Day 39 - Needles, CA

Another five-hour drive today but we are on the Colorado River. We are staying at Needles Marina Resort and it is another Passport America campground. So 50% off. They went ahead and gave us a riverfront site with full hookups for $26/night even though the app says the PA discount doesn’t apply to riverfront sites. For the view, that is a great deal. The picture is the view from our campsite. Not too shabby. I'm glad we opted for this place instead of a boondocking site in the Mojave. I remember going through Needles years ago and wasn't very impressed with it. But, that was in the middle of the summer and my '77 Toyota pickup didn't have A/C.

The drive from Bakersfield was pretty uneventful. Some crosswind right before we got Needles. Nothing to justify the wind warning highway signs in Barstow. We passed Pisgah crater and Ludlow about an hour east of Barstow. Back in 1975, this was my first field trip only a couple of days after starting my summer job at JPL. My only qualification for going on the trip was being able to drive a stick shift 4WD truck, follow directions, and carry a backpack. The truck was one of the old crew cab, short bed International Harvester pickups with three gas tanks including one in the front fender behind the passenger front wheel. I haven't been through this area in a long time.

We are here for at least two nights maybe a third if we like it here. After this, we will be at a Thousand Trails campground near Flagstaff. I'm really enjoying this slower pace of travel. Everyday travel with the RV isn't the same as on the motorcycle. Once you're set up, it's nice to stay for a while.

It's 7:30pm, 80°F, and we are sitting in the Jacuzzi looking at the almost full moon through a couple of palm trees. No complaints about this. And Bridget doesn't feel guilty about retiring anymore...