It’s just after 5PM, and the early winter dusk is upon us. In the distance, the windmills above Tehachapi look calmly down on the little sailplane airfield near our camp. There’s only a slight breath of wind, nowhere near enough to turn the giant 70-foot blades, much less generate any electricity. The investors and the power company will just have to wait.

We launched mid-morning into a pleasant day and, except for a misadjusted brake cable, we traveled uneventfully for 6 hours, making camp at Mountain Valley RV Park – – a favorite destination for overnighting on the way to the desert.

This is one of those camps where things are just right, an unusual status for sure in the RV Park department. Most RV parks are so unexceptional we hardly remember them (except may negatively) and never return. Here, we’re just far enough off the highway for noise to abate, but not so far it’s really out of the way. Maybe a mile or so. The spaces are fairly close together, like most RV parks, but there is a little row of trees in between each space, and besides we rarely have an immediately adjacent neighbor. All the spots are level and need little or no jacking. There’s lots of grassy fields nearby to take a casual stroll in. And cost-wise, it’s amazingly cheap, because they have a dry-camp (no hookups) rate of $17 – – again a real rarity in the RV park world.

Aside from the peace, quiet, and convenience, there’s not much else up here. We will be launching tomorrow for Quartzsite to take in the RV show and begin our desert experience(s) for this trip. I’ll try to write something (worth reading) as the week progresses.