You don’t realize how big this state is until you try to get out of it. We could have driven to Nevada and dropped down through the desert, it honestly i was a little nervous about being so remote without services like tire repair and towing.

We stopped at Murray Family Farms outside of Bakersfield to have lunch and browse their berries.

The pretty cool place. Organic pick your own fruit and lots of games and activities. We just shopped – cherries, stuffed olives and baked dill cucumber. Good fun!

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We just got on I-40 in Barstow (which is where it starts).

East of Barstow, black rock started littering the desert. Pisgah Volcanic Crater is small but fascinating. It is unknown when it erupted. The crater and lava fields are mostly on private land – but the lava tubes are still explored.

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Passed through Ludlow. When I was 18, I lived in the mountains of Big Bear. Two of my cousins and a friend picked me up in the middle of the night to bring me down the mountain. The fog was so thick we had to stick our heads out the windows to see the white and yellow lines.

When we got to I-40, we took a wrong turn – went East instead of West. Ended up in Ludlow, with car trouble and nothing open. The driver and one cousin hitch-hiked to Needles to get parts. I stayed in the car with my other cousin. It was hot. And miserable. But it was an experience I’ll never forget and somehow we had fun too.

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Took a detour on old Route 66 to Topock

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Highway Robbery

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These gas stations are 1.5 miles apart.

Chevron is on I-40 in California. Crossed over the Colorado River and drove a little into an Arizona City where gas is $2.70 per gallon cheaper!

Our Adventure to Florida