After a busy time getting ready, we got on the road about 11:30 am for the first leg of our trip. Our destination for today was River Run RV Park in Bakersfield, CA We normally stay here every trip. It is convenient in that we can make a decision whether to continue on US 99/I-5 over the Grapevine into the LA Basin and East on I-10 through San Bernadino or head East on US 58 through Tehachapi and the high desert then South on US 395 to I-15/I-215, joining I-10 at San Bernadino. We prefer the US 58 route depending on weather. It is a little longer, but avoiding the LA congestion is worth it.
The trip South on US 99 took a little longer than usual. One of the safety cables connecting the RV to the truck we tow somehow came unhitched. A CHP who passed us told over his speaker that we were dragging a cable. We were just South of Auburn on I-80 and got off at the next exit (Newcastle) and reconnected the safety cable. There wasn't an easy way for us to get back on I-80 so we wandered through the countryside for a while before getting back on I-80 at Sierra College Blvd.
The rest of the trip South was pretty much uneventful, trying to stay out of the way of the trucks and weaving speeders. Things always take longer than you think they will and after an extended lunch stop at the rest stop in Turlock, we arrived at the RV Park about 6:15 pm - in the dark. It is never fun to hook up in the dark but until daylight saving time returns, it can be a challenge when you arrive later in the day.
The weather for tomorrow is problematic. No precipitation but high winds are predicted for the mountain passes and the desert through the Coachella Valley to Palm Desert, out next stop. As we get older and have flexibility in our schedule, we are more risk adverse - shorter daily drives and more conservative about taking on marginal weather/travel conditions. We'll see how things are in the morning.
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