Fresh waffles for breakfast again, and on the road at 9:15. Drove past Lake Kaweah, a reservoir which looks like it’s at less than 10% of its capacity. Drought, or just seasonal low? Hwy 198 to 99. Stopped at Target in Bakersfield. East on 58. Lunch at KFC in the town of Mojave (104F) at 2pm. East then south on 395, looking for Victorville. We had hoped to find the Route 66 museum but weren’t anywhere near by 4pm when it closed, so we stopped at a Starbucks and sat outside in the shade with a cold drink. Very pleasant, despite the 100F temperature. Spotted a Barnes and Noble as we were getting on the freeway, so turned back for a few books (also Best Buy where I bought an iTrip for my iPhone). On to Barstow and the Days Inn (293 miles). Perfectly acceptable, but we should have started with a cheaper hotel and worked our way up, instead of the other way around. Left Ana and David at the hotel and drove to Rainbow Basin, 10 miles north of town – so called because of the amazing range of colors in the layers of exposed rock. Got there right around sunset, and returned after dark. Dinner at Burger King (Ana and David were there but just leaving). Back to the hotel and settled for the night.
