Obviously, we have been used to New Zealand conditions, where asphalt (tarmac) or stone chips embedded in tar is the common surface, with a sprinkling of hot-mix bitumen as a teaser of what things could be like. ;-) So it was quite a surprise to find that a very busy motorway (freeway) is paved in a mixture of concrete, patched with bitumen in the cracks. As you drive over it, you get a series of thumps and patterings from the patches. At least we were spared that roar of big stone chips in tar that you get so often in NZ.
The other thing of note is that in a metro area of so many millions (17.7 as at 2008), the freeways work so well. We drove 50 miles through the middle of LA in rush hour and only stopped a couple of times. If that were Auckland, we would have spent more time stopped than driving. I guess the difference is the level of investment in mainroad infrastructure. In NZ we have simply not kept up with traffic growth and the demand for priority roading.
OK, where were we? Ah, that’s right, heading east out of LA.
Somewhere about halfway between San Bernadino and Palm Springs, we drove through a desert area shaped like a long gentle saddle between two mountain ranges that formed a wind tunnel. Over a distance of twenty miles or more there were hundreds and hundreds of wind turbines; all gently turning, generating electricity. We guess that there would have been several thousand of them (actually, it is now just over 4,500). Row upon row, standing across the prevailing wind, fifty or more on each side of the road. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gorgonio_Pass_Wind_Farm, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/caveman_92223/3186143355/
We later heard that there had been a huge storm a couple of days earlier, with winds over 100 mph. Now, that would have been a sight to see! You have to wonder at the stresses and pressures that they have to withstand. If just one turbine in a front rank left go, think of the destruction that is could cause.
Another thing that we have to get used to is understanding directions given by people. When we checked into a motel in Palm Springs, the owner gave us directions to his favourite restaurant. “Go west back along this road a mile or so to the corner, where it will turn right. The restaurant is on the outside of the corner on the left.” Well, the corner was six miles away, and the restaurant was two miles past the bend. I guess that we just have to get the name of the place and rely on the GPS.
Chatting with the motel owner next morning, he mentioned that he has a car and a bike that he takes to car shows. So we just had to have a look. The bike is a monster with a corvette V8 engine, and the car is a 2006 Corvette. David took some photos, and would have preferred to be able to roll them outside, but that wasn’t really an option. 
Note that Chuck doesn’t drive either of these on the road except on special occasions. They are mainly for shows.
And, Yes, we have bought a GPS. (of course!). David looked up on the Internet at some of the new models and found a couple that looked interesting. Our GPS in NZ is now nearly 9 years old and the technology has moved on a little bit since those days. Now the GPS that you buy is all touch screen, fast processor, and enough memory to hold the entire US, Canada and Mexico maps. The old one would have only held the California maps.
Garmin has a range of models that is quite confusing. Some just hold the current route, others can store several routes. Others store the current location when you remove them from the dash – this is handy in the typical mall carparks, where it is easy to come out of the mall at a different door to where we went in (we know about this – we ‘lost’ the car in Florida a couple of years ago. Not a good look!). So all you do is to fire up the GPS when leaving the mall, and find your way back to the car. Some models will even recognise voice commands, meaning that you can keep your hands and eyes on the road more.
David is much happier now that the GPS is doing the navigating. Now we can know where we are when we get lost.
Next, Joshua Tree National Park…
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