Porterville to Ridgecrest

Trona Pinnacles as the sun sets 

Another suitcase in an another hall..... (not quite!)
Left Porterville this morning and had an amazing drive across the state.  We saw huge areas of orchards, vegetable growing, oil fields, solar farms and wind farms.  It was absolutely fascinating to see the variety and magnitude of the industry on the Californian plains.  We were also amazed by the number and size of RVs, both on the road and in RV parks.  It makes our 16 foot Oxford caravan look like a baby!  Since we were here 25 years ago, the roading networks seemed to have become more extensive and the cities more sprawling.
After talking to the friendly maintenance man at the motel in Porterville, we decided to drive through Red Rock Canyon.  It was a small state park with interesting land formations and a camp ground nestled amongst the rocks.  It was interesting to see how many people were camping even though it must be really cold at night.  The colours were quite startling and the rock formations looked like ancient Roman ruins.
We travelled across the Mojave Desert and saw the place where airplanes go to die.  We did try to get close enough for a really good look, but it was well and truly secure.
From there we drove to Ridgecrest a town of about 27,000 in the middle of the Mojave Desert, with a naval base!  Apparently this is the area for airborne testing and weapons range.  There is a lot of new development, including a new Walmart, and seems relatively wealthy, probably due to the impact of the Naval base.
This afternoon we drove half an hour to Trona Pinnacles.  This is another area with interesting land formations, formed by underwater geothermal activity, when the lake water receded, it left behind tall stacks.  Apart from these, there is also a salt lake where they mine borax and potash.  The landscape is so varied and so interesting.
Tonight we are staying at A Night's Inn Motel.  From the outside it looks like a bit of a dive, but inside it is like a grand hotel room caught in a time warp.  Not bad for $US56 for the night!

Red Rock Canyon

Shadows at Trona Pinnacles