump jacks look like large birds bobbing their heads up and down as if pecking food from the ground and are a bit humorous to watch.