Stymied by a Heat Wave

     My butterfly ways are caput due to an "excessive" heat wave inland southern California all the way to Arizona. Foggy 55 degree mornings like this . . . 

. . . are in the past.

I've been meandering (stalling too) on cool and beautiful coastal roads near Santa Maria, California.

     I had planned to visit more inland California, such as the Sequoia National Park, but the heat wave resulted in switching to Plan B.

     Route 166 from Santa Maria to Maricopa, California "The Golden State" is Plan B and it's another golden land of beauty.

     Thousands of acres of crops, grapes, berries and orchards of fruit are grown in this valley. When I passed by at 10 AM it was 95 degrees in the shade, and there were many workers out on the fields.

     Plan B is to avoid the excessive heat wave while enroute to Phoenix  where it's 110 degrees. Tehachapi, California (near Bakersfield), is only 93 degrees so I spent a night at a campground there, and it rained with 25 mph winds . . . 

. . . . with pea-size hail!

     PS: This is a quicky post. I depart temporarily from posting for the next week or two but not to worry. I'm meeting SCUBA folks in Phoenix for a week's adventure in the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez). We'll be shuttled to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico via two vans/trailers to board a boat.