Running out of gas in the Mojave Desert

, , ,

On the way to Palm Springs driving through Mojave Desert and Joshua trees – Travel log no. 27

After camping we had breakfast at IHOP early in the morning, like back in the day with my rowing buddies.

We passed by Las Vegas around noon and saw pilots training on formation flying.  After Vegas on the borderline to California we got stuck in a traffic jam for more than 30 minutes. I was planning on getting Gas before going over the border and the stop and go really drained my tank.

So when driving into the Mojave desert to get out of the traffic jam my tank was only at 1/8 of gas. Having no reception in the desert didn’t make the situation easier. When it seemed we would get stranded in the middle of the desert we came over this ancient gas station.

Roy's Gasoline, California.
Roy is long dead by now but his business is flourishing more than ever. Might have something to do with the $5 per gallon you pay for gas there.

It is definitely the highest price I paid for gas in the USA but it is still cheaper than in Germany. The price is nearly justified if you see the service guy coming out with a revolver on his belt and operating the old school pumps. The heat out here was just unbearable but surprisingly many people had to take the service.

With gas in the tank we made it to the Joshua tree national park. After a lot of rain the trees were blooming.

Blooming Joshua tree, California
Thats how the blooming of a Joshua tree looks like.

We were climbing the rocks and I fell off from one. Fortunately I am not heart badly but I still lost some skin and shared some blood.

Boulders, Joshua Tree Park, California
It’s fun to climb up the rocks but not so much fun to slide down on them.

At night we met up with Petr and Dough and had a great BBQ. After three days of camping sleeping on a couch is just awesome.

Tomorrow I am going to drop off Annika and Eric in LA.

Sunset, Palm Springs, California
Sunset in the mountains over Palm Springs.