Out of The Rain Day 3

We left Bakersfield after a hearty complimentary breakfast and immediately cranked on the windshield wipers, yet again. They were beginning to give out, not wiping a nice clean sweep as they had done around Portland. Then, as the rain slowed to a misty whisper, the big electronic highway sign warned of dense fog on the Tahachapi summit. They were not exaggerating. As the road climbed in elevation, the fog became denser and the traffic, normally speeding along at 70 mph, was now crawling at 55 mph. At the summit of 4000 ft., the fog also peaked. We pulled off of the road in search of a gas station and, in the fog, managed to find one. Then to get  back on the freeway! We were told to continue on the road we were on and we would hit it. We drove blindly for miles and just as I was giving up hope, there was the on ramp. Shortly after, the fog began to dissipate as the elevation of the highway began to drop. Then, as if driving out of a tunnel, the sky began to lighten as we came down to the Mojave Desert. Looking back, it was a deep blue wall with a white fog bank skirting the tops of the hills. Minutes later, we were searching for our sunglasses. Yes, at last! What we were searching for was just down the road. It just got better as the road kept dropping and the terrain became more desert like. 

Finally, a warm dry place to stop the car, get out, and take a photo or two. A Joshua tree, a long sweeping desert road, so beautiful after 20 hours of rain.