Today we arrived in Bakersfield, our final destination in California.
After almost two weeks exploring the Pacific coast, wine country in Sonoma and Napa Valley, San Francisco and Yosemite National Park, it is now time to begin our journey towards Nevada.
We often get asked about how we plan our route across the country. Although we have already determined which state we will visit each week (See: Dates for the States) we don’t plan our specific state route until about a week before we arrive.
This may drive some people crazy. But for us there are too many variables to make specific plans so far in advance.
Planning our Traveling Route
The biggest obstacle on making travel plans this time of the year is the weather.
With winter peeking right around the corner, and snow already falling in many areas, we always have to keep on eye on where we will be traveling.
Although our truck can handle the snow and cold weather, we have to be a little more careful with our camper.
Our T@B 400 can handle freezing temperatures for a night or two, if the day time temperatures get above 32 degrees F.
And although many people winterize their campers, that isn’t a practical option for us. We need to be able to use our water and bathroom facilities, especially when we are dry camping.
So for us, the weather helps us determine our specific route. And that is how we ended up in Bakersfield.
Our original thought was to head eastward out of Fresno towards Death Valley National Park. We had hopes to pass through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National parks as well.
However, due to the snow over the mountain passes, those plans changed.
How We Ended Up In Bakersfield
Instead, we decided to play it safe and head further south and into Bakersfield.
This way we can head across highway 58 to interstate 15 into Nevada without too much worry.
Plus, it gives Jim an excuse to sing “On The Streets of Bakersfield” over and over again. 🙂
So as we prepare to say goodbye to California, we are now beginning to plan our route into Nevada.
And as always, if you have any suggestions on sights to see or places to visit when we come to your state, you can click on each state on our US Map and leave us suggestions.
Who knows, maybe our route will lead us right into your hometown!
Happy Traveling! Jim and Mary
CURRENT TRIP STATS
- Day 90 of 365
- States : 11 / 50
- National Parks / Monuments : 12
- Stayed In : Bakersfield, California
- Miles Driven : 86.2
- Total Trip Miles To Date : 9390.1
- Total Gallons Used : 700.75
- Biking Miles : 0.0
- Biking Miles To Date : 142.5
- Hiking Miles : 0.0
- Hiking Miles To Date : 189.5
About Our Living Simple Tour
On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States
Follow along by signing up for our twice weekly email updates at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us on Facebook : Live Simple Tour Facebook and Instagram : Live Simple Now Instagram Page.
Thank you so much for stopping in Lake County California,where I live. I only wish we could have met. You two sound like wonderful folks and I follow your blog. It really makes my day!
Thanks for following along Gail! We love California and would have loved to have connected with you. Maybe next time we are in town 🙂
Bakersfield Was A Great Choice. I Am Next Door To You In The Rally Sport C Class, We Got A Cloud Burst With Small Icy Hail . It Looks Like Hwy 58 Is Getting Snowed On Right Now. Las Vegas Oasis RV Park Is Usually Kinda Warm This Time Of Year! Enjoy Nevada! ?Billie
Thank you Billie and so glad to meet one of our camping neighbors here in Bakersfield. Really liked staying here at the park! We were in town and there was some pretty deep flooding from the heavy rain. Hopefully not too much snow to deal with on the way over to Vegas. Jim and Mary