Baker, California, and Mojave National Preserve

 When we headed south, from Pahrump, we took the back roads to I-15 at Baker, California. Lo and behold, the aliens answered our letters we posted in the BLACK BOX! We found them at Alien Jerky! This green man greeted us as we drove into the parking lot!

 Inside, I found my new best friend!

 Bob's new friends offered him a ride to their planet!

 Their spaceship was disguised as a store!

 We told them we had places to go and earthlings to see, so maybe next time.

As we drove away, we spotted the world's tallest Fahrenheit thermometer.

We continued our back road drive, heading south. We passed the interstate and continued on Kelbaker Road. Our journey took us to Kelso Depot in Mojave National Preserve. The depot was a hopping place during World War II as many troops heading to the Pacific passed through this depot. The tracks are still active today, but no trains stop at Kelso Depot.

As we drove through Mojave National Preserve, we could see low lying clouds in the mountains.

 The road was not bad and we didn't see many other travelers.

 Since the time change, it the sun sets around 5 p.m. We didn't want to be on the road after dark, so we found a large pull-off that would accommodate Sol and the car.

We set up camp and enjoyed our evening in the Mojave National Preserve. Yes, there are campgrounds in the preserve, but they are not along Kelbaker Road. They are farther east off I-40.

 The next morning we continued our drive....destination: Joshua Tree National Park.