Today by the Numbers:
Number of miles driven: 363
Best price paid per gallon for fuel on trip: $2.959 / gallon
Number of positive COVID tests: 1 🙁
Long Drive Day, Short Post Day
Today was planned to be a “short” two-hour drive to Sedona where we were going to check in to the resort we had booked and then enjoy some time walking around town. Jen was still not feeling great. We had a slow morning and got on the road at about 10:40am. Fueling up in Williams, AZ was our first stop. The gas station in Williams was right on the historic Route 66 and next door to a restored old gas station turned into a museum. Straight out of the 50’s! GP fueled the RV with some pretty cheap gas ($2.999/gallon) while Jen went to the Safeway next door to get some meds to clear up her congestion and a COVID test kit just to be sure.
Upon her return, Jen took the test, and our plans changed. We spent some time cancelling the reservations we had in Sedona and then got on Highway 40 headed west towards home. We figured that someone on the Antelope Canyon tour with us, shared their COVID with her. The rest of the day was spent putting some miles behind us. Another fuel stop before leaving the cheap gas in AZ and getting to the expensive gas in CA, found us paying only $2.959 / gallon. Then, surprisingly, in Needles, CA we saw a sign advertising gas for $2.879 / gallon. In California?!?!
We crossed the border from Arizona into California near Needles and continued to Barstow where we stopped to stay the night. One thing we noticed while driving is that we crossed many small bridges that went over a named “wash.” Trivia for Today: What is a wash?
The drive was another tiring one as the wind was rather gusty and strong. Once we were in California, the road was rough and compounded the difficulty of the driving. California wins the prize for the worst roads we encountered on the trip (Nevada had the best). We drove on Highway 40 for about 140 miles in California, all of it in San Bernardino County. It is a huge county!
Tomorrow we will drive the remaining distance to home. Not the way we had planned to end the trip but, just the same, a very fun-filled time in the Southwest.
Trivia Answer: Washes are like rivers except that washes have surface water for only brief periods, often just for a few hours in a year.
Hope you stay healthy, Gaudenz! Get well soon, Jennifer!