2009 in Review: Vacation part 3 - Arizona, Nevada, and into California

I haven't mentioned this for a long time (maybe not ever), but move your mouse over the small image and left click when you want to see a full screen image. I assume most people are familiar with that, but you know what they say about assumptions.



After leaving St. George, Utah, I-15 travels generally west-southwest through the Virgin Mountains, which I hadn't heard of before. The interstate clips across 29 miles worth of the northwest corner of Arizona, before entering Nevada. There was only one exit that I recall and no cities to speak of. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the scenery. Here's a few of several photos I took out the windows.









Once we crossed the state line and passed Mesquite, Nevada - which isn't very big - there wasn't much to see. The freeway itself, guard rails where needed, a mere handfull of exits, and occasionally a power line stretching into the distance. As for green growing things, forget it; just packed desert sand or rock, whatever it was. Desolation and not much else to see...



...until we got into Las Vegas, that is.



Our first sighting of palm trees.




As our goal was to get to our daughter's house in California, we didn't allow time to drive down "The Strip" and see the lights, but we did see some impressive buildings from I-15 and I snapped a few pictures.







Near the southern edge of Vegas, about the last chance to fill up the car and have a quick rest stop. Also some nice palms for a closeup shot.

South of Los Vegas, we started to see billboards advertising "Alien Fresh Jerky"; kind of eye catching in a "what kind of marketing is this" sort of way. I wish now I'd gotten a picture. Anyway, a few miles down the freeway we had our answer, it's this place in Baker, California. It's right next to the worlds largest thermometer, dontcha know.

Also along I-15 we were slowed down and we came up to an agriculture checkpoint, a big structure stretching across all lanes of the freeway. I expected we'd be stopped and asked if we were bringing in any plants or produce, but we were waved on through. I guess we either didn't look like the profile of who they wanted to stop that day, or it was just a random sample, every X number of vehicles; and we weren't number X.




Desert clouds above I-15



I think these might be what they call lenticular clouds.

Did I mention it was hot?




Just a very, very few of the windmills in the Tehachapi wind farm.




Scenery along California 58 to Tehachapi.

Soon we arrived at our daughter's house, and unwound for the evening. I didn't get my camera out until the next day at Disneyland...check back for the next installment!