Wednesday was departure day from Petaluma. We had drug our feet .. or was it our wheels .. most of this trip south. It wasn’t how we normally traveled and we were sure it would not be repeated. However, we still weren’t far enough south to count on clear skies. That was obvious when we woke up and noticed we were in another fog bank. It was foggy, foggy, foggy. However, we planned 
on getting out of there. When we thought the morning rush hour was over those levels came up and we were on our way.
on getting out of there. When we thought the morning rush hour was over those levels came up and we were on our way.
This is the I-580 route. However, we figured staying on just one freeway system would have been too easy. That's probably why Miss Garmin opted to give us a little sightseeing adventure around the area.
We were north of San Francisco. You never know about traffic or construction and with pretty dense fog, there was even a visibility issue. However, we moved along from the I-80 to the I-780 to the I-680 to the I-580 freeways without any hiccups. The I-580 was about the roughest road we had been on in a mighty long time. We were so happy when we finally took that ramp and were on I-5 heading due south.
Even though we left that dense fog behind the skies still did not totally clear off. We went from dense fog to light fog to dust in the air. At least it wasn’t the notorious Tule Fog which we’ve been in before. We were thankful for that.
Our destination for the night was the Wal-Mart in Bakersfield. We joined several trucks and 
one motorhome in the lot. We parked next to the motorhome, of course. That was our first mistake. He ran his noisy diesel generator until well after midnight. We had no control over all the motorcycles that raced around the lot or up and down the street. It was very noisy. Oh well …. next stop will be better we’re sure.
one motorhome in the lot. We parked next to the motorhome, of course. That was our first mistake. He ran his noisy diesel generator until well after midnight. We had no control over all the motorcycles that raced around the lot or up and down the street. It was very noisy. Oh well …. next stop will be better we’re sure.
Terry was up and ready to go early Thursday. He hadn’t slept much with all the noise but we still knew we had to wait for the rush hour traffic to be behind us. We figured this would be about a 250 mile day but that was less than the day before. We also had Tehachapi ahead of us. I always worry about Tehachapi. It’s not necessarily the climb but the winds that torment this area. Well, we checked with the trusty weatherman and he indicated it would be an easy time with just a slight breeze. We will see.
'Tis life on the road.
'Tis life on the road.
In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.
We've been in some Walmarts that are soooo noisy and others where it's nice and peaceful. You just never know. Good luck with the wind.
ReplyDeleteNoisy places don't bother me, ya see I take my hearing aides out at night. Suzie now thats a different story.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with today's winds may it blow on your backside :)
I'm guilty of running my generator in WM parking lots. Got to have that a/c or we melt. If you see us in a WM, don't park too close... ;c)
ReplyDeleteYou'd think with all that hot air coming out of DC, it would counter the strong, westerly winds! :cO
We use our generator too. Our issue was that it was still running after midnight. However, we also know it was our fault. He was in his spot first. We parked next to him because he was the only other RV there. The rest were trucks.
DeleteMost of our Walmart stays have been fairly uneventful. But we have been there done that too! YUCK!
ReplyDeleteWe run our generator in Walmarts too. That's why I always have earplugs ready. Sometimes for me its not the noise but the lights that keep me awake.
ReplyDeleteYup, earplugs was one of the first things I bought when I first got on the road.
ReplyDeleteYou've just reminded me of another reason why I don't stay at Walmart's.
ReplyDeleteGood to know where you are friends!
ReplyDeletePETALUMA ...ah that was back in 2005 for us. Great memories there. Walmart parking can be noisy - some places and very peaceful most other times.
ReplyDeleteOK, we feel better after reading all this about not having ever spending a night in Walmart:)
ReplyDelete