... spending the night at Livermore CA
Breakfast, same hotel, same as yesterday.
About 8 AM we took a walk around the city streets for a half hour.
9 AM we checked out and headed to San Leandro. Today there were signs on the freeway near 'our' outlet mall warning of delays and long lines.
1st stop is Hertz in San Leandro. We are there early so our car is not ready. We had reserved the car for 10 AM and were gone shortly after.
2nd stop, for me, was Avis in Pleasanton. BB had stopped across the street at Shell to fill the car before returning it. Both of us had taken wrong turns. Me following my nose and BB following her GPS. When we exit the freeway we should have stayed in a lane going straight. We both took a right thinking our street was further off the freeway.
Even on Saturday AM there is traffic over the hill east of Livermore. It finally clears once I-205 splits off to I-5 north.
3rd stop is the first rest area. Just north of Westley. The place was packed, I had to park in an EV charging station to get out of the traffic lane.
4th stop was Anderson's in Santa Nella. Not packed but they seemed to be doing a fair business. BB had her half sandwich and split pea soup. I had a chicken salad on croissant.
I guess the only places we have not gone back to are buffet's and standing room only places.
Things are changing in the orchard area's. Farms are getting crowded out by houses. Some orchards are getting over grown and dying off. New ones are being planted where it used to be dry pasture. Orchard's aren't a crop that can be abandon one year and then go back to harvesting them the next year. Not out here. If no water flows, nothing grows.
? th stop (Forgot this one) One 9 / EZ Trip for a quick rest room stop. 100+ degrees outside. Avalon rest area was closed.
5th stop is the Flying J in Tehachapi for the rest rooms.
Once we are closer to Mojave we see what looks like a huge fire, we can't see the flames so we don't know if it is smoke or just dust. Not much to burn out here but once we are on the far side of the 'fire,' we catch wind that blows the truck ahead of us around a little.
6th stop is the Comfort Inn in Barstow. But first we got through the drive thru at In-n-Out.
After we eat in our room, we decide that the room has not cooled yet and is not blowing cold air so we move to a different room. We are not in that room long when we hear a noise. BB is in the bathroom and I thought it was her. She was quite sure it was someone trying to get in our room. They didn't and never came back so they were likely on the wrong floor.
Oh ... we decided to take the southern route even though it is a few more miles.
Temps were often as high as 107, a quick rain cooled it 15 degrees for a few minutes before heading back up to 107 ... at 6 PM.
Load board (weekend)
US - 255
IA - 94