Since we made the minimum hookup to utilities yesterday in Yuma, we had scant work to perform today before departure. We wandered around on the Yuma area’s dead-flat roads for a few miles before getting into a fuel stop where we filled up the truck and then headed out over some more dead-flat roads under construction until we made it to I-8. We headed west for a few miles until we got to California and their anti-contraband fruit stand where we stopped long enough to be waved right through because we are old.
We continued west through some dunes, some flowering desert landscapes and the massive Imperial Valley, irrigated breadbasket to the world. After crossing a considerable amount of land below sea level, the road starts to climb near Ocotillo and gets downright steep at the In-Ko-Pah grade as it continues into the Laguna Mountains. We were at about 400′ elevation in the desert and the first big ridge we crossed about 20 miles later was 4100′. In-Ko-Pah is Indian for Poorly-maintained car killer. Near the top of the grade is a junkyard holding numerous vehicles which crapped out on the way up.
After a long pull with our 12,000 pound trailer, Charlotte rolled over the pass and we started the long descent to the west coast of the U.S. We pulled off I-8 about 15 miles from the Pacific and headed south to our local Thousand Trails Pio Pico Reserve where we turned in for a three-week stay (minimum) before embarking on our next journey into the unknown.