Initially, I had problems ordering dinner from Domino's, because I couldn't get mah new shmartphone to work, or rather, I couldn't activate the international subscription from my phone company. So I called the local pizza affiliate from my motel phone and they told me they no longer did takeaway to that place, because they'd had "some problems" in the past. That first meal on US soil was therefore ordered via some Motel6 affiliate whose name I've forgotten and whose sole purpose seemed to be to put me in touch with the place I was ordering food from. Yeah, Motel 6, I think I could have managed that one on my own.
The next morning, Dec. 19, I slept in, then set off towards Fresno, where I was to meet my old friend Roz and her hubby Robert. I stopped at Lebec, just as CA99 takes off from I-5.
Brunch was Philly cheesesteak omelette at Dennys at the bottom of the Grapevine.
Way, way in the back is the western edge of the Sierra Nevada range. Dis be cowboy country!
In Fresno, I had dinner with Roz and Robert at a steakhouse. Yummy food, gifts exchanged and more trivia learned about the Fresno area and Hispanic culture thereabouts. The next morning, Dec. 20, I set off for Ridgecrest and the Death Valley. First, in the high plains east of Bakersfield, I brunched in Tehachapi.
Spicy sizzlin skillet at Dennys. Mmmmmm.
I was detained for a brief while in Ridgecrest, as first I had to change rooms, then get them to put a heater in the new one since the air conditioner would only produce cold, of which I already had plenty, thank you very much. Meh.
I drove out towards Death Valley, but instead of going to the end of Panamint Valley and then make a right, I took off up the mountains on Wildrose Road, which is gravel and not even that for most of the way.
A lovely place along the way.
I finally reconnected with paved road, took it down to Stovepipe Wells (the first place you can pay), then promptly turned around again and set course for Lone Pine. At the end of Panamint Valley, they'd had snow or rain and on the right hand side of the road, it was a lakeland.
On the left was desert.
I think I shall never tire of looking at the Sierra Nevadas from this vantage point.
Finally, on the 21st, I drove down towards San Diego, with a detour through Julian. It was crowded and noisy as always around these times so I couldn't stomach stopping, much less going in to buy pies. Besides, by now I had gotten my US subscription to work and had 5GB to burn in a week and was under strict orders from mah SD crew NOT to buy anything.
The lovely viewpoint out over the desert with Salton Sea in the distance. It must be less then ten minutes out of Julian proper.
However, I then got a message that San Diego wanted pie after all, so I stopped for lunch at the wonderful Cuyamaca Cafe to brunch. Great food, great service and the waitress complimented my "'tis but a scratch" t-shirt. They also sell four types of pie there, so I bought one of each (let it be noted here that I only got a taste of TWO of them).
Chicken salad at Cuyamaca. Mmmmmm.
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