tiredWhile I have spare masks at home, I don't generally carry spares with me on these trips. This is really annoying. I've traveled all over the world and never lost a mask. I checked with the Holiday Inn in Rancho Mirage and they did not report finding a mask (which is why I think it rolled under the bed or in some easily-missed location. I called the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque and confirmed that I could order something shipped to me to catch up to me when I get there on Thursday. I then ordered a replacement mask with express shipping. However, for the next three nights, I'm without my CPAP, which is unfortunate, not only because snoring bothers Lisa, but also because it ruins my sleep. But there's nothing that can be done about it in the short term but to put up with it. I was about due for a replacement mask anyway. Maybe I'll have to start carrying an extra with me.
Heading east on I-10, we stumbled across an unexpected museum: the General Patton Memorial Museum, located at Chiriaco Summit, California.
We didn't have time to visit the museum, as much as Lisa wanted to do so, but we briefly stopped in their parking lot. Today would have been a good day to visit, as the weather was pleasant. We have no idea when we'll be through here again, but maybe we will have a chance to stop in sometime and look at the museum.
We pushed onward, crossing into Arizona and refueling at the Flying J Travel Center just over the border. Our policy when traveling in winter in particular is to refuel relatively often and give ourselves lots of reserve.
At Quartzsite, where the snowbirds flock to spend the winter, Lisa (who has stopped here before when she used to drive through here periodically) pulled off the freeway so we could have a look at a monument to an camel driver.
I'd heard of the US Army's experiment with using camels, very loosely dramatized in the movie Hawmps! that I remember seeing in a theatre in the 1970s. Hi Jolly (Hadji Ali) was the camel driver hired by the US government to tend the camels used in the experiment. This monument is located at his grave in Quartzsite. Kuma Bear paid his respects as well.
Of course we had to stop at The Other Tonopah.
We briefly stopped at Tonopah, Arizona. Lisa took some photos that we'll share as part of the Tonopah Westercon promotions.
The desert scenery is striking here. It's not quite the same as what we have in Northern Nevada.
And while we do have places near Fernley where steam comes out of the ground at the geothermal plant, we don't have plumes of steam coming out of the massive Palo Verde nuclear power plant.
We could have skirted Phoenix on Loop 303, but we wanted to eat at a restaurant we can't visit in California, Nevada, or indeed anywhere west of Goodyear, Arizona.
I like Waffle House, but there are none west of the Phoenix area. We could have picked up another Black Bear Diner, but instead we had dinner here before cutting over to I-17 via Loop 101.
Having left Rancho Mirage CA about 10:30 AM PT, we got to the Super 8 in Cottonwood AZ just after 8 PM MT. We lose an hour having come into the Mountain time zone, but to make up for it, I don't have to get up until 5:40 AM instead of 4:40 AM. Also, tomorrow we are not traveling cross-country, but instead we're going to go ride a train, about which more tomorrow night.
