I-5 A usbackroad??

Backroads Destination--I-5????

Well, we finally left the idyllic weather at Black Butte Lake and headed down I-5 for the California desert.  I am certain that I-5 does not qualify as a usbackroad.  It is however, a quick an efficient way to get down to the desert and that sunshine.

The forecast for along I-5 called for dense fog lifting by 10:00am and then slowly later each day as the high pressure cell moved over the Central Valley.  We left Black Butte Lake in the sunshine and headed for Sacramento and promptly drove into the fog.  It was not to bad since for most of the distance we were able maintain the legal speed of 55 mph.  There were a few spots where had to drop the speed to 35 mph due to visibility.

For us, the nights lodging was first.  This is the first time we have ever stayed in a commercial campground.  The destination was Kit Fox RV Park just off I-5 in Patterson, California.  In keeping with a goal of driving 200 miles a day and less than four hours it was a perfect fit.

Nice and well taken care campground.  It is a Passport America campground.  Had a good laundry facilities and the bathrooms were heated for those chilly mornings.  Good wi-fi.  All in all perfect for our needs when just passing through.

The fog was predicted to thicken so we kept a close eye on the National Weather Service web site.  In the previous posting I mentioned the forecast discussion section.  We also clicked on the satellite imagery to see the extent of the fog.  Under current conditions you can click on the 3 day history and it gives the visibility for the past three days.  So we watched Sacramento, Hanford, and Bakerfield.  There was no point to an early start.  So we got up late to give the fog time to burn off.

We stayed the following night at Orange Grove RV Park outside of Bakersfield.  Nice facility.  The highlight is picking your own oranges since the RV Park is in a orange grove.   The oranges were ripe and real good.   Much better than those in the stores.

Yesterday we pulled out in very thick fog, but knew as soon as we started climbing in elevation we would be above the fog.   For the remainder of the day bright sunshine with blue sky and hundred mile visibility.  We rolled for four hours into 29 Palms and Joshua Tree National Park.  We will probably stay here a couple of days and then join friends from Wenatchee and Idaho in Yuma.