Deserted.

DAY 10, NOV. 18 – 9 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING.

Dry, desert road.

Desert. I’ve never seen one before.

I’m still in California, but I didn’t know they had such a dry area.

Cool cacti. Dry, dusty earth. Jagged, rocky landscape. “Subliminaly erotic sand dunes,” says the Lonely Planet. A cruel sun limits my vision to a bare squint, without a single cloud or tree for a shady reprieve.

* * *

I think this sign – located at the only stop between Ludlow and Needles – speaks for itself.

In between the two California desert towns Ludlow and Needles there’s a little gas station, the only stop during the 100-mile stretch.

The gas station, restaurant and trailers alongside are run on about 85 per cent wind power, according to the clerk.

Being so far from civilization, they can’t get on the grid without dropping a few million. She said that within the next little while, they’ll be getting solar panels and removing their need for generators completely.

I sit in their little “restaurant,” thinking about how this trip makes up for Alberta’s terrible summer weather this year – including snowfall after my May 27 birthday on May 29.

One of The Best Burrito The Clerk’s Ever Had and a Pacifico later, we were back on the I-40. Onward to Arizona.

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