Russ Hits a New Low – and he doesn’t even golf!!

Today was moving day…time to hit the road and head slowly for home.  Our time in the sun was far too short but we are still feeling our way as to how we want to travel and what we want to do.  This year is a year of discovery and exploration more than anything else.

Sometimes I still slip into that discouraged mode where I really wonder if this is what we should be doing.  Seems one or the other of us gets sick every time we travel and this time the dog is sick too!  Makes one wonder if this is where we should really be in our lives.   The unthinkable comes to mind often – stay home and take care of business and be within easy reach of a doctor.

Last night Russ had the lowest blood sugar he has ever had.  I woke up for a bathroom break and when I went back to bed, Russ was struggling to sit up and mumbling that he needed to check his blood.  I took one look at him and told him to not move and I grabbed some juice and got that down him as quickly as I could.  After downing the juice, he checked his blood and it was 28.  Normal is 100, at about 60 he begins to have trouble thinking clearly, at 40 he can barely make sense.  With a reading this low, I have no doubt that, had he managed to get his feet on the floor, he would have passed out.  I started thinking, how would I call for help if we were out in the middle of the desert?  I certainly could not lift him on my own.  Do I call 911 and give our location as the corner of Ocotillo and Cholla?  Just look for the RV boondocking in one of the many RV areas that I have no idea how to describe?  Could they find us by GPS coordinates?  I don’t know.  How would they find us…and find us in time?  Gives one pause and lots to consider.  Thankfully, after more juice, some fruit, and half of a peanut butter sandwich, Russ slowly began to feel better and a further crisis was avoided.

And then we get on the road and I remember how much fun it is to travel together.  I love the varied scenery that this country enjoys.  Coming up Hwy. 395 to Hwy. 58 today (Desert Hot Springs to Bakersfield), we saw so much desert beauty.  Most of today’s photos were taken from the moving vehicle so quality may be a bit of an issue.




It almost seems that people just pick any old spot in the desert that strikes their fancy and there they make their home.  Some obviously didn’t work out as well as the owners had hoped.



We turned on Bear Valley cut-off to go towards Hwy.395 and pulled off the road for a short break.  The scenery here was very similar to what we had experienced at Joshua Tree NP just a few short days ago.









As the sun began to grow lower in the sky, the mountains to the east became bathed in a soft pinkish glow and the scattered Joshua Trees stood almost in silhouette.





A major train route follows much of Hwy. 58 in the Bakersfield area and I caught this one going in and out of the many tunnels along the route.  On the far left you can see it entering a long tunnel, emerging only to quickly enter another at the far right of the photo.  I thought of Sam when I snapped these photos.



We ran alongside this train for a ways watching it run in and out of the tunnels around every curve.


We are overnighting at Orange Grove RV Park.  This was recommended by Rick and Paulette and also Kim and Don.  I really like it here.  It’s not quite clear into Bakersfield and is just off Hwy. 58.  Easy to get to and so pretty.  The oranges are getting ripe and you are welcome to pick as many as you want.  We already enjoyed some for dinner and they were yummy.



The park is very sparsely populated right now, except for a couple of rows at the far end that appear to be full time residents.  We met three kids playing ball and they stopped their game in order to come and say hi to Poppy.  Nice kids and they soon went back to playing with their ball and we continued our walk. 


Russ liked the way the street light illuminated this orange tree.



And the clubhouse is all decked out for Christmas.




Tomorrow we will continue our trek north and continue to wrestle with the decisions that will define our future. 


Good Night All.