Year 4 Day 155 “Living the Dream”. Wednesday, 10/02/2024 Day 22 of 25-day Alaska to Las Vegas – Driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and boarding Amtrak Southwest Chief 4 heading to Chicago
Entering California at Primm, Nevada we had to pass through the California Agricultural Inspection Station – Mountain Pass. There was an inspector with a clip board standing there. He did not ask us to stop, just waved us on and wrote something on the clipboard. The inspectors check vehicles for commodities for compliance with California and federal plant quarantine regulations. They also check commodities to make sure they are free from exotic invasive species that may be hitchhiking with them. Their primary focus is on plant materials (i.e., fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, hay, firewood, etc.). Other items are also frequently inspected. Studies show a direct correlation between agricultural inspections and lowering invasive species infestations. One study shows that for every dollar spent on pest prevention, $14 is saved. This savings comes in later control costs and economic losses. The inspectors aim to minimize delays at the border. Nearly 20 million vehicles pass through the border stations each year. The inspectors are trained to conduct their inspections based on the risk. If a vehicle may be carrying hitchhiking pests, the higher the risk, the more thorough the inspection. This assessment is based on several factors, including route of travel, time of year and vehicle type. Apparently we did not look like we were a risk. California, Texas, and Florida have agricultural inspections. Entering Florida and Texas we have never passed by an actual inspector while driving a vehicle. California has 16 of these border protection stations.
Then it is just miles and miles and miles of desolate Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert spans four states: California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona and encompasses 20 million acres. The Mohave Desert is the smallest and driest desert in North America. Three national parks are located in the Mojave Desert. These parks are Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Mojave National Preserve. The Mojave desert is so dry because of the rain shadow effect. The rain bearing clouds lose all their moisture on the windward side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. This leaves no moisture for the leeward side of the mountain range which ultimately leads to the desert forming. The most common desert scrub type, covering 60–70% of the desert is Creosote bushes. They are evergreen shrubs that can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. 46% of the Mojave Desert is protected.
We pass lots of rest areas and service stations with huge amounts of electrical charge stations. Even where there are no gas stations there are a lot of electrical charging stations. I think you could travel every single day for 100 years and never see/experience all our country has to offer. It is so vast. Again, I notice sand blowing in the distance while driving. Dust storms in the Mojave can be intense and hazardous when dust concentrations are high enough to cause white-out conditions. Windblown dust can be harmful to people’s health and carry pathogens like the virus that causes Valley Fever. Okay I am ready to get to Los Angeles VALLEY FEVER – YIKES!!
As we get closer to Los Angeles at 9:30am, you can see the cloud it is in. The mountains are now covered in greenery.
It is like driving into a cloud. We dropped our car off at Enterprise car rental in downtown Los Angeles and ubered to Union Station. We are sitting in the Metropolitan Lounge waiting for our Southwest Chief 4 departure at 5:22pm.
Our trip home will take us over 40 hours. We will travel through 8 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas., Missouri, and New Mexico.
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
Clear Rain ponchos: https://amzn.to/3Z0chtf Never go on a cruise or actually never go anywhere without some clear ponchos. It is nice to stay dry. Two of these stay in my backpack, two in my car, and two in my suitcase. That is how passionate I am about having them.
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