11 Tuesday
Today was spent driving westwards along interstate 40 from Kingman to Barstow and then continuing westward on the 58 through to Bakersfield and onward to Button Willow at the junction of interstate 5 where we once again got a Super 8 motel.  The name 'Button Willow' held promise of a small peacefull village with a tree lined stream which would meander along underneath picturesque bridges.  Well, we would see.  Saw the moth balled airliners at Mohave again, there must be several hundred of them sitting out in the hot dry Mohave desert air they being stored there because of the minimal deterioration in the dry atmosphere.  (I probably said that before)  Saw the wind turbines on the Tehachapi Hills again. I tried to estimate the number and decided there must be over a hundred of them. Also saw in the distance a plant which, from reading the Lonely Planet, was a solar powered electricity generating plant. Again witnessed the dramatic change in countryside from the hot, dry Mohave Desert and then the 3500 foot descent from the Tehachapi mountains to the lush, green, fertile San Joaquin valley floor outside Bakersfield.   Crossed the Arizona California border at the Colarado River where we had to stop at a check point. The authorities asked me where I had come from. "Back that way" I replied jabbing my thumb backwards over my shoulder not quite knowing whether he wanted a state or town or even a country. He obviously thought here were some more ignorant overseas tourists and just told us to get going.

And the road goes ever onward	The sun setting into the smoke from the LA fires at Button Willow

Button Willow of course turned out to be a collection of motels, fast food places, gas stations and grocery stores at the junction of Interstate 5 and highway 58.  But there was a nice landscaping arrangement of a pond and green trees at the motel, even if it was empty.