In the olden days when we were young, we would drive the days and the nights– saving restaurant stops, potty stops, and time…
This trip we stopped nights– 4 of them in total. Two were spent in friends’ driveways, two at State Parks. Woodson Bridge S.R.A in Northern California had these glorious old Oak trees, just coming out in leaf…
Sweet to hear the birds waking the morning and wander about a bit before hitting the road again…
And very nice to have indoor seating and our own little kitchen along for the ride. We’ve always been tenters before. So this is a treat!
The next State Park stop was a completely different scene. It had been a long day. The car had been hot for some of our party… (me) and morale was low (mine anyway) Somewhere north of Bakersfield, CA we left the highway to find Colonel Allensworth State Park, not knowing what to expect. It would be our last chance to camp before setting out to cross the desert to Arizona. When we found it, I was still wondering where it was. We found ourselves in the middle of a flat expanse of dusty dry earth. Wind blowing, chill in the air. A couple other campers. And nothing but a few scattered buildings–looked like an old ghost town actually. Upon exploring we found out it really was a sort of ghost town! A negro town was established here in the early 1900’s. The water became toxic and the town moved away. Buildings were abandoned… Years later someone had the bright idea of restoring and rebuilding some of them and this Park was born in the middle of a lonely expanse of prairie land.
We scouted about peeking in windows and my morale lifted. I love old houses that have been restored. It’s like stepping back in town. They capture my imagination… Here’s what I saw peeking in windows:
Although I sure don’t envy the folks who lived in this desolate arid spot I sure admired their cozy homes…
And that’s enough for today.
Tucson coming next…
