Thursday

Today we drove south and then east from Bakersfield.  Very, very dry.  Hundreds of orchards, grapes and oranges growing everywhere but very little irrigation happening.  We're wondering how the trees and vines survive.  Now we are in Ridgecrest, CA.  It feels like an oasis town.  Lots of hotels, shops and restaurants.  All day long we're seen barren land as we traveled east.  Went through an area called  Red Rock Canyon.  It was accurate--there was a red rock by the side of the road.   Tomorrow we head to Death Valley.