TotSW: Long road home

Last post for the vacation.  By this point, there were many many many bugs on the car windshield.  The scenery continued to be spectacular as we worked our way out of AZ.

At one point, I took pity on the kid and moved into the back seat.  Views from here were somewhat obstructed, but still provided interest.

In order to provide contrast to the near-freezing temperatures on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (and because it was cheap, convenient, and a cultural experience for the kid), we stopped for the night in Las Vegas.  Temperature: 105 F!  Kid was predictably overwhelmed; Chad and I sort of enjoyed the evening crowd-watching as we walked about looking for dinner.

On the way back into CA, we spotted these interesting arrays of solar panels, each fed by a big mirror.  I couldn't help but be reminded of the sunflowers in Ringworld.

Heading back along I-15 through Southern CA, we had one more chance to admire Joshua trees and volcanic cones.

The temperature in Baker was much the same as it had been a couple of weeks earlier.

Instead of staying in the desert, we opted to head towards the Kern River in the hopes that it would be slightly cooler.  This led us to a short stretch of Highway 395, which in my head is strongly associated with Easter Sierra mountain adventures.  Chad and I were so tempted to hare off toward the high peaks; the kid just wanted to get home to familiar things.

One last night was spent in a pleasant campground along the Kern River.

Alas, the river was still running so high that swimming seemed unwise.  I did find one spot along the edge where I could sit on a rock and dangle my feet into the cold snowmelt.

Back home, the cats were glad to have us finally arrive...though perhaps only because we are the providers of kitty food!