Fun & Sun RV Park

Wednesday | 1 November 2000 | Tulare, California: A big driving day, so we were up and out early, driving out of Death Valley National Park. At around 10 am we were absolutely and completely alone on Highway 190, near Emigrant Campground, in the middle of a flat and vast valley, when we noticed a fighter jet (of the F-something variety) flying across the flats, directly in front of us. The jet was very low, flying fast at a very direct course to crash headfirst into the side of the Cottonwood Mountains. Like a swimmer at the end of a lap in a pool, the jet did a back flip, reversing course and, at high speed, came directly back at us at about 100 feet elevation. The U.S. Navy had just buzzed us! The noise was deafening, and at least s/he politely passed just behind us, as the turbulence would have probably lifted Goldie off the ground!

We took an easy route out of Death Valley, Route 178, toward Ridgecrest, California. We drove through the little community of Trona, which started out looking a little bleak, with every home seeming to have a rusting car from the 30s or 40s in their yards. This was a "company town" - the company was mining salt and sulfur and possibly borax. Trona had newly paved streets, a medical center, a library, senior center, a nice high school and several taverns... but I would not want to live there. (NOTE: My friend Howard Sutter adds that Trona is the name of a mineral, possibly mined here???)
 
Then we passed through Ridgecrest, also a "company town" - this time the "company" being the U.S. Naval Weapons Center, and no doubt home to our friend from this morning. We stopped for a picnic supplies... but little did we know we would not be able to stop for over two more hours!
 
At Lake Isabella, Route 187 was closed "until 5:00 p.m." and it was now only one o'clock. We decided to take another route, marked on our map as "other roads". There were no length or height restrictions on the road, so we exited. About 200 feet up the 28-mile-long road we knew we had made a mistake - it became a nearly one-lane-wide twisty, windy road with a drop-off (and certain death) to one side. There was no possibility of turning around. After about 10 miles, the road did become wider and a yellow-line appeared down the center - which helped a lot!  Several times we found cattle in the road!  We went from 2500 ft to 4500 ft, back down to 2500 ft, back up over 4000 ft and finally a nice hairpin drive down into the San Joaquin Valley. The uphill was awful and steep. Several times we met cars coming down the mountain and there was barely enough room for us both pass. But the uphills were nothing compared to the downhills. It was harrowing to say the least - a road where I say "Honey, please slow down" and he says, "I'm going 5 miles per hour." A true test of even the best marriage.
 
It had taken 2 hours to drive the 28-mile road.
 
With luck, and by the skin of our teeth, we made it onto Highway 58, through Bakersfield, where we are happily overnighting at a noisy, flat, RV park, just off Highway 99. 

RV Park: Sun & Fun RV Park
Site #85. Full-hookup.
(Read tomorrow's critique of this establishment)