Now on to Baker

We pulled out of Laughlin this morning heading for Baker, California, and the race we came out here to work. As usual we followed the Leith's down to I-40 and entered into California for the first time. After awhile on I-40 we turned north towards Baker. Our first stop was at the Kelso Depot. This is an old train depot out in the middle of the desert. This was mainly a rest stop for the train crews. Also, due to the steep grades the trains had heading west from Kelso, they would pick up extra engines to pull/push the trains up the mountain. The Kelso Depot has been completely refurbished and is now under the control of the National Park Service and is a part of the Mohave National Wilderness Preserve.

From Kelso we moved northwest to Baker, which is on I-15 about halfway between Barstow, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The town has become a waypoint for folks going from Southern California and Las Vegas and has about every fast food outlet known to man. The town is also home to the World's Largest Thermometer which displays the local temperature in digital numbers. One of the locals said the highest temperature it has ever recorded was 136 degrees.

The RV Support Teams for the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race set up in the parking lot of the Baker High School. We had no RV hookups so we set up to dry camp for the next several days. Each night while here some type of activity is planned for us. Tonight the RV Support Coordinators have serving us a meal of Pepperbellies. This actually turned out to be a fairly mild form of chili. Today was spent meeting many new friends and getting settled in and learning what our responsibilities will be during the race. Still wondering what the Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race is all about. That will come in a later post.