Unexpected Twists: Navigating Day Two of Our Journey

10/24 First thing in the morning was to pack up, get breakfast, but before then, check the cats! Did they survive the night? Did they eat? Did they use the litter pan? They begun mowing even before I opened the camper shell door. Everyone was wide awake, not as terrified as the day before, and they had all eaten, except for GT. GT is our not so thin “Gray Tabby”. Came to us as a feral barn cat that we adopted, and has turned into the most sedentary cat I’ve ever owned. Several acres plus a barn with rats challenging chickens for their feed, there was plenty to do on our property. But unfortunately, GT was scared. She needed her own safe spot, and so she found a safe spot in our garage and hid there. Through the years, she became friendly toward people, but still didn’t like other cats and hid. SInce GT was “heavy for her size”, we were concerned that she hadn’t eaten, as this can cause other metabolic problems quickly. We decided before we started on journey Day #2, we would buy her canned cat food to entice them all to eat.

Setting off, since we didn’t make it to Tehachapi as planned, we had to pick a new goal for the day. Our goal was at least 4 hundred miles, or 6 hours of driving, whichever we needed to accomplish, as again, you don’t know what the day brings, but we always set a goal for the day. Our goal was Kingman Arizona. The drive from California to Arizona can be viewed in two ways:

1. Wow, the desert is pretty, with rock formations and geological history, cacti somehow scraping out an existence in the vast landscaping, a true marvel of survival.

2. Wow, the desert is boring…nothing to see, no animals, no trees.

We see #1. As we drive, yes it is a long drive to Kingman, but the Earth's History is at its finest display. Volcanic activity, cinder cones, angled cliff formations from the uplifting and folding of the Earth’s crust…all on display. I remember when my family drove from California to Utah each summer to visit our grandparent’s farm, my mom would point out the beauty of the hills and rocks. She would question us….”How do you think that was formed?”, and “Look at the color of the rocks, why do you think they are that color?” It kept us entertained, or put us to sleep. But today, with our technological advances, as we are able to drive along, we research on our phones the exact questions my mom didn’t know how to answer.

Newberry Springs. The inspiration for Pixar’s Cars animated movie was not something we were going to miss. The stop also gave us a great reason to check on the cats after several hours of driving. More than the roadside gift shop, we were more entertained by people watching. Right from the offramp as we exited the freeway, we noticed tour buses. But they didn’t go straight to Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs, they had stopped on the side of the road, nearby, and all riders exited the bus. We don’t know why they stopped, until we drove to the actual attraction. There in the parking lot was another bus, the same tour company. Now it was clear that they had to wait for the first bus to leave before they could bring the second group to view the attraction. We were not on the bus, so we proceeded to the site. We took turns going into the shop, where the famous film Bagdad Cafe was filmed. And upon seeing the congestion of the shop, we both walked away without going inside, there was no room with the bus occupants shopping for nostalgic souvenirs. So instead, we enjoyed watching the people as they walked around, taking pictures, interacting and amazed at this little gem in the middle of the desert.

As we continued, we made a few more stops, eating our sandwiches out of our portable refrigerator, that kept our meat, cheese and condiments fresh. Fueling the truck, and checking on the cats. They were doing great, but GT still was hiding under her pillow. I started feeling bad for her. When we did arrive at Kingman, we fed the cats canned food, and she still wouldn’t take a bite. Hopefully a calm night, and the smell of the food will entice her to at least nibble a little. We’ll see what the morning brings.