HOLIDAYS-3 STORIES IN ONE

Yes, it is that time of the year.
I spent thanksgiving at Bill and Debbie's in San Francisco with family and friends. It had been a few years since I had been up there because of work but, it is time to continue with the tradition.
FIRST STORY - DRIVE UP.
Not a bad drive from Vegas, but it is a bit boring when you go from Vegas to Barstow on your way to L.A. as often as we do. Since we were going further North, we took the road that Goes from Barstow and to Bakersfield. Probably as boring if you drove it more than three times a year, but not for me. It is a road that traverses the high desert and goes over a mountain pass but, not before passing by an airplane graveyard. There is a lot of 18 wheelers on this two lane road which makes it a bit dangerous. It is not even a major road, since it curves and dips like waves. Of course you also want to fill up your tank before you venture into any of these roads. Gas prices are steep in small desolate towns. You also don't want to get into an accident-we saw a bad one on our way up there-cops, paramedics or fire trucks take a long while to get there from the closest town.
Next stretch of road is over the Tehachapi Mountains and down into Bakersfield. The town of Tehachapi is quite picturesque. It sits atop the pass of the same name. mostly farmers. There was this huge building all lit up at night. Not quite sure what it was. It looked like a huge power plant, probably the biggest structure up there. It doesn't take away from the beauty up there.
Once you get into Bakersfield, it is more of the same, particularly if you are driving on highway 99. Nothing but farmland and huge complexes that deal with anything that is is vegetable and edible and can be canned or boxed and shipped to major grocery stores.
We stayed in Hanford at a Best Western. Not a bad place except that there are a few trains going through blaring their horns "throughout" the night. The hotel just happened to be by a freeway and about half a mile from the train tracks. Next morning we drove from Hanford over to the "I-5" and up into San Jose. Passing through Gilroy and more California Landscape, quite unique I may add.

STORY 2-- LATER